Wednesday 7 March 2018

Whole wheat Garlic rolls




These are made using the same recipe as the previous rolls...but the all purpose flour is substituted with whole wheat flour. They are best served when warm and fresh.



Ingredients

Dough:
3 1/2 to 4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup  warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons instant yeast
(some cheese if you want filling)

Garlic butter:
50 g butter
garlic cloves 2
1 tblsp chopped herbs..parsley
salt

Combine milk, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast and set aside.
Mix 2 cups of flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; add egg and stir well. Gradually add the warm liquid mixture, beating with your hand or an electric mixer at low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the mix come together.
Add another cup of flour and work the dough at medium speed for 10 to 15 minutes. Gradually add, (in halves and quarter cups.)the rest of the flour if needed, to make a soft elastic dough.. you can test the dough by taking a small ball and pulling it and stretching till you get a translucent unbroken membrane. This dough will not stretch as much as the one made with APF.(do not add a lot of flour..only till the dough starts pulling from the sides and is not sticky to touch.)
Turn the dough inside out and with the seam side down, put the dough in a large bowl coated with oil. Coat the dough also with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.Keep it in a warm place undisturbed and free from drafts.
Let the dough rise and double in size.(maybe 1 hour or more depending on the weather)
After it has doubled, punch down and divide into 16 equal balls and place them in a buttered tin. (this time I have added a bit of cheese as filling )
Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and let it rest for another 20 to 30 minutes until doubled.
Meanwhile preheat the oven..both heating rods on.. at 180 deg Celsius.
Prepare the garlic butter by grating one or two cloves of garlic and slightly warming the butter till melted. add a pinch of salt to taste with the chopped herbs.
Bake for about 20 minutes ..or until the top is slightly browned.
Remove from the oven and brush liberally with the butter and toast again until golden brown.
Serve hot.



Tuesday 6 March 2018

Garlic Rolls



These garlic rolls are a variation of the cinnamon rolls I used to make...just reduced the sugar and butter. They are pillowy soft when they come out of the oven..and taste best when served hot and fresh.




Ingredients

Dough:
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup  warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Garlic butter:
50 g butter
garlic cloves 2
salt


Combine milk, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle yeast and set aside.
Mix 2 cups of flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; add egg and stir well. Gradually add the warm liquid mixture, beating with your hand or an electric mixer at low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the mix come together. 

Add another cup of flour and work the dough at medium speed for 10 to 15 minutes. Gradually add, (in halves and quarter cups.)the rest of the all- purpose flour if needed, to make a soft elastic dough.. you can test the dough by taking a small ball and pulling it and stretching till you get a translucent unbroken membrane.(do not add a lot of flour..only till the dough starts pulling from the sides and is not sticky to touch.)

Turn the dough inside out and with the seam side down, put the dough in a large bowl coated with oil. Coat the dough also with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.Keep it in a warm place undisturbed and free from drafts.
Let the dough rise and double in size.(maybe 1 hour or more depending on the weather)
After it has doubled, punch down and divide into 16 equal balls and place them in a buttered tin. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and let it rest for another 20 to 30 minutes until doubled.
Meanwhile preheat the oven..both heating rods on.. at 180 deg Celsius.
Prepare the garlic butter by grating one or two cloves of garlic and slightly warming the butter till melted. add a pinch of salt to taste.
Bake for about 20 minutes ..until the top is slightly browned.
Remove from the oven and brush liberally with the butter and toast again until golden brown.
Serve hot.


Saturday 10 February 2018

Condensed Milk Chocolate Cake


I had half a tin of ordinary sweetened condensed milk leftover from a dessert and wanted to try a cake with it.. This recipe from Nestle desserts is indeed a keeper for those times when you want something light..fast..and easy. This recipe has no eggs..and no creaming.. just mix all the ingredients in a bowl..and you are ready to bake.


This is the crumb of this cake..firm but very soft. Not too sweet..there is no added sugar apart from the condensed milk.
Made half of the original recipe in a loaf tin.
http://www.nestle-family.com/recipes/english/light-chocolate-cake_43166.aspx

Ingredients
  • 1 tin sweetened condensed milk or 405 g
  • 100 g butter, melted
  • 150 ml water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 5 g
  • 200 g plain flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder or 50 g
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder or 10 g
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda or 5 g

Combine the Sweetened Condensed Milk, melted butter, water and vanilla essence in a large bowl. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the condensed milk mixture until just combined.
Pour the mixture into a lined 23cm spring form cake tin. Bake in a preheated 150°C oven for 45 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from tin and cool completely.

Pinwheel cookies again




 Made these cookies again.. completely with all purpose flour. They do take a bit of time..rolling..freezing and slicing..:) but pretty enough to make it worthy of a festive bake. This time I have made a video of how I sliced and shaped it up..


Recipe is same as the earlier one..but with APF...


 
Slicing the log

                                                      
                                                            Arrange it on a baking sheet..



                                                                   Bake until done.

 

Almond Cardamom Cookies



 Remembering the flavour and texture of the soft biscuits which were immensely enjoyed during my childhood days, I tried to mix up ..substitute..and finally tailor the nankhatai recipe to this one..
I have almost managed, I believe, to recapture the essence of those lovely bakery cookies.. :)
Don't think they might have added the gram flour.. but I feel it gives a nice nutty warmth to the cookie.  


Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp cornflour
2 tblsp gram flour
a pinch of Salt
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup powdered sugar,
6 cardamom pods powdered


Powder the almonds with a tblsp of cornflour. Mix all the dry ingredients except sugar in a bowl.
Take ghee and powdered sugar in another bowl and beat well.


                                                              Add dry ingredients.





                                    Mix well and bring the dough together using your hand.
                                                                       Do not knead.
                                       Rest the dough in a cling film wrap for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven (both heating rods ) to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade) for at least 10 minutes. Divide dough into 15-18 equal portions and make round shaped balls from it. Line a baking paper over the baking tray. Take each ball and press a little between your palms to flatten and place it over baking tray. Keep enough space between each cookie because it will expand in size during baking.
Bake for about 20 mins.. or till light golden.. keep an eye on it after 15 mins.
Remove the tray from the oven and cool on a wire rack and enjoy...:)
(Cookies will be soft at this stage but they will harden as they cool down.)