Dashmi / Poli with milk / Flatbread with milk

Dashmi is a variation of the everyday poli or bhakri. The dough is mixed with milk instead of water. The resultant bread is super soft and tastes great. To make this vegan I used soymilk.

I made this as a special treat when my daughter was visiting from college. If you make bhakri instead of poli, you can do the same with the bhakri flour. Just mix the dough using milk instead of water.

The real challenge here is to roll out perfect circles of dough after you have folded it into a triangular shape. It takes practice and the initial trials can resemble shapes of countries on the map. But if you stick to it you will get a hang of how to roll out perfect circles.

You will need (15 dashmi)
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups warm soymilk (approximately)
1 tbsp. oil

Place the wheat flour in a bowl. Using milk as needed bind the flour into a soft dough. Add a little milk at a time, you may not need all the milk. When done pour a teaspoon of the oil over the palm of you hand and knead the dough for a minute. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

Heat a flat griddle pan on medium heat, I use Lodge cast iron pan. While the pan heats up prepare the work surface. You will need a flat surface to roll the dough and a rolling pin. Keep a little wheat flour handy to sprinkle around the surface when the dough is rolled. In a bowl place the remaining oil and place it on the work surface. Divide the dough in lemon sized portions.

Work with one portion at a time. Roll the ball of dough in the flour, tap out the excess and place the ball on the rolling surface. Roll out to a little bigger than the palm of you hand.

Dunk the tips of your finger in the bowl of oil and apply it to half of the rolled dough. Fold the other half over it making a half moon. Apply the remaining oil from your fingers to what is now the top and fold one more time to give you a triangular shape. Roll this in flour, tap the excess and place it on the rolling surface.

The challenge is to convert this to a circle. Roll out the dough to a thin 1/4 inch thick disc shaping it as close to a circle as you can. Place this one the hot griddle. While you work on rolling the next portion of dough keep an eye on the one placed in the pan. As soon as you see it puffing up turn it over.

Let it cook on the second side. Turn over again. You can use a spatula to plug any steam that is trying to escape allowing the bread to puff up and cook completely making sure it does not burn.

Take it off the heat and continue to work through all the portions of dough.

Enjoy as part of you meal with a side of vegetable!


Note:
* the presence of milk makes it want to burn quickly. Make sure you turn it over or take it off the heat before it burns
* Adjust the heat under the pan such that it take about half a minute for the bread to cook on each side. Lower or turn up heat as needed. Once you get to the optimum you can leave the setting unchanged.

This is my entry for week two, day two of BM #64 for the theme 3 ingredient recipe.

Swedish Cinnamon Knots / Kanelbullar

A long time ago I bookmarked the recipe for cinnamon rolls. Instead I tried this beautiful bread. Last week I finally decided to make the cinnamon rolls. I am very happy with the proportion of sugar in this recipe and will be making this one again.

My original plan was to make the cinnamon rolls. Then I saw this video and really liked what she did there. So I made knots instead of rolls. It does not change the taste just the presentation.

You will need (for 6 small buns)
2.75 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
a pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

For the filling
2.5 tbsp. butter
2.5 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder

sugar pearls
milk to brush the top or use an egg diluted with a little water

In a large bowl melt the butter and the milk. Sift in the flour and salt. Add the yeast, sugar and the cardamom powder. Mix into a soft sticky dough. Work the dough kneading it until it is soft and elastic. Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume, about an hour.

In the meantime, in a bowl soften the butter for the filling. In a separate bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon powder. Prepare a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper. Keep aside. When the dough has risen, transfer it on a floured flat surface. Light flour the rolling pin and roll out the dough to a large long rectangle.

Brush the dough with the butter. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder mixture over the top.

Fold the rectangle along the long side in thirds. Fold the other side over the first. Press down a little, roll with a pin if needed.

Cut 2 - 2 1/2 inch portions along the length of the dough. I got six portions. Next cut a slit half way up in each of the portions as in the picture.

Work with one portion at a time. Gently tug the two legs of the dough while holding to the top. Start twisting them in opposite directions.

When you can twist no more fold them up to the top and tie them in a knot. Place the knot over the base. Move the bun to the baking sheet and repeat with the other five portions.

Cover with a tea towel and allow the buns to rise again for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F while the buns are rising. Brush the top with milk or egg wash. Sprinkle sugar pearls and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. I did not have any sugar pearls so I skipped the step.

Enjoy!

