Wholewheat Fruit and Coconut Bread -- No Butter No Oil

This one is probably the most healthy bread I have made in a long time now. It is like a Pandora's Box filled with all the healthy goodies. Wholewheat, loaded with fruits and without the overpowering guilt of those unwanted calories. While I did add some light sour cream with 18% fat (regular butter is 80-84%), you can even skip that and make some changes as per the suggestions given at the end of this post. The best part that I like about this bread is the fresh fruit pieces which you dig into in every bite. There is Mango, Apricots, Raisins, coconut, and the list can go on as per your choice and liking. But wait, I hope you are not confusing this recipe with that of a regular yeast bread. This "cakey" bread is actually more closer to being a cake except that it is more dense, crumblier, and makes you full with a single slice and is in fact a complete meal in itself. You can also do small muffins instead of the loaf, which will make it easier for you to carry to office or elsewhere. 

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour

1/2 cup light sour cream (18% fat; regular cream can also be used or homemade malai/cream is also a good option)

1/4 cup milk (either skimmed or full cream)

1 cup brown sugar (can be replaced with 1/3 cup honey and 2/3 cup artificial sweetener like Stevia) 

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanila essence

1 cup dried or fresh mango pieces chopped (I prefer the dried ones as the fresh ones will easily dissolve in the heat)

1 cup dried apricots chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup grated fresh coconut (in its absence, dessicated coconut can also be used)

Any nuts of your choice for topping. Can be added in the batter too (walnuts, almonds, pistachios are a good option)

Direction

Beat the sugar, cream, milk, vanila essence, and eggs till light and creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Fold this into the egg mixture little at a time till all mixed well and no lumps remain. Add the fruits one at a time and mix. 

Pre heat the oven at 180 degree celsius and grease or line a loaf tin or line the muffin tray with paper liners. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. The batter will be thick and so you will need to spread it out evenly with the help of a spatula. Tap the bottom a couple of times to prevent any air bubbles. Garnish the top with chopped nuts and let it sit for 5-10 minutes till your oven pre heats. 

Bake in the pre heated oven for 40-50 minutes till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do check in between as the oven temperatures may vary. If the top gets over browned and the bread still not done, as it happened with me, tent the top loosely with an aluminium foil to prevent burning. Once done, remove from  oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 min before transferring to a wire rack for cooling completely. Slice when cooled and store in air tight container. This bread also tastes wonderful if lightly toasted.

Healthier Optional Ingredients

Instead of the cream and milk, use buttermilk of the same quantity. That is 3/4 cup. Also, if you are vegetarian and do not eat eggs, replace it with another 1/3cup buttermilk. If the batter appears too thick (should be of drop consistency, add a little milk, 1 tbsp at a time). 

If you are not calorie conscious and want to enjoy this bread in its full glory, add 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup vegetable oil instead of the buttermilk/sour cream option. 

Mango and Strawberry Chunky Fruit Jam

First breads, then pickles, and now jam. My mother can't get enough with pinching herself to check if whatever her daughter is telling her on the phone is true. To prove, I sometimes even have to send her the pictures on Whatsapp! Such a brat I was as a child. Would not even care to make myself some tea, even if that meant going without it for a whole day when no one was around. Times have changed and so have I and now I look forward to try out different forms of cooking, be it baking, pickling, or making jams. The satisfaction and the success that follows is simply ecstatic, not to mention the appreciation and applause that you receive from friends and family. In Singapore or any other foreign country for that matter, you get to taste the best of the jams and fruit preserves from across the globe. However, I was really eager to try make one at home but somehow it wasn't happening. This week , my favourite food group on Facebook is holding a Mango Madness event and I instantly knew what I am making for this. My first attempt at making jams, and though a bit laborious to keep stirring it for hours, it gives immense joy and pleasure to spread that homemade goodness on your buttered toast in the morning! Believe me! Certainly worth all the effort!!

