Lavender Cake 

I am part of a Bake along group, and as a part of the bake along thus recipe was shared. Subhashini who leads this Bake along group was not only sweet the recipe but also shared the Lavender Seeds with all of us so we can also bake and enjoy this exotic ingredient.

This is how the Lavender seeds looks like.

 I believe it is not available in India. However, if you gets your hand on this try this recipe. Even if you don't get Lavender Seeds, you can ignore that and make this recipe, believe me its a Keeper.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter – 115 gms
Granulated white sugar – 1 cup, divided
Eggs – 2
Almond meal/Slivered almonds – 1/4 cup
Dry lavender seeds – 1 teaspoon
Dairy fresh cream – 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Vinegar – 2 tablespoons
Pure vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
All-purpose flour – 1  1/4 cup
Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon

Method

• Add 1/2 cup sugar, almond meal and lavender seeds into your food processor.
• Process on medium for few seconds until all 3 have powdered well. Do not process for long.
•  Pre-heat oven to 170 degree C.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
•  Add vinegar to freshcream in a bowl and keep aside.
•  Add butter into the bowl of your electric beater.
• Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until butter becomes soft and fluffy.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar to the butter.
• Beat on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture has become creamy, pale and fluffy
• Add the almond lavender mixture and beat just until combined on medium speed for about a minute.
• Add the eggs one at a time beating for about a minute after the addition of each egg.
• Add vanilla extract and beat for a minute until everything is combined together.
•  Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until it is combined. 
• Do not over beat.Add the cream mixture and again beat on low speed just until the cream has combined. 
• Add the remaining portion of flour and beat just until combined. Do not over beat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and tap to release any air bubbles.
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degree C for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is risen, soft to the touch and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Super soft and Fluffy Cake in Sandwich Maker 

Who Says you need a Oven or Microwave to make a Cake!! All you need is a Sandwich Maker. Honestly  don't prefer using Pressure Cooker to make a cake as I find the process tiring and then the Cooker does not work well for other purposes. You may not be able to make complicated Cakes in the SW Maker however t will help you to satisfy your Cake Pangs.

Actually I find this method to be quicker as the Cake is ready in 2 minutes. You can take any simple recipe and make this. I used a Egg less Vanilla Cake Recipe. The cake recipes with eggs will come out much better for sure, however, due to the food choice of my family members I did not try it yet.

Ingredients

Maida or APF - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Curd- 1/2 Cup
Milk- /4 Cup
Cooking Oil - 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Vanilla Essence - 1 Teaspoon

Method

• In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except APF and Baking powder and whisk it well.
• Sieve Baking Powder and APF together 2-3 times.
• Now add the sieved Mixture to the ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix till they are all combined well.
• Meanwhile, switch on the SW maker and once its ready, grease it with some oil and pour the prepared batter into the SW maker.
• Close the SW maker and leave it for a minute or 2.
• If required you can flip it and do the other side for like 30 seconds.
• Enjoy Your Cake.

Note: The picture you see above is cooked for a minute on each side on the SW maker. The below picture in when I left it for more time (2-3 minute) to brown well.

I personally liked the 2nd One while my hubby liked the first one so cook it as per your wish. 

Whole Wheat Potato Bread

I have read in many blogs and posts that adding Vital Gluten improves the texture of the Bread. However, I was not so sure of whether Gluten is good or bad for Health, so did a Google and found this article.

Then my next search was to look for alternatives and I found that using Mashed Potatoes or Milk or Milk Powder enhanced the quality of the Bread. Here is my first try of making WW Bread with Mashed potatoes. I made it as a Masala Bread, you can skip it and make it as a Potato Bread. 

