Wholewheat Bread

Conducting bread baking classes at home are proving quite beneficial to me in a way that my breads are getting better and more perfect than what they used to be. Since I am the instructor, it is extremely important for me to practice all my demo recipes before the class and thus perfection sets in. I am in love with my breads now more than ever before and hate to buy a loaf from the store even if it means taking a sweat shower in the kitchen in the unbearable Singapore heat!!

Ingredients 

2 cups wholewheat flour sifted (I have found Sharbati Atta of any brand gives you the best results; here, I have used Pilsbury Gold but Peshwai or Ashirwaad Sharbati will work equally well)

1 cup bread flour or all purpose flour 

3 tsp or 1 tbsp instant yeast 

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk powder 

250 ml warm water not exceeding 41 degree celcius or comfortable enough to hold a drop on the back of your wrist 

2 tbsp butter room temperature (I use low fat margarine)

Olive oil for greasing 

Direction 

Proof the yeast first. Dissolve the sugar into 150 ml warm water and mix in the yeast. Let it stand for 10 minutes till frothy and increased in volume. 

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, and milk powder. Now make a well in the center and pour in the yeast and start mixing the flour and the yeast liquid. Once all the liquid is covered by the flour, start adding in water little atva time until all the water is used up (remaining 100 ml). With wholewheat breads we have to ensure that the dough is not dry but smooth and soft to the touch with slight traces of stickiness. A dry dough will result in a dry crumbly bread. 

Now transfer the sticky dough to a clean and floured work surface and using both your hands, start kneading with all your might till all the stickiness is gone. This will take 5-7 minutes. Now spread out the dough and splash 1 tbsp butter/margarine and fold in. Continue kneading till the butter is absorbed. Do not be tempted to add extra flour. Just keep kneading and in mo time the stickiness will be gone. Now add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and knead again till you have an incredibly soft and elastic dough. Congratulations! You are 70% done!!

Niw oil a big enough bowl to hold the doubled up risen dough and also oil the dough. Gently place it into the oiled bowl and keep covered in a warm place for 1- 11/2 hour till doubled in volume. 

Once doubled, punch down the dough and knead for 3-5 minutes to bring the dough into a uniformly shaped loaf. Grease a loaf tin and place the shaped loaf in it. Cover again and leave to rise for another 1 hour. 

Towards the end of the second rise, start preheating the oven at 180 degree celcius and also keep a small tray of water to build up steam. 

Brush the top of the loaf gently with milk (room temperature) taking care not to deflate the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes till you get a dark brown top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. 

Remove from the pan immediately and brush the top with butter. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. 

Wholewheat Eggless Butterless One Bowl Chocolate Cake

It has been the most terrible week for me so far as parenting is concerned. Baby down with a terrible toddler illness and while she was just recovering, I caught the flu and now can hardly eat and drink. Two days I spent pitying myself. Today morning I pulled myself up, put in all my will power at work and started telling myself "I feel better so much better now!" I decided to let go that sickly feeling and instead do something constructive. Asked my baby if she is craving for some chocolate cake and she jumped with joy. Doing the dishes is a pain now and so came up with this amazing one bowl Wholewheat Eggless Butterless Chocolate cake I saw on pinterest yesterday with some changes of my own. The cake is soft, moist and spongy and super delicious!! Best part is you can eat it guilt-free.... I hope I can enjoy eating it soon (have a very very very painful throat)!!!!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used extra dark)

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar (can be substituted with white sugar)

5 tbsp oil (I used rice bran oil but you can use extra light olive oil or any other unflavoured oil)

1 tsp Vanila extract 

1 cup water (I used room temperature but you can use lukewarm too)

1 tsp white vinegar 

Direction 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius and grease a 8" square tin. 

In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then add the oil followed by the Vanila extract and water. Use a balloon whisk for easy and proper mixing. You can add a handful of chocolate chips if you like for a more chocolatey flavor.  Lastly, add the vinegar and simply fold it in without much mixing. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy this guilt free delight. For the frosting, I melted some ferrero rocher chocolates (about 8) and added some warm cream (about 2-3 tbsp) till desired consistency. Frost the cake when completely cooled. The cake will keep good at room temperature in air tight container for 2-3 days. 

Wholewheat Chocolate Banana Cake

The other day during my trip to the super market, my baby insisted on buying bananas and though I knew she wouldn't eat it, I couldn't refuse her. She ate just 1 out of three with much pain as she knew it was her mistake in buying them in the first place. She however could not show her goody self for the rest of the two and refused them as yucky!! With school starting today after holidays and snack boxes needed to be filled, I planned to hide the bananas behind a flavor she truly loves and combined it with the goodness of whole wheat flour. Result was an amazing soft and moist cake with a beautiful combination of flavors and topped with a humble ganache!!! Snack time just got more delicious!! 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup sugar (I used a mix of brown sugar and white sugar; You can increase the sugar by another 1/4 cup if you like it more sweet)

1 3/4 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium ripe bananas; the more ripe the better)

2 eggs

1 cup (240 ml) warm/lukewarm water

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk room temperature 

1/2 cup (120 ml) unflavoured oil (I used extra light olive oil)

1 1/2 tsp Vanila extract 

Direction 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius and line a 9" square pan with parchment paper. 

Mix the sugars, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In another bowl, mash/puree the bananas. 

To this, add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract and warm water. Take absolute care that the water is "not" hot, but just warm. Whip together till mixed well. Now, add the flour mix to the wet ingredients little at a time till everything is mixed well. Take care that no lumps remain. The batter will be quite thin. Don't worry as that is how it is supposed to be. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. 

 Tap the bottom of the pan on the kitchen counter for a couple of times and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes till  a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. 

