Hello hello!!! I am back.... mostly for a short while because there's just a lot going on right now, and it gets tough for me to find time to blog. That has of course not stopped me from cooking or baking, rather the winter keeps provoking me to whip up scrumptious stuff and given my current weight I should actually be living off things like celery and green tea!
Anyway (she says conveniently ignoring the weighing scale) :P... We went to the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit last week. It is an awesome place to spend your Saturday and get some fresh local produce. I got some veggies and stuck to all the healthy stuff till I tasted these locally made jams! One sample and I knew I was doomed! They had amazing and unique flavors like Blueberry-Lavender and Rhubarb-Ginger (which I bought) I mean it was impossible to say no to these! They had jams like Tart Cherry, Spiced Apple, Red Hot Pepper to name a few.. very tough to choose a couple but let me tell you, the Blueberry Lavender - a must buy!!!
And these jams were what led me to baking the most amazing bread! See what I did there! lolzz trust me to turn anything into a reason to bake :P But seriously those jams deserve the effort of making a good loaf to go with! :)
Ok ok back to the bread, this post is not about the jam! though its sounding like it is!
SO ... I have tried some bread recipes in the past, mostly whole wheat and they have come out edible but nothing which will wow you. This time however I nailed it on the head! It is not a completely whole wheat bread. I have mixed All purpose flour and wheat flour (the regular atta most Indians use to make rotis). The reason why I used Atta is that the whole wheat flour we get in regular stores here is somewhat coarse, while the Atta is really fine ground which makes all the difference! I am planning to try a bread with only the roti flour but for now this is a keeper!!! And remember the most important ingredient in making bread is Patience! so here goes...
Ingredients
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp melted butter plus some more to brush on top.
Method
In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.. Whole wheat flour, All purpose flour, Milk powder and salt.
In a separate bowl heat the water till it is lukewarm. You have to be careful about the water, if it is too hot it can kill the yeast. So exactly how warm should it be? Warm enough that you can stick your finger in it and comfortably hold it in... this works for me... I have never used a thermometer for the optimum temperature! To this lukewarm water add the honey and stir till it is dissolved. then add yeast, stir and cover the bowl. In about 10 minutes the yeast should have formed a froth and the water should be bubbly. If you don't see any froth, wait for another 10 minutes. If the water is still flat, it means the yeast is dead. You might want to start a fresh batch again with less hot water.
Now add the water with the active yeast to the dry ingredients and mix it up with a dough hook. You can knead by hand too but it might take longer and might be messy as the dough is quiet sticky. Once the dough starts coming together, add a tbsp of butter to it and knead into a soft smooth ball.
Now your patience is going to be tested!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place it in the warmest area of your kitchen. If it is cold just heat your oven for 2 minutes turn it off and place the covered bowl in the oven. Make sure the oven is TURNED OFF. do not heat the oven for more than 2 minutes if you are going to proof the dough in it, you want the dough to rise, not cook!
After the dough has doubled in size (it takes about an hour for me) punch it down and knead it for 2-3 minutes. then shape it like a loaf of bread. To do this, I flatten out the dough with my hands and then roll it into a loaf shape. Put it in the 3*9 loaf pan. Now it is time for second proofing. Again, cover the dough with a damp cloth and place it in the warmest possible area of your kitchen. Avoid keeping it in the oven this time as you might want to pre-heat it for the actual baking.
As the dough once again rises to almost double its size, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. I put a small oven dish in the rack beneath the one for the bread, with a little water in it, I found this helps the bread stay moist. Once the oven has pre-heated, put the loaf pan in and bake for 20 minutes. Now reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees F, brush some butter on top, turn the loaf pan to ensure even baking and bake for 20 more minutes.
By now you are on the last tether of your patience but..... wait for it! Take the loaf out and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a rack till is is completely cool to touch! Try cutting a hot bread and you will have a hot soggy mess! so really... WAIT!
And that's it! enjoy your fresh bread any way you want! butter, jam, as a sandwich (so many options so little bread!! heheh)
Anyway (she says conveniently ignoring the weighing scale) :P... We went to the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit last week. It is an awesome place to spend your Saturday and get some fresh local produce. I got some veggies and stuck to all the healthy stuff till I tasted these locally made jams! One sample and I knew I was doomed! They had amazing and unique flavors like Blueberry-Lavender and Rhubarb-Ginger (which I bought) I mean it was impossible to say no to these! They had jams like Tart Cherry, Spiced Apple, Red Hot Pepper to name a few.. very tough to choose a couple but let me tell you, the Blueberry Lavender - a must buy!!!
And these jams were what led me to baking the most amazing bread! See what I did there! lolzz trust me to turn anything into a reason to bake :P But seriously those jams deserve the effort of making a good loaf to go with! :)
Ok ok back to the bread, this post is not about the jam! though its sounding like it is!
SO ... I have tried some bread recipes in the past, mostly whole wheat and they have come out edible but nothing which will wow you. This time however I nailed it on the head! It is not a completely whole wheat bread. I have mixed All purpose flour and wheat flour (the regular atta most Indians use to make rotis). The reason why I used Atta is that the whole wheat flour we get in regular stores here is somewhat coarse, while the Atta is really fine ground which makes all the difference! I am planning to try a bread with only the roti flour but for now this is a keeper!!! And remember the most important ingredient in making bread is Patience! so here goes...
Ingredients
1 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp melted butter plus some more to brush on top.
Method
In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.. Whole wheat flour, All purpose flour, Milk powder and salt.
In a separate bowl heat the water till it is lukewarm. You have to be careful about the water, if it is too hot it can kill the yeast. So exactly how warm should it be? Warm enough that you can stick your finger in it and comfortably hold it in... this works for me... I have never used a thermometer for the optimum temperature! To this lukewarm water add the honey and stir till it is dissolved. then add yeast, stir and cover the bowl. In about 10 minutes the yeast should have formed a froth and the water should be bubbly. If you don't see any froth, wait for another 10 minutes. If the water is still flat, it means the yeast is dead. You might want to start a fresh batch again with less hot water.
Now add the water with the active yeast to the dry ingredients and mix it up with a dough hook. You can knead by hand too but it might take longer and might be messy as the dough is quiet sticky. Once the dough starts coming together, add a tbsp of butter to it and knead into a soft smooth ball.
Now your patience is going to be tested!
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place it in the warmest area of your kitchen. If it is cold just heat your oven for 2 minutes turn it off and place the covered bowl in the oven. Make sure the oven is TURNED OFF. do not heat the oven for more than 2 minutes if you are going to proof the dough in it, you want the dough to rise, not cook!
After the dough has doubled in size (it takes about an hour for me) punch it down and knead it for 2-3 minutes. then shape it like a loaf of bread. To do this, I flatten out the dough with my hands and then roll it into a loaf shape. Put it in the 3*9 loaf pan. Now it is time for second proofing. Again, cover the dough with a damp cloth and place it in the warmest possible area of your kitchen. Avoid keeping it in the oven this time as you might want to pre-heat it for the actual baking.
As the dough once again rises to almost double its size, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. I put a small oven dish in the rack beneath the one for the bread, with a little water in it, I found this helps the bread stay moist. Once the oven has pre-heated, put the loaf pan in and bake for 20 minutes. Now reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees F, brush some butter on top, turn the loaf pan to ensure even baking and bake for 20 more minutes.
By now you are on the last tether of your patience but..... wait for it! Take the loaf out and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a rack till is is completely cool to touch! Try cutting a hot bread and you will have a hot soggy mess! so really... WAIT!
And that's it! enjoy your fresh bread any way you want! butter, jam, as a sandwich (so many options so little bread!! heheh)