 

Ingredients

• Potato – 2 (Medium, Boiled, peeled and mashed)
• Whole Wheat Flour – 3 -4 Cups ( I needed around 3.5 Cups of Wheat Flour as this would depend upon on the Potato and its moisture)
• Dried Herbs - 1 Teaspoon (Optional)
• Garlic - 6 Pods (Peeled and Finely Chopped)
  
• Chilli Flakes - A Generous Pinch (Optional )
• Luke Warm Water - 1 Cup
• Dry Yeast - 1.5 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon Instant yeast, 1.5 teaspoon Active Dry or 3 teaspoon Fresh Yeast)
• Sugar- 1 tablespoon
• Salt - 1 Teaspoon (Adjust to taste)
• Oil - 1 Tablespoon (I used Olive Oil)

Method

•  In a mixing bowl, place the luke warm water and add the sugar and stir it well.
•  To this add the Dry yeast and cover with a plate and leave it aside till it is frothy.
• In another mixing bowl, place the Wheat Flour and Salt and add Butter or Oil and mix it well.
• To this add Mashed potatoes, Dried Herbs, Garlic, salt, Chilli Flakes and Mix well.
• To this add the Yeast water and knead for 8-10 minutes or till you get a smooth pliable dough.
• I felt the dough needed more Flour as the moisture was more so I added Flour Tablespoon by tablespoon till I got a smooth Pliable Dough.
• Now place this dough in a oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to rise. This may take 1 Hour.
• Once the Dough has doubled, bring the dough to the top of the kitchen counter and punch it down and knead for couple of minutes.
• Then shape it into a loaf and place it in a greased Loaf tin. Cover it lightly with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
• After 30-45 minutes, Bake it in a Pre heated Oven for 30 minutes at 180C and Broil for 5 minutes.

 .

Chocolate Fruit Cake

 I have always told about how much everyone in my house likes Fruit cake, This recipe is my another take on this gorgeous cake, yes it is Chocolate fruit cake. For Other Variants of Fruit Cake, Click here.

Ingredients

Maida or APF - 1.5 Cups
Sugar -1 Cup
Cinnamon powder - 1 Teaspoon
Vanilla Essence - 1 Teaspoon
Buttermilk - 3/4 Cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 Cup
Mixed Fruits and Nuts - 1.5 Cups (Mix with 1/4 Cups of Maida)
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Eggs - 2 (Large)
Butter - 3/4 Cup

Method

• Grease and dust a baking pan and keep it ready.
• Pre - Heat the Oven at 160 C.
• In a mixing bowl, Cream the sugar and butter well using a whisk.
• Add Vanilla essence to this and mix well.
• Add egg one by one and whisk it well.
• To this add the Buttermilk and whisk it in.
• Meanwhile, sift Maida, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon Powder, Baking Powder twice and keep it aside.
• Now add the sifted Ingredients little by little into the Whisked ingredients and fold it in.
• To this, add the Mixed Fruits and Nuts and fold it in.
• Now pour this into the greased Baking tin and bake at 160C for 40 Minutes or till it is done.
• Cool this completely before serving.

Tutti Fruitti bread 

I have loads of Bread recipe on my blog, this is one Bread that I always wanted to try as this is the Bread that we use buy from the Iyengar Bakery when I was young. We had a Bakery on our street corner, so we were aware of their Baking routine, so we will go and buy them as soon as they Bake them.

Ingredients

Maida or APF - 2.5 to 3.5 Cups (I used a little more than 3 Cups)
Warm Water - 1 Cup
Dry Instant Yeast - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Sugar - 2-3 Tablespoon (I used 2 Tablespoon and it was mildly sweet, next time I will add 3 Tablespoon)
Butter or Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon (I used Butter, use Olive Oil for Vegan Version)

Tutti Frutti - 2-3 Tablespoons

Method

• In a mixing bowl, place the Warm Water and add Sugar to it and mix well. 
• To this add the yeast and mix well and keep this aside for 10 minutes or till the yeast is activated.
• To this add the butter, Flour, Salt and start kneading it.
• Then add Tutti Frutti and Knead it for 10  inutes till you get a soft, pliable dough.
• Depending on the quality of Maida, you may need anywhere between 2.5 Cups to 3 Cups.
• Now place this in a bowl and smear some oil if required and cover with a damp cloth and allow it to double in size.
• This may take 1-2 Hours depending on the climatic conditions.
• After it has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it on the clean kitchen counter dusted with some flour.
• Punch the dough to get the air outside and start kneading the dough.
• Knead it for about 5-8 minutes.
• Now shape it into a loaf or bun or any desired shape.
• Place the loaf /Bun in the Greased loaf/Baking tin and allow it rise for 45-60 Minutes.
• This time also cover the Loaf with teh damp cloth.
• After 45-60 minutes, pre heat the oven at 180C for 10 minutes and brush the top of the Bread with milk or Egg or Oil.
• Bake the Bread at 180C for 30 minutes or till it is done.
• Cool it to room temperature before slicing.