                                     

Ingredients

3 ripe big mangoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

10-12 red plump strawberries, washed and stemmed and crushed with a potato masher or with your hands

6-7 dried apricots (optional), sliced

4 cups sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

Direction

Put all the fruits together in a deep bottomed vessel and add the sugar and lemon juice. Place the vessel on medium flame and let it come to a boil once the sugar melts. Now reduce the flame and keep stirring the mixture every 3-5 minutes, scraping the sides as you do. Remove the scum  (the frothy layer on top ) from time to time to get a clear jam. The fruits will slowly start melting and the mango chunks transparent. With the help of a masher or the back of a wooden spoon, crush the pulp as much as you can. Let the mixture simmer on a low flame till the consistency thickens and becomes syrupy. Keep a steel bowl or plate in the freezer and once cold enough, place a drop of the jam on the plate and put it back in the freezer. After 3-4 secs take it out and see if the drop is runny while tilting the plate/bowl. If it holds its place, your jam is ready to be jarred. Use clean and dry air tight jars and transfer the jam. Keep the lid open and let it cool completely before keeping in the refrigerator.

                                       

                                       

Smooth and Creamy Mango Ice Cream

With a house full of guests and cooking three times a day, not to mention the sightseeing trips in between, I am quite a exhausted person by the end of each day. There is not much to write or rather not really in the mood to jot my thoughts about this recipe except that it is a super easy one when it comes to preparation and extremely good to taste. I have used store bought mango pulp here but making the pulp at home is also extremely simple. Just peel, cut the flesh, and whip it in the blender.

Ingredients

3/4 cup mango pulp

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk powder

Direction

In a bowl, whip the cream till soft peaks are formed. Best way to achieve this is to use a hand blender. Now add the mango pulp and all the other ingredients and whip together till mixed well and smooth. Transfer to a air tight freezer safe container and freeze for about 2-3 hours. Take it out of the freezer and mix it all up again with the help of a spoon or fork. Close the lid and push it back into the freezer until completely set. Enjoy chilled with chopped mangoes or as is.

                                            

Sweet and Spicy Apple Cranberry Relish

In the kitchen, usually one thing leads to the other. While I was making my bread at home yesterday, I suddenly remembered my three bright shiny apples lying sad in the fridge. With a box of dried cranberries also at hand, I immediately jumped upon the idea of making a yummy relish to go with my beautiful bread. While I did not start making the chutney until I sliced my bread ( I wasn't sure if it would be good to eat), I jumped up with joy as this was the most delicious wholemeal bread I have tasted or had made in recent times. From there, it took me just under 1/2 hour to get the relish ready and what a combination it was! I will be making some pooris as well over the weekend to enjoy this delicious chutney apart from having it with bread.

                                         

Ingredients

3 firm apples, either finely chopped or grated

1/2 cup dried cranberries or 1/3 cup raisins

1 medium onion chopped

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cumin powder

11/2 tsp chilli powder

3-4 tbsp brown sugar ( you may as well try with jaggery or simple white fine sugar)

1/4 cup balsamic or cider vinegar (can add regular vinegar too but lesser in quantity. If using jaggery, no need for vinegar) 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

Direction

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Fry till pink. Now add the apples, cranberries, and all other spices. Mix well. Add the sugar and salt. Mix again. Now, add the vinegar and cover and cook on a medium to low flame for about 15-20 minutes until the fruits are softened and the gravy is getting thickened. Check the seasoning and adjust as per taste. Keep stirring more often now as the liquid is drying up and there are chances of it getting burnt. Remove from heat and store in a glass bowl or container. Remains good for upto 1 week in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long though. Here is how I relished my Relish!

                                       

 

Wholewheat Spiral Apple Bread

This has been on my mind ever since I saw it on a site and was really itching to try my hands on. However, not being an apple fan, I kept on lingering it until no further. My baking instinct could no longer hold the excitement of experimenting with the design. While the original recipe called for an only all purpose flour dough and butter for kneading, the calorie conscious me gave it a healthy twist and limited to using butter only for brushing. The taste was superb. Crusty on the outside and soft and gooey (from the apples) on the inside. I was in fact confused whether to call it a bread or a pie! Enjoy it on your breakfast table or with your evening tea/coffee.

