Beautiful Bread

This challenge was inspired by the design creations of Valentina Zurkan. The end result was intimidating.

I baked a sunflower bread a couple days earlier. It is easier to shape and I wanted to get an idea of how shaping the dough affects the final result. I am glad I did that but I was nervous nevertheless. Surprising, I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the dough and molding it to the desired shape. The house smelt of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. I think I found a new hobby.

The bread was a treat with evening tea. My daughter walked through the door with her nose in the air asking what smelt so good. She even asked if she could take a piece to school for her mid-morning snack.

The recipe was easy to follow but I tweaked it a little. I used mostly bread flour in place of all purpose flour, cut down on the cinnamon and did not drizzle anything on the bread after it was baked.

You will need
For the dough
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 oz. butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 oz. Fleischmann yeast
2 1/4 cup King Arthur bread flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
1/2 tsp. salt

For the topping
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. sugar

Between the layers
2 oz. butter, divided
3 tbsp. cinnamon powder
1/2 cup sugar

Leave the egg and the butter on the counter top at least an hour before you start. Shell the cardamom and pound the seeds to a powder. Mix the water and milk in a bowl and heat in the microwave for about 25 seconds. In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg. Add sugar, softened butter, yeast and the warmed milk and water. Whisk it together. Add the cardamom and salt. Mix in the flour a little at a time. Knead well to form a soft dough.

Oil the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise to double its original size.

Flour a working surface and dump the dough on it. Break away a small piece of dough for the center. Divide the rest into four portions.

Roll out the portions to about 9-10 inches. Save a tablespoon of butter and in a small bowl mix the remaining butter, cinnamon powder and sugar to be applied between the layers. Place one of the rolled out portions and spread a third of the cinnamon mixture all over the top.

Place another rolled out portion of dough over the top of the first. Apply half of the remaining cinnamon mixture over it and place the third portion of dough over the top. Apply all of the remaining cinnamon mixture over it. Place the last portion of dough over the top. Brush the top with the butter that was kept aside earlier.

Shape the layers into a circle doing the best you can. The better the circle the prettier the baked bread will look. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut the four layer thick disc into 8 wedges. Using a knife cut a slit in each of the triangles as shown in the picture.

Take one of the triangles and fold the narrow edge over the top and into the slit.

Pull it from the bottom and spread it out again as shown in the picture.

Repeat for all the triangles.

Grease a baking sheet large enough to hold all the pieces. I used a pizza sheet. Place the triangles on it to form a circle. Retrieve the little ball of dough put aside earlier. Roll it into a thin rope. Starting from one side coil the rope to the end. Place it in the center. Pinch the open ends of the triangles together. Mix the milk and sugar for the topping and brush it liberally over the top.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake the bread for 5 minutes at this temperature. Reduce the temperature to 390 F. Bakes for about 10-12 minutes. The bottom of the bread should be brown. The top can be covered in foil if it browns too early. Alternately it can be broiled if it does not brown enough.

Let the baked bread rest for 5 minutes on the pan. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before storing. The bread can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Lithi and Tomato Chokha

Lithi is one of the most popular Bihari dishes. Both Lithi and Chokha are cooked in the tandoor. I do not have a tandoor so I used a regular oven. The flavors of the two dishes go surprisingly well together. In fact this combo is on our school lunch rotation.

The shell of the Lithi is made of whole wheat flour and the stuffing is made of Sattu. The resultant Lithi is flavorful as well as healthy. Chokha is made with roasted vegetables, I used tomatoes. It can be made with eggplant or potatoes.

Sattu is roasted ground yellow gram dal. I found it in the Indian store but they did not have a small bag. I knew I would have a lot of flour left over and wondered what I would do with it. I did not have to worry. My husband enjoyed having sattu flour as breakfast cereal until it was all gone. His family is from Madhya Pradesh (Maharashtrians who had moved to Madhya Pradesh during the Holkar days) and that breakfast reminded him of his childhood.

You will need
For the Lithi shell
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used chappati flour)
2 tbsp. olive oil divided
1 tsp. salt

For the Lithi stuffing
1 1/4 cup sattu (roasted ground yellow gram dal)
2 tbsp. onion, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
1 tsp. Ajwain (Carom seeds)
1 tsp. Kalonji (onion seeds)
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil

For the chokha
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
salt to taste

First make the Lithi shell. In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients using only one tbsp. of olive oil. Using water form a soft dough with the wheat flour. Moisten the palm of your hand with the other tbsp. of olive oil and knead for a couple minutes. Keep aside for at least half an hour.