Bread Cigar Rolls

I found this recipe in one of the Facebook groups that I am part of, my bad that I noted the recipe but forget the blog Name.  Sorry!!! I have used the Idea of Bread Cigar roll and modified it to my taste.

This is a quick snack that can be prepared in no time. As I bake my own Bread (Check some of my bread recipes Here), I always have stock of Bread and I made this with some leftover Bread and it tasted Yum.

Ingredients

Bread Slices - 5 Slices (I used my Vegan Whole Wheat Bread)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Green Chillies - Finely Chopped
Onion - 1(Small, finely Chopped, Optional)
Roasted Cumin Powder - A generous Pinch (Optional)
Chat Masala - A Generous Pinch (Optional)
Salt - To taste
Oil - For tava/Pan Fry

Method

• Grind the Bread Slices along with all ingredients except Onions, if adding and Oil.
• Transfer the mixture from Mixer to a bowl and mix it well together .
• It should look like a tough dough. 
• If you are unable to get it together then sprinkle some water to get it together.
• Shape it into thin cigars using this dough.Roll them tightly or else they will break. 
• In a Tava/pan, heat some Oil, once it is hot, arrange these cigars rolls on it.
• Cook on each side, till it slightly golden brown.
• Enjoy with Mayonnaise or Tomato ketchup. 

Yummy Fruit Cake

 I have already posted different versions of Fruit Cakes, I had bookmarked this recipe for some time now and wanted to try it.

Do try other Fruit Cake recipes from here.

 Ingredients

Maida or APF - 2 Cups
Mixed Fruits and Nuts - 2.5 Cups (Mixed with 1/4 cup of flour)
Eggs - 3
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Butter - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1 Cup (I have used 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar and 1/2 Cup of Regular Sugar)
Vanilla Essence - 1 Teaspoon
Cinnamon powder - 1 Teaspoon

Method

• Sift Maida, baking powder and Cinnamon powder together and keep it aside.
• Grease a Baking pan and dust it with flour and cut and place parchment paper on the bottom and Sides of the Tin.
• Pre heat the Oven at 170C for 15 minutes.
• In a mixing Bowl, Cream Butter and sugar together.
• To this add egg one by one and whisk it well.
• To this add the Vanilla essence and whisk it in.
• Now add the sifted flour little by little to the wet ingredients and fold it in.
• At last, add the Mixed fruits and Nuts and fold it in.
• Pour this mixture into the prepared Tin and Bake it for 50 minutes at 170C or till it is done.
• Cool it completely before slicing it.

Whole Wheat Olive Crackers 

I found this great recipe in one of the groups I am part of and I tried it immediately as it is simple, Healthy and super tasty.

I did this in the food Processor, so the dough was ready like in a minute.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup
Olive Oil - 5 Tablespoon
Salt - To Taste
Curry Leaves - 5 (Chopped)
Coriander Leaves - 2 Twigs (Chopped)
Dried Italian Herbs - 1/2 Teaspoon (Optional, add your choice of Herbs)
Garlic Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon (Or else 2 Cloves of Garlic)
Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper - 1/2 Teaspoon
Water - As required

Method:

• Add all the ingredients except water in a bowl and mix well.
• Add water little by Little and knead into a smooth pliable Dough.
• I did this step in a food processor.
• Let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Pre heat the oven at 180C and line a Baking tray with aluminium foil and grease the foil with Olive Oil.
• Dust the kitchen counter with some flour, place the rested dough and roll into a big disc using a rolling Pin.
• Keep the thickness as 1 mm while rolling it.
• Using a Knife or Pizza cutter, cut them into desired shape and place them on the greased aluminium foil.
• Brush the top of the Crackers with Some Olive Oil.
• Bake this at 180C for 20 minutes, flip the crackers after 10 minutes so it is cooked on both sides.
• Every Oven is different so keep a close eyes on the baking time. 
• The Baking time will also vary based on the thickness of these crackers. 
• Once it is done, it may be soft, once it cools done it becomes crispy.
• Once cooled down, store it in a air tight container.
• If you store it for some time and if it becomes soft, just heat for a minute in Oven. 