Empanada Gallega (With Vegetarian Filling)

The name Empanada or wrapped dough reminds me of the classic half moon shape. This recipe is a variation of the Empanada from Galicia. It is like a pie with dough as the base and as the top.

My original plan was to use paneer, my go to substitute. It adds flavor and is filling too. But that did not happen so the filling was all vegetables. My daughter said it was like eating bread with vegetables. I guess next time I will make it a point to add paneer.

You will need
400 gm whole wheat flour (I used whole white wheat flour)
6 gm salt
5 gm yeast
15 gm olive oil + a little more to brush the top
200 gm water

For the filling
3 organic zucchini
1 carrot
2 scallion (both white and green)
1/2 red bell pepper (you can use 1 whole)
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
spices of your choice (I used cumin and coriander powder)
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients and combine to form a dough. Cover with cling wrap and allow it to rise.

Meanwhile dice the vegetables and saute on medium high heat until cooked but still crunchy. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook on high heat for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet 9 by 13 inches and place a parchment paper in it. Transfer the ball of dough to a flat floured surface and cut into two slightly unequal portions. Reserve the smaller portion in the bowl covered in cling wrap.

Roll the larger portion into a large rectangle until it is the same size as the baking sheet. Transfer it to the sheet. Now place the filling in the center and spread it on the dough leaving an inch on all sides. Now place the reserved dough on the rolling surface and cut out a fifth of the dough. Keep the small piece aside. Roll the larger piece of dough until it is larger enough to cover the filling. Place it over the filling.

Now for each of the sides, roll up the spare inch of dough where no filling was placed. Press it over the top piece. Repeat for all sides. Using a fork press down where the two sheets meet to seal.

Using the palm of your hand roll the piece of remaining dough to form a slender rope. Cut it as you please an use to decorate the top. Using a sharp knife cut slits in the top sheet to allow air to escape.

Brush the top with some oil and place the baking sheet in the oven for 40-50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Lattice Top Stuffed Bread

I love to play with dough and create different shapes. Some of them are authentic recipes made for centuries and the others are my crazy ideas. This one was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest. I used a simple filling of mixed vegetables and used whole wheat bread for the dough. The lattice pattern was what I was after. It was an entertaining half hour and the result was tasty dinner.

I made this bread a while back but never got around to posting it. Soon after I made it my daughter announced she was done with stuffed bread and could I not make it again. Without my most ardent fan I had to stop my experiments. Now several months later she said I never make stuffed bread anymore. And so once again I am back to my crazy shapes. Her reaction may be the result of eating dorm food. That food is known to make home cooked food taste a lot better. But I am not asking, as long as she is willing to eat it, I am willing to make it.

You will need
For the shell
250 gm whole wheat flour
4 gm salt
3 gm yeast
10 gm olive oil
110 gm water

For the filling
2 medium potatoes
1 large carrot
1 tbsp. olive oil
a few springs cilantro
salt and black pepper to taste
spices of your choice (I used a tsp. each oregano and basil)

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients and combine to form a soft, tacky dough. Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and shiny. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave aside for an hour to let it rise.

While the dough is rising, peel the potatoes and carrot. Dice into small cubes. Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Saute until tender. Add the remaining ingredients, turn off heat and allow it to cool completely.

When the dough rises to twice its volume transfer it to a flat floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll the dough into a large rectangle. Leaving a good 5 inches in the middle cut the sides into strips as show in the picture below. The strips should be attached to the center. Now place the cooled filling in the center of the rolled dough.

Now for the fun part. Start at one end. Fold the dough over and tuck the ends so it looks neatly folded in. Now fold in a strip from one side and then fold in a strip from the other side over the first one. Continue folding in the strip from alternate sides making sure you go over and under the strip already placed over the filling. It seems a lot harder than it really is.

Continue folding the strips until you reach the end. Finally tuck in the end piece under the last couple strips. If you did a better job of tucking in the ends you would get a better rounded edge than I did in the picture below.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet by placing parchment paper over the top. Transfer the finished piece to the baking sheet, brush it with a little milk/water solution and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the bread is cooked through.

Enjoy!

Blueberry lemon Iced Tea

This is my favorite variation of the iced tea. Blueberry lemon tea is delicious and has a beautiful color. Fresh blueberries work best. Since most of the blueberries in the house are eaten as is, it was with great effort that I was able to save a handful to make this tea.

The recipe if you can call it that is very similar to the strawberry iced tea. Make blueberry syrup and add it to the tea. Chill.