Warm up the broiler in your oven. Slit the skin on the tomatoes lengthwise and place then on an oven proof sheet.

Put them under the heated broiler for about 4 minutes. Watch them so they do not burn. You do want the skin to be charred and the tomatoes to be soft. Turn them around after 4 minutes and broil them on the other side for up to 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

Skin the cooled tomatoes and chop them. Using a masher mash lumps if any. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish.

Next make the sattu filling. Mix all the ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Using water form a soft filling. Use as little water as you can. Divide into 6 and roll each part into a ball.

Make the Lithi. Preheat oven to 375 F. Knead the dough that after it has rested for half an hour. Divide into 6 parts. Roll each part into a ball.

Flatten one ball of dough on your palm.

Place one ball of filling inside it.

Pull up the sides of the dough over the filling and seal closed. Smooth it out in your palm and keep aside.

Repeat the process with the other 5 balls of dough. Now pour 1 tbs. of olive oil on your palm and caress each lithi with it. Place the oiled lithi on a baking sheet and let it bake for about 25 minutes or until the bottom is brown. Turn over and bake another 5 minutes. The top should brown quickly.

Melt a half tsp. of ghee over the top and serve with Chokha.

This is my entry for week four, day two of BM #37 for the theme Rolled and Baked. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#37.

Garlic Naan

Soft and browned to perfection with a distinct garlic taste, Garlic Naan is one of the most popular variation of the Indian flat bread.

Garlic naan has been made popular by Indian restaurants that serve them fresh with their buffet. They go well with sides that have gravy or those without. My daughter loves to munch on a hot naan without adding anything to it.

This naan is leavened using yeast and requires a couple hours to rise. However, it cooks very quickly under the broiler taking all of 2 minutes.

You will need
For the dough
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. Fleischmann instant yeast
3 cloves garlic
4 tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 fl. oz. warm water

For the topping
10 leaves cilantro, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced

Sift together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic and mince. Add it to the flour. Add the yeast.

Now add the wet ingredients except water. Add water a little at a time and form a wet, sticky dough. Use a little flour to knead into a soft but sticky dough, about 10 minutes if kneading by hand. This is the hardest step as the dough is very sticky. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl greased with oil and allow it to rest covered for about 2 hours or until it doubles in volume.

Punch down the dough and divide into 6 portions. Using a little flour roll each portion into a ball and keep aside for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F.

The dough would will rise again.

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the second rack from the top. Switch to broiler on high heat. Flour a working surface and roll one of the six portions of dough to about 7 inches and about 1/4 inch in thickness. Sprinkle some of the garlic and cilantro over the top. Roll lightly to press into dough. Repeat for another portion of dough.

Take some water in a bowl. Pick up the naan and place it on the palm of your right hand with topping side down. Dip your free left palm in the water. Moisten the plain side of the naan with your wet palm. Now carefully place the naan on the hot inverted baking sheet. When you are done the topping should face up and the moistened plain side of the naan should touch the pan.

Repeat for the other naan. Broil on high for about 2 minutes watching to ensure the naan does not burn. It should puff up and brown on the top. Take it off the baking sheet and fold in a cloth towel.

Repeat for the remaining naan. Serve hot with a side of your choice.

Submitting this as my second entry for this week for the 2014 52 Week Challenge for the theme Garlic.

Garlic Bread

Garlic bread a a family favorite in my house. It goes great with pasta or pizza.

I was supposed to bake ciabatta bread as the base for my garlic bread but I forgot to get the starter going the night before. I already had everything else planned so I switched to a focaccia type bread recipe and used it for the garlic bread instead. It worked well.

You will need
For the bread
1 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. Fleischman instant yeast (half packet)
1 cup warm water
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided

For the garlic butter
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 springs cilantro
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme

To bake the bread
Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add 2.5 tbsp. of oil and mix it into the flour. Add the warm water a little at a time and form a sticky dough. Knead for about 5-9 minutes to form a soft and elastic dough.

Let it rest in a covered oiled bowl until it doubles in size, about an hour. Punch it down and form into a loaf. Let the loaf rest covered for about 10-15 minutes. Transfer it to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Let it rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime preheat oven to 400 F.