Spinach Bread/ Green Bread with Whole Wheat Flour 

 To do colored bread was in my wish list for a long time. However, I am wanting to get the color using natural ingredients. So I was wanting to experiment with Spinach, Beet and Carrot to get natural colors. The first one I tried was Spinach Bread and it was a super duper success. I used Whole Wheat flour, you can use APF too for making this.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 Cups
Spinach/Palak Puree - 1 Cup (For the recipe click here or you can use Blanched Spinach Too)
Olive Oil or Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Garlic - 3 (Peeled and finely Chopped, Optional)
Dry Instant yeast - 1 Teaspoon
Warm Water - 3/4 Cup - 1 Cup

Method

• In a bowl, place 1/2 Cup of warm water (Not too warm and not too cold too), add sugar to this and add the Yeast and mix it.
• Cover the bowl with a lid and leave it aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
• Once it is activated, add the finely chopped Garlic and Salt and the Spinach Puree and mix
  
  well.
• To this add the Whole Wheat flour and start kneading.
• Add warm water little by little as required, depending on the moisture content in your spinach puree and the quality of flour the water amount may vary.
• Knead till you get a soft and slightly sticky dough.
• Place this dough in a bowl and grease the dough with Olive Oil.
• Cover with a wet kitchen towel and allow it to double, it may take upto 60-90 minutes.
• Once the dough as doubled, bring it to your kitchen counter.
• Dust the kitchen counter with Flour and place the doubled dough.
• Punch it down and knead it for 5 minutes.
• Shape it into loaf and place it in a greased loaf tin.
• Cover it with a wet Kitchen towel and allow it to raise for 30 -45 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife , make some incisions on the top (This step is optional)
• Pre heat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
• Bake the Bread at 180c for 45 minutes or till it is done.
• Cool completely before slicing this. 

Whole Wheat Orange Cake

I had made this for New year Lunch. Orange is in season , so I was looking for a recipe with Orange and Whole Wheat.  Sorry for the Bad picture as I was busy preparing the Lunch that I did not get a decent picture of this. nevertheless The cake was a Hit, so do try this when Orange is in season.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup
Curd/Yogurt - 1/2 Cup
Cooking Oil-1/4 Cup
Orange juice - 1 Teaspoon
Sugar -3/4 Cup
Cinnamon Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Orange Zest - 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder - 3/4 Teaspoon

Method

• Bring the Orange Juice to a boil and switch off the flame.
• Add sugar to this and stir well. Keep this aside.
• Grease a cake/Loaf tin and pre heat Oven at 180 C
• Now the Orange juice is cooled,add the Oil,Curd,Orange Zest and stir it well.
• Meanwhile, sift Whole Wheat Flour, Baking Powder and Cinnamon together.
• Now using a fork, stir in the sifted ingredients into the wet ingredients.
• Ensure that the ingredients are mixed well, however don't over beat it.
• Now pour this into the greased Tin and bake it at 180C for 25-30 minutes or till done.
• Completely cool the cake before cutting it.

 

Whole Wheat Bread Sticks

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 2 Cup +1/2 cup (Based on your wheat flour quality you may or may not need the extra 1/2 Cup of Wheat Flour)
Oats - 1/2 Cup (I used Quaker Cooking Oats)
Maida or APF - 1/2 Cup
Warm Water - 1.5 Cups
Salt - 1 Tablespoon
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon
Dry Instant Yeast - 1 Teaspoon
Honey - 1.5 Teaspoon
Oregano or Italian Herb Mix - 1 Tablespoon
Olive Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Garlic Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon (Adjust to taste or add freshly grated Garlic Pods)



Method

• Take warm water in a mixing bowl and add sugar and add the yeast and mix.
• Allow it to rest for 5 minutes so the yeast gets frothy.
• Then add Oats, Maida and Whole Wheat Flour and mix.
• Add Honey, salt to this and knead into smooth and pliable dough.
• Depending on the quality of the wheat flour you may need some extra wheat flour.
• Now grease a Bowl with Olive Oil and coat the dough with Oil.
• Cover the bowl with kitchen cloth and allow it to rest for 60 - 90 minutes or until it is doubled.
• Once it is doubled, bring it down to a counter and punch it down.
• Add Garlic powder, Oregano or Herb Mix and knead it for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Grease a baking tray or dish with oil or place an aluminum foil
• Place the prepare dough on greased tray and spread the dough to a 1/2 Inch Thickness.
• Using a knife or Pizza cutter, cut them into bread sticks.
• Pre heat the oven at 200c for 10 minutes and bake the Bread sticks for 15 - 20 minutes or till it is cooked.
• Mine had a beautiful crust on top and spongy inside.
• Depending on how crisp or soft you want your bread sticks, you can spread it thinly and bake it longer.