                                     

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup warm milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (you can increase as per your liking)

3 apples peeled cored and sliced

TOPPING

Melted butter for brushing

1/4 C brown sugar or to taste

Direction

In a bowl or glass, take the warm milk, half the sugar, and dissolve the yeast. Let it stand for about 10 minutes until frothy and slightly tanned in color. 

In a separate bowl, mix the salt and flour and the remaining sugar. Add the yeasty mix little at a time and form a smooth dough. The dough might feel sticky at the beginning. After the initial kneading, add the olive oil and continue kneading till you get a moist but non-sticky dough. Since we are using wholewheat flour, it is important to get a moist dough. If you feel the dough is too dry, add a dash of warm milk and knead. When you hold the dough in your hands, the dough should fall off and not leave any dough on your hands apart from a little moisture. The last few minutes of kneading is important as this is the time when the flour absorbs all the oil and moisture and transforms into a smooth dough similar to the baby bum!

                                         

Now lightly oil the dough and cover in a cling wrap and keep in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until doubled in size. My dough rose beautifully and a part of it even popped out of the cling wrap, tearing it into two. What force!

                                         

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the sliced apples and cinnamon. Cover and keep aside until further use.

After the dough has risen sufficiently, take it out on a smooth lightly floured surface and punch a few times. Now with the help of a rolling pin, roll out an even disc not too thick. Make horizontal cuts onto the disc to get thin strips.

                                         

Now take a round baking dish, big enough for your dough, and grease it slightly. Now pick the smallest strip and make a small triangle and place it in the middle of the pan. Now place the cinnamon apple slices one by one around the triangle and cover it up with the dough strips from the back. Gently press the dough strips at the ends when you pick a new one. Continue with the apple and dough spiralling until you finish all the strips.

                                         

Cover with a cling wrap and keep in a warm place again for 45 mins to 1 hour for the second proofing. When you are reaching the end of the second proofing, it is good to start preheating the oven at 190 degree celsius for about 20 minutes.

Now brush a little butter on the spirals from the top and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden on top. Remove from oven and brush again with the remaining butter and sprinkle the sugar on top. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it remain for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

                                     

   

Wholewheat Pineapple and Plum Dimple Cake

I love my afternoon tea like many others over here and I love it even more when I have something interesting to go with it. So every week I bake something delicious and healthy which will last me for the whole week as well as take care of my husband's hunger pangs when he returns from office. Today, it was going to be a simple pineapple cake with wholewheat flour and just as I was about to take something out of the refrigerator, I chanced upon these beautiful red plums which were fresh and tout and waiting to be grabbed. I immediately pounced upon them and after a quick pitting session, upgraded my recipe to a dimple cake. I have noticed, in few of my recent bakings, I have grown up as a baker and now I confidently experiment with my cakes and cookies and breads too and every time it turns out perfect. As the old saying goes, "Practise makes perfect!"

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (I use Ashirwad aata)

3/4 cup fine grain or powdered brown sugar (you can use regular sugar too)

3 eggs (I shall include the eggless version in the notes below as this recipe was originally eggless)

1/2 cup olive oil or any other oil

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 slices of canned pineapple chopped or you can use canned pineapple chunks chopped into small pieces (reserve 5 tsp of the sugar syrup)

4 red sweet plums pitted and quartered (my plums were quite oversized and hence I cut them into quarters. You can make them into halves if you have smaller ones. Make sure they are sweet enough, else dip them in the pineapple sugar syrup for 1-2 hours before use)

Icing sugar for dusting (I skipped it)

Direction

Sieve the flour with the baking soda and baking powder and keep aside. In a bowl, beat the sugar and the eggs until smooth and creamy. Now add the oil and beat further. Add the vanilla essence. Now fold in the flour little at a time until the mixture is smooth and without any lumps. The consistency will be a little thick. Now apply a little flour on the pineapple chunks and mix. Add this to the batter and give a gentle stir. Now add the reserved 5 tsp sugar syrup one tsp at a time to make the batter a bit liquidy. However, it will not be as liquid as a regular cake batter. It should be in between the consistency of a thick custard and regular cake batter. 