You will need (2 servings)
handful blueberries
2 tsp. lemon juice
2-4 tsp. sugar (adjust to taste)
2 cups iced tea

Prepare iced tea and chill. In a pan heat the blueberries, lemon juice and sugar until the sugar melts and the berries are tender. Mash the berries and chill the mixture for an hour. Run through a strainer and add it to the chilled tea. Pour over ice.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Iced Tea

Today I present a variation of the iced tea I posted yesterday. Fruit mixed in iced tea really enhances its flavor. I had this in a restaurant once and when I asked how it was made the answer was simple. Fruit syrup mixed into iced tea. You may use frozen or fresh strawberries to make the syrup.

I have my cat to thank for this picture. I placed the background for my picture, a white board to bounce the light etc. to shoot a picture of the iced tea from yesterday's post. I then turned to prep this drink. When I turned around the cat was comfortably napping on the table. I waited for her to leave but she was not going anywhere. Finally I had to set up in a different area and click this picture. The light is a lot better in this picture.

You will need (2 servings)
1 handful strawberries
2 tsp. sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the berries)
1 dash of lemon juice
2 cups of iced tea

Prepare the iced tea according to these directions and chill. Chop the strawberries and heat in a pan with the sugar. When the sugar melts turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Chill for a couple of hours. Run through a strainer and mix it into the ices tea.

Enjoy!

Iced Tea

Rising temperatures make you want to reach out for cold beverages. Iced tea is one such beverage. It is very popular here in the US and there are several brands of ready-to-drink iced tea available in the market. However, iced tea is really easy to make and tastes great when made with your favorite brand of tea. It does take some planning so that the tea is chilled when you are ready to drink it.

I am not a tea or coffee person but I like iced tea. The first time I had it was on a business trip. While I do not drink tea everyday I do like iced tea once in a while.

You will need (4 servings)
4 cups of water
4 tea bags (you choice of flavor)
sugar to taste (1-2 tsp. per cup)

Bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the tea bags and let them seep for a couple of minutes. Do not let them sit longer than 5 minutes unless you like the tea to be really strong. Discard the bags. Dissolve the sugar in the water and chill for a few hours. Pour out in cups over ice.

Enjoy!

Shredded Sweet Potato Side / Ratalyacha Kis

Sweet potato is one of my favorite root vegetables and this recipe was my favorite growing up. The roasted peanuts and sweet potato go so well together it is magic.

There is a large variety of sweet potatoes available in the grocery store. I use the Japanese sweet potato. It has a dark colored skin and are white on the inside. They are firm and hold their shape a lot better than the rest of the varieties. They are also the closest in taste to the sweet potato my mother used.

When cooking root vegetables it is best to add salt before the vegetable is cooked through to keep it from turning to mush.

You will need
1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 serrano pepper, de-seeded (optional)
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
a handful roasted peanuts, ground

Peel the sweet potato and shred in a food processor or using a grater.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and chili pepper (if using). Cumin burns color quickly. As soon as it changes color and before it turn brown add the shredded sweet potato.

Add the salt and cayenne pepper (if using). Mix it all up, cover and let it cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Uncover and add the ground roasted peanuts. Combine well, cover and allow to cook until the potato is cooked through, another 5-10 minutes. Check frequently to prevent it from burning.

Enjoy!

Sourdough Crackers

These crackers are a great way to use your sourdough starter. The crackers have a distinct sourdough taste and texture. They are really easy to make and do not take up too much time.

I got this recipe from the King Arthur flour website here. The recipe calls for unfed starter but since I changed to a new process of maintaining a starter I have no unfed starter to discard. For this recipe I let the fed starter sit in the refrigerator for a week before using it. In summer I would let it sit out for a few hours or maybe two-three days in the refrigerator.

Maintaining a sourdough starter is easy and though it takes planning baking with sourdough is therapeutic. If you are on the fence about a starter go ahead and make one.

You will need (30 crackers)
1/2 cup whole white wheat flour
1/2 cup unfed sourdough starter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. mixture of dried oregano and basil
1 tsp. olive oil

Let the butter soften to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the oil to form a smooth ball of dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a board or counter top. Lightly flour a rolling pin and the parchment paper. Place the cold dough on the board and roll it out to the thickness of a cracker.

Using a pizza cutter or knife cut out the rectangular crackers as below. Brush with the olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crackers brown at the edges. Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely before storing.

Enjoy!