Egg less Coffee Cake - With 1 Tablespoon of Butter

I already have the recipe of Mocha Cake on my blog,however I stumbled upon this recipe while I was browsing the Internet and found it interesting and tried it immediately. It was easy and simple and was ready in 30 minutes. As many Coffee Cake, the coffee aroma was fabulous as the cake Matured.

Ingredients

Maida or APF - 2 Cups
Butter - 1 Tablespoon (Melted)
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - 1.5 Cups
Coco Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Instant Coffee Powder - 3 Tablespoon

Method

• Pre Heat the Oven at 180C for 10 minutes
• Take a baking pan and apply Butter thoroughly throughout the pan.
• Sift the Maida,Coco powder and Baking powder together so they mix well.
• In a mixing bowl, pour the milk and add sugar and mix till the sugar dissolves completely.
• To this add the melted butter and mix well
• Then add the coffee powder and Mix
• Now add the sift flour mixture and whisk it slowly till all the ingredients are mixed.
• Pour the prepared mixture in the greased baking pan and bake at 180 C for 30-45 minutes.
• After the cake is done, allow it to sit on the counter for 5 minutes and then demould it.
• Cool completely before slicing it,

Apple Whole Wheat Cake 

I love Apple based Desserts, and I do have couple of them in my blog. When you find time, do try them. I have made it with whole wheat flour, you can substitute it with 1:1 of Maida or APF and Wheat flour or make it 100% Maida or APF.

Ingredients

Apple - 1 (Medium sized, Peeled cored and Chopped)
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Whole Wheat Flour - 2 Cups
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Brown Sugar or Regular Sugar - 3/4 Cup (I added 1 Cup as my Apple was not sweet enough, adjust to your taste)
Refined Oil - 1/4 Cup
Apple Juice - 1 Cup (Can use water , if not available)
Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon
Vanilla Essence - Few Drops

Method

• Pre heat the oven at 180C and grease the baking tin.
• In a mixing bowl add the Wheat flour, Baking powder, Cinnamon Powder and mix well.
• In another bowl, mix Sugar and Oil and whisk well.
• Now add this to the mixed dry ingredients.
• Then add the Lemon Juice, A pinch of salt, chopped Apples, Vanilla essence and mix well.
• Add water or Apple Juice and mix well, till you get a nice cake batter.
• Pour this into the prepared Baking tin and bake for 45-60 minutes at 180C  
• Cool it completely before slicing it.

Apple Pie - With healthy Crust

I am a big fan of apple based baking after my successful attempts at Apple Roulade and Apple Cake. So this time I decided bake the famous Apple Pie. I have already posted the healthy version of crust that can be made here. You can either do the same crust but I made some changes to it and added some Wheat, Oats and APF and made it.

When you eat this you realize why it is called as a classic dish. Serve it with some vanilla Ice Cream and it tastes yum. I had sprinkled some sugar on the top of the Pie that's why you see some brown caramel on top of the pie.

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:
Wheat  Flour - 1 Cup
Oats Flour - 1/2 Cup (I just used quaker Oats)
APF or Maida - 1/2 Cup
Milk - 1/2 Cup
Salt - a Pinch
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon


For the Pie Filling:
Apple - 2 (I used the Red ones, Peeled Cored and Sliced)
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 teaspoon (I added more than 1/2 teaspoon as in my house they like apple-Cinnamon Combo)
Sugar - 2 - 3 Tablespoon (brown Sugar works best, as I did not have it I have used Regular Sugar)
Butter - 2-3 tablespoon
Wheat Flour - 2 Tablespoon (I used it to absorb moisture as I used Juicy apples, If you use Green apples you can skip this)

Method

Dry roast the Oats for couple of minutes and then grind it into a powder.

To this mix all the ingredients except milk and Oil

To this mixture, add butter and oil and rub it in till it looks like bread crumbs.