Use the remaining oil to brush the surface of the loaf. Bake the bread in the oven for 20-25 minutes. I put under the broiler to let the top brown but that is not necessary.

To make the garlic butter
Cut off the leaves of the cilantro and mince. In a microwavable bowl boil 1/2 cup of water. Add the garlic cloves with skin and boil again at 50% power for a minute. Take out of the microwave and let them sit in the water for another minute. Scoop out the garlic to a work surface and discard the water.

Once the garlic cools, peel of the skin with your hands. Crush the garlic with a fork. They should be mushy and easily crushed.

Mix all the ingredients together.

To put it all together
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F. Cut the bread vertically one inch apart. Fill the garlic butter on the cut side of the bread and put all the pieces together on an aluminium foil.

Fold the aluminum foil over the bread and seal it on all sides.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the butter melts completely.

Serve hot.

Bulgarian Sunflower Bread

Sunflower Bread is supposed to look like a sunflower. This recipe is made for special occasions in Bulgaria. It is a yeasted bread with yogurt added for softness and flavor.

I have always been in awe of breads that looked like more than a loaf. I had never tried to bake one before. Now that I have I think I will be doing this more often.

This recipe was adapted from this recipe. I played around with the proportions a little and did not use vinegar.

You will need
3 cups bread flour
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs
1/4 oz Fleischmann instant yeast
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tbsp. salt

1/2 tbsp. + 1/3 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter + some to grease the baking dish

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Warm the milk. In a mixing bowl mix the milk, sugar, salt, 2 tbsp. bread flour and yeast. In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the yogurt and whisk together. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. To this mixture add the flour a little at a time and form a dough. It will be fairly sticky. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Cut a small ball of dough and keep aside. Divide the rest into 3 portions. Flour a working surface and roll one of the portions into a large disc about 10 in in diameter. Put a third of the butter over the top. 

Roll out the second portion to the same size. Place it on top of the first and apply half of the remaining butter over the top. Roll out the last portion and place it on the first two. Now roll out all three. Do not worry about the size. Keep rolling them out until they get to 1/4 inch in thickness.

Grease a 10 inch baking dish. Using a pizza cutter or a knife cut the disc in 16 pieces. 

Starting from the outer edge roll one of the pieces towards the center aligned on one of the edges. Place it in the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining 15 pieces. Place the ball of dough that was kept aside in the center.

Whisk together the egg yolk and 1/3 tsp. olive oil. Brush over the top of the dough. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Cover and let it rest for an hour. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Cover the top with foil and bake for another 5 minutes. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.

Let it rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

I baked this bread with the group We Knead to Bake. For the month of February the group decided to bake any bread as long as it was yeasted. 

Weizenbrot (Swiss Rustic Bread)

Weizenbrot is a Swiss rustic yeast bread. It can be used for sandwiches but it is best dipped in fondue.

The bread is made using a fairly simple process but takes time to cook. The bread is first cooked briefly at 425 F and then for a longer time at 350 F. This ensures a beautiful crunchy crust and soft center.

You will need
2 cups bread flour (I used King Arthur bread flour)
3 1/4 oz. packets Fleischmann instant yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
2 tbsp. honey
9 oz warm water

Mix all the ingredients except the water in a large mixing bowl. Using the water knead into dough. It will be very sticky. Do not use additional flour, oil or water.

Continue kneading and the dough will turn soft and will not be sticky anymore. It will stick to the bowl and will be springy and bounce back. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 20 minutes or to almost double in size.

Knead the dough again and shape it into a long rope. Start rolling the rope in on itself from one end. Tuck the outer edge under the roll. Never cut or break kneaded dough. Instead work with your hands to get it to the desired shape.

Place the shaped dough on a greased baking sheet and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the bread around in the oven to get even browning. Bake for another 35 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean and the bread has a nice brown crust.

Enjoy!

Dudhichya kacharya (Lauki Subzi / Bottle gourd side)

Dudhi or Bottle gourd cooks up really quickly. This is a simple vegetarian side made with bottle gourd.

You will need
1 bottle gourd
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. agave nectar or sugar
1 tsp. coriander cumin powder

Chop the dudhi into slices.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to crackle add the turmeric powder, asafoetida and coriander cumin powder. Let them mix in the oil and then add the dudhi slices.

Cook uncovered until the dudhi is tender. Add the paprika, agave nectar and salt to taste.

Serve hot with poli.

Enjoy!