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celsius and grease a round or square baking dish. I used a spring form pan with the base lined with baking sheet and sides lightly greased as it will be easier to take the cake out later without inverting. You can use a regular dish but have to be quick with the inverting and re-inverting the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and carefully arrange the pitted plums on the batter. Gently press into the batter and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes at 200 degree celsius and then for another 20 minutes at 175 degree celsius or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for cooling completely. The cake tastes best when allowed to cool completely. So hold on till it cools down!

                                        

                                        

                                        

Notes for Eggless Version:

To substitute eggs in this recipe, take 1 cup yogurt. Beat the yogurt and sugar together until creamy and then add the baking powder and baking soda. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes. The mixture will become frothy and then continue with the rest of the procedure. You do not need to sieve the flour with the baking powder or soda in this version.

   

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Probably, this is the easiest cake to bake and the yummiest to taste. This was my first attempt at making anything upside down as I was always worried that the bottom would not come out perfectly and would stick at the base and I will end up eating it all alone. However, all my inhibitions were put to rest when I turned the baking dish upside down and a beautifully baked perfect Pineapple Upside Down cake was in front of me. So never let your inhibitions get the better of you. Else, you wouldn't have got this recipe for the perfect upside down cake!

Ingredients

2/3 cup (100 gms) all purpose flour (maida)

6 slices of canned pineapple (reserve 3 tbsp of the liquid)

Glazed cherries for putting between the rings and in the center of the rings

2 eggs

1/2 cup (100 gms) butter plus for greasing

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp fine sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Direction

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius. Take a square or circular baking dish or tin and grease it with butter. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp sugar evenly on the base. Arrange the pineapple rings on the base, three in a row (I used a square dish). Now place a glazed cherry inside every ring and in between the gaps. Keep aside. 

In a bowl, combine the egg, butter, and sugar and beat till smooth and creamy. Now add the flour (sifted with baking powder and baking soda) and fold into the wet mixture. Add the reserved 3 tbsp  of the canned syrup to make the batter a little liquidy. Now pour the batter gently onto the prepared dish. It will just cover the rings. Bake the cake at 175 degree celsius for 20 minutes without disturbing and then for another 10 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven, gently ease a spatula or a knife around the edge of the tin or dish, and with the help of a plate placed at the rim of the baking dish, with one shot immediately turn the dish onto the plate. Voila! A beautiful Pineapple Upside Down cake would be resting on your serving plate waiting to be served. Cool the cake completely before serving. I like my piece of cake a little cold and so refrigerated the cake and took it out just 10 minutes before serving.

                                        

Orange and Papaya Sponge Pudding

It's the time of Chinese New Year in Singapore and as per tradition the shops and establishments here give their clients and customers a mandarin orange. As such, my refrigerator is packed with oranges and I wanted to do something more interesting than just having juice. They are superbly sweet in taste and very juicy. While orange cake was also an option, but there were also a few pieces of papaya lying in the fridge and were slowly inching towards the Bin. While the original recipe called for only oranges, I  gave it a twist with the papaya and what an awesome pudding it turned out to be. The best I have had in recent times and so proud I had made it!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp orange peel

1/3 cup papaya mashed

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs separated

Direction

Boil milk with the butter on medium heat until butter is melted and milk scalded. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, flour, orange peel, mashed papaya, vanilla essence, and orange juice. Pour in the hot milk and whisk it well. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed but not dry. Fold in the egg whites into the orange mixture. Do not over mix. 

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius. Take a oven safe dish and pour the mixture into the bowl. Take a bigger bowl and fill it with hot water and place the orange mixture bowl in it. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and keep in the water bath for 10 minutes. Serve chilled.