To this add milk little by little and knead it into a smooth dough

Cover it with a cling film and rest it in refrigerator for 15 minutes. You can skip this step, if you are pressed for time.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Now take a tart tin or Pie dish and slightly grease it with butter or oil

Take one portion of the Roll the prepared dough into big circle and place it on the Tart tin and cut off the extra edges.

Poke the Tart shell using a fork so the base is crispy.

Bake it for 10-15 minutes at 200C or it is golden brown. You can skip this step and Bake it along with the filling and the top sheet.

I do this as I like my Pie to be super crispy.

Meanwhile, take a mixing bowl and place the sliced apples, cinnamon powder, sugar,butter and wheat flour.

Place the prepared apple filling on prepared Pie/tart (Baked or not baled - It does not matter)

Now take the another portion of the prepared dough and using a rolling pin roll it into a circle.

Place this on top of the Pie and cut the extra frills.

Using a sharp knife make a cross of top of the pie.

I brushed some butter on top and I sprinkled some sugar on top of it for the caramely effect. 

You can sprinkle some sugar or not.

Now bake this in a pre -heated Oven at  180c for 50-60 minutes.

 

Whole Wheat Cheese garlic Rolls 

I am part of some face book groups on Baking and cooking. Suddenly there was many pictures on Sweet and Savoury Rolls. So I decided to make a Whole Wheat Roll with Cheese and Garlic.

The Cheese and Garlic combination was yum, but I missed the Green chillies. So when I make it the next time, I plan to go ahead and add some Green chillies.

The stuffing you can do in this roll are endless, some options that come to my head - Nutella, Green Mint Chutney, Mixture of Dry Fruits and Nuts, Apple Sauce, Potato Masala and the list goes on...

As usual, I have made it Whole Wheat , you can make it 50:50 (Wheat Flour and APF) or 100% APF.

Depending on what proportions of Flour you use, you can change the water/ Milk Proportion.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 Cups ( Remove 4 tablespoons of Flour)
Warm Milk - 1 Cup (Warm Water can also be used)
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
Yeast - 1 Teaspoon
Milk Powder - 4 tablespoon
Melted Butter or Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
Grated Cheese - 1/2 Cup (You can increase or decrease as per your taste)
Garlic - 12 Cloves ( Increase or Decrease as per you taste)
Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To taste
Green Chilly - 1 (Finely Chopped, I did not use it But would have loved it)
Red Chilly Flakes - To taste.

Method

• In a mixing bowl, place some luke warm water/ Milk and mix some sugar in it.
• Then add the Yeast and mix it.
• Cover it with a lid and keep it aside for 10 minutes till the yeast becomes frothy.
• To this add the Whole Wheat flour, Milk powder and Knead.
• Add Water or Milk, little by little till you get a smooth, elastic dough.
• Once you have Kneaded the dough into a soft, pliable dough, place it in another mixing bowl and Coat it with Butter or Olive oil.
• Cover the bowl loosely with a damp Kitchen cloth and keep it aside till the dough doubles in size.
• Meanwhile, for the stuffing Grate the Garlic and mix it with the Grated Cheese and Add salt if required.
• To this also add Pepper powder,salt and Red Chilly Flakes.
• I had some Italian Seasoning at home, so added them too.
• This may take somewhere between 45-60 minutes depending on the climatic conditions.
• Once it is doubled, bring it down to the kitchen top and knead it well.
• Then using a rolling pin, roll into a square with 1/2 inch of thickness.
• Now on this square roll, spread the prepared Garlic - Cheese filling.
• Now using a knife or pizza cutter , cut them into ribbons of 2 inches breadth.
• Now starting from the top roll each ribbon into a roll.
• Take a baking dish, I used my Bread Loaf tin.
• Greease it with some Olive oil and arrange these rolls in them
• Allow them to second rise for 15-20 minutes.
• Then slightly brush them on top with some diluted milk.
• Bake them in a pre heated oven at 180C for 20- 30 Minutes.
• Serve it warm and it tends to be dense when it is at room temperature.
• So slightly warm them just before serving them.

Dilkush - Whole Wheat Bead stuffed with Dried Fruits and Nuts 

Dilkush is one of my favorite from Bangalore Iyengar Bakery, they are so soft and yummy. It is usually made with Maida and stuffed with dried fruits and coconut. I had to customise couple of them to suit my folks taste. So I made it with Whole Wheat and did not use but used Dried fruits and nuts. 

Whole Wheat is not as soft as Maida but it was good and was able to eat extra pieces. In the Notes section I have given how to make it using maida or APF.

Ingredients

For the Shell:Whole Wheat Flour - 3 Cups
Luke Warm Water - 1.5 Cups
Dry Yeast - 1.5 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon Instant yeast, 1.5 teaspoon Active Dry or 3 teaspoon Fresh Yeast)
Sugar- 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Oil - 1 Tablespoon (I used Olive Oil)

For the Filling:
Cashews - 6 Tablespoon (Broken)
Tutti Frutti - 2 Tablespoon
Figs - 2 Tablespoon (chopped)
Badam - 2 Tablespoon (Chopped)
Cherries - 2 Tablespoon (Chopped)
Dates - 2 (Chopped)
Cinnamon Sugar - 2 Tablespoon (I have added less , you can use as per your taste)
Feel Free to add or not use any other Dry Fruits or nuts you want. 

Method

• Lets Prepare the filling first, mix all Dry fruits and Nuts of your choice and mix it with 2 tablespoons of sugar. 
• In a mixing bowl, place the luke warm water and add the sugar and stir it well. To this add the Dry yeast and cover with a plate and leave it aside till it is frothy.
• In another mixing bowl, place the Wheat Flour and Salt and add Butter or Oil and mix it well. To this add the Yeast water and knead for 8-10 minutes or till you get a smooth pliable dough.
• Now place this dough in a oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to rise. This may take 1 Hour.
• Once the Dough has doubled, bring the dough to the top of the kitchen counter and punch it down and knead for couple of minutes.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll them into 2 circles.
• Now on a greased tray, place one of the circles and place the filling all over the circle, leaving 1/4 inch of space over the edges.
• Now slightly damp the 1/4th inch that you left on the edge with some water.
• Place the 2nd circle on top of this and press it along the edge.
• The water will act as binding agent and will bind the 2 circles with filling in between them.
• Make a incision of the top using a sharp knife. 
• Cover it lightly with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
• After 30-45 minutes, Bake it in a Pre heated Oven for 30 minutes at 180C and Broil for 5 minutes.
• Once you take it out of the oven, apply some butter on top.
• Allow it to cool and then cut and serve.

Notes:

• If you want to use APF or Maida reduce the water to 1 cup.
• You can use milk instead of milk or 50:50 milk:water for kneading the dough for both WHole Wheat and Maida or APF Shell.
• You can do 50:50 of Wheat and APF too.
• You can use replace Olive Oil with Butter too.
• For filling you can use shredded coconut, Cashew along with Tutti fruity for the original filling as in Iyengar Bakery.  

White Bread 

I have made Whole Wheat Bread, Oats Bread etc, but I was looking at my blog and was surprised to find that it did not have the Basic White bread recipe, So decided to make one and have it on my blog.

It was so soft and fluffy. I also some dried Italian herbs to add a lots of flavor. OMG the aroma while Bread was baking was amazing.

Ingredients
Maida or APF - 3 Cups
Warm Water - 1 Cup (Not too hot , not too cold)
Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Dried herbs - 1/2 teaspoon (Optional)
Yeast - 1.5 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon Instant yeast, 1.5 teaspoon Active Dry or 3 teaspoon Fresh Yeast)
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method

• In a bowl, take a cup of warm water to this add the sugar and mix it well
• To this add the yeast and mix.
• Cover the bowl with a plate and keep it aside for 5 minutes or till the yeast becomes frothy.
• Once the yeast is frothy add the Maida or APF and Salt and knead well for 10 minutes.
• Add the dry herbs if you are using them.
• Smear the olive oil all over the dough and let it raise for 1 or 1.2 Hours or till it has doubled.
• Cover with a damp cloth during this process. 
• Once it has doubled , bring it to your kitchen counter and punch it down and knead for 5 minutes
• Then shape as per your wish and place it in a greased loaf tin.
• Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
• After 30-45 minutes, Bake it in a Preheated oven for 30-40 Minutes at 160C.
• I did Milk Wash before I baked my bread for the shiny texture.
• Once done allow it to cool completely before slicing it

Note:

 Milk Wash - Take a Tablespoon of Milk and using a pastry brush slightly brush on the loaf before baking. 

Mocha Cake with Coffee Cream Frosting

For my dads birthday i  wanted to do something special, what else can be more special than me baking a Birthday Cake for him.

So I decided to Bake a Mocha Cake for him. He was so happy with my cake and he enjoyed every bite of it. I also did a Coffee Butter Cream frosting. I have a long way to go with the frosting for sure. Anyway it is a good place to start right.

If you are a coffee lover then you must try this cake for sure.

I got the recipe for both the cake and the frosting from Fondbites, Bake Along group.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

All Purpose Flour or Maida - 1 Cup
Unsalted Butter - 60 Grams (Soft at Room temperature)
Salt - A Pinch
Milk - 1/3 Cup
Brown Sugar - 1 Cup
Instant Coffee Powder - 2 Teaspoon
Coco Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Curd - 1/2 Cup (If you eat egg you can add 1 Egg)

For the Frosting:
Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Cocoa Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Instant Coffee Powder - /2 Teaspoon
Icing Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - As required , just to make the mixture into spreading consistency.

Method

For the Cake:

• Pre heat a Oven and Grease the cake tin. 
• In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients except Maida and mix well.
• Once the ingredients are mixed well, add the Maida and mix it till the maida is incorporated well.
• Now pour this mixture in a greased Cake tin.
• Bake it at 160 C for 30 minutes or till the cake is done.
• Now cool the cake on a wire rack.
• The cake should be Completely cooled before spreading the frosting.

For the Frosting:

• Mix all ingredient except milk and butter them well.
• Add milk little by little till the mixture comes to spreading consistency.

For Assembly:

• Take the completely cooled down cake and using a spatula spread the Frosting prepared to cover all sides.
• I have also used some Chocolate vermicelli on top.

Just 4 Ingredients - Nutella Cup Cakes 

Nutella!!! Yum!!! who does not love Nutella? This recipe is so quick to make with no great techniques to follow. It is a simple mix and bake recipe.

Ingredients
Nutella - 1/2 Cup
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 Teaspoon
Egg - 1
APF or Madia - 5 Tablespoon
Chopped Almonds or Pista - As per taste, I did not add though

Method

• Whisk the egg along with the essence in a bowl.
• To this add the add the Nutella and whisk well.
• Add the Maida or APF and mix till all the ingredients are mixed well.
• Pre heat the Oven at 250C and grease your muffin mould.
• Pour the prepared batter into the greased muffin mould
• Bake at 250 for 10 minutes or till done.

Quiche

I have never made Quiche at home before and believe you in me, once you make this at home, you will not eat it outside.

When you make this at home it tastes so fresh and yummy. Do try this. usually it is made with eggs, however, I have made it egg less.

Ingredients
Wheat - Oats Tart Shell - 1
Spinach  - 1 Bunch (Washed and Chopped)
Vegetables of You choice - 1 Cup (I have used Baby Corn, Broccoli, Mushroom )
Onion - 1 (Chopped)
Paneer or Cottage Cheese
Milk - 1 Tablespoon
Dry Herbs - 1 Tablespoon or to Taste (I have used Dried Thyme, Rosemary and Oregano)
Black pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red CHilly Flakes - 1/2 Teaspoon or to taste
Garlic - 3 pods
Cheddar Cheese - 4 Tabespoon or to taste
Olive Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Salt - To taste

Method

• Make the Tart shell as per the recipe.
• In a pan, add the olive Oil and add the Garlic and Onion and saute.
• After a minute, add the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes and then add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
• During the cooking if the veggies r greens leave any water don't discard, it will be fine once it is baked. 
• Add Salt and Dry Herbs and Pepper powder and stir and remove from flame.
• Allow it to come to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, mix paneer and Milk and keep it.
• Once the spinach - Veggie mix is cooled add the Paneer - Milk mixture and mix.
• Now take the cooled tart and add the Prepared Veggie-spinach-paneer mixture.
• Sprinkle some dried herbs, chilly flakes on top of them.
• On this add grated Cheese as per your wish, the more the better the taste.
• Bake this for 30-45 minutes or till it is done at 150 C. 
• Cool it completely before slicing.