For frosting, I used ferrero rocher chocolates along with a few other chocolates lying in the fridge (about 1 cup) and added 1/4 cup hot cream (warmed till just about boiling point). Mix well and spread. If you want a more flowing consistency, add more hot cream. Apply the frosting and let it set for 1/2 hour before slicing. 

Yeast Free Wholewheat Thin Crust Pizza

Every time I ordered a thin crust pizza at Pizza Hut, I would start wondering what ingredients they use to make it so unbelievably thin, flaky, and crusty and yet holding so well. I tried asking them many times the ingredients/recipe/procedure but would always be turned down saying it was their trade secret. I tried achieving the same results at home but would not come close to what I eat at the joint. 

Today as I set about to make pizzas for my baby's pizza party, I realised that my yeast is dead and cannot be used. I thought and knew for certain that there are yeast free recipes available online and started my search. While most recipes used more or less the same ingredients, there were a few exceptions and after my quick 5 minute research, I decided to create my own. I am so thankful to Mr. Yeast that he did not bloom and gave me this opportunity to bake my most yummy pizza ever and exactly the way I like it. Rest in peace Mr. Yeast! Sorry, but you won't be called for a pizza dough next time as I absolutely love it without you!! 😜😜

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup bread flour (can be replaced with self raising flour/all purpose flour/maida/whole wheat flour) 

1/4 cup raw wheatgerm (optional; I added just to make it more nutritious)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder (or any spice that you prefer)

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tbsp cornflour plus more for dusting 

2 tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing (I used the oil from my can of Sundried tomatoes and it gave a superb flavor to the dough. You can use any oil that you may have from your preserves for maximum flavor; remember, the more oil you use, the flakier will be the crust. I used about 3 tbsp)

1/2-1/3 cup buttermilk or as required for kneading 

Direction 

Take all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Add the oil and mix with your hands. It will resemble bread crumbs. Now slowly add the buttermilk and start kneading a soft but stiff dough. We do not need a wet dough but a smooth one. Towards the end, you can lightly grease your hands to smoothen the dough and soften the dry edges. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven at maximum temperature for 20 minutes. If possible, it is advisable to also pre-heat the pizza stone or the baking tray where you will be baking the pizza to achieve that perfect crust. 

Now take a round/ square parchment paper about the same size as your baking tray/pizza stone and pinch out a rubber ball sized dough. Sprinkle a dash of cornflour on the parchment and place the flattened dough ball on it. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle of about 1/8" thickness or thinner as per your liking. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce/tomato sauce and top it with your favourite toppings. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese to finish it off. 

Now carefully take out the pizza stone or baking tray from the hot oven and quickly place the prepared parchment with the pizza on it. Put it back into the oven and bake at 180 degree celcius for 10-15 minutes till the cheese melts and the edges look brown. Remove from oven and cut and serve hot. Repeat with the remaining dough or refrigerate for later use. Makes 4 8" pizzas. 

Eggless Wholewheat Spiced Muffins with Flaxseed

Eggless baking is quite a challenge for a baker who does not have any restriction of baking with eggs. However, the question is often raised regarding the appropriate egg substitute. While I have done some eggless baking with yogurt and the results were also fantastic, flaxseed powder is an alternative that bakers usually suggest and which I had never tried. So today as I was standing in my kitchen wondering what to bake for my week's breakfast, I decided to experiment with this egg substitute. I have used all least expensive and simple ingredients in this recipe as I was not too sure of the results and was all set to trash it if required. You can use this as a base recipe and modify the recipe with ingredients of your choice. The texture and taste was at par with any other bake made with eggs and after tasting cakes made with yogurt, I would definitely recommend using flaxseed powder as a substitute instead of yogurt. 

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tbsp wholewheat flour

1/3 cup honey (I added 1/4 cup honey and realized it wasn't too sweet)

1/4 cup extra light olive oil

2 tbsp flaxseed powder (I am substituting 2 eggs with 2 tbsp flaxseed powder)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanila extract

2 tbsp candied citrus peel chopped (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp or more ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Direction

Take 6 tbsp room temperature water and dissolve the 2 tbsp flaxseed powder. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes. 

In a bowl, beat the honey and oil till smooth and creamy. Add the vanila and stir. Now mix the flaxseed mixture, which would become gooey by now, and stir well till incorporated. Now fold in the 1 cup flour mixed with the baking powder and baking soda and stir till no lumps remain. Add the milk and add the remaining 1 tbsp flour. Mix well. You may add another 1/2-1 tbsp flour if you find the batter too runny which should otherwise be lumpy and drop consistency. Add the chopped citrus peel and mixed spice and stir well till combined. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius. Line a muffin tray with liners and drop spoonfuls of the batter till 3/4 full. The batter rises beautifully and so leave enough space for the muffins to rise. 

Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top of each muffin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes till a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is slightly golden. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before storing in air tight container. Serve warm with a dollop of butter and some fruit preserve. Enjoy!!

Sugarfree Wholewheat Carrot and Apricot Cake

Blogging has taken a backseat these days primarily due to my strict diet and exercise regime. While I am still cooking up a few delicacies once in a while, jotting them down takes an effort these days as I am too tired by afternoon and need to take some rest before I go for my next round of exercise in the evening. This cake that I made over the weekend is a wonderful companion with your tea/coffee and also as an anytime bite. It is wholewheat, packed with the goodness of carrots and apricots, made with extra light olive oil, and no sugar too!! Now, isn't it the best way to get back to a healthy routine after all that Diwali binging?

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp mixed spice or ground cinnamon (whichever is available)

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup oil (I used extra light olive oil)

2 cups grated carrots 

1 cup chopped dry apricots (you can use pineapple chunks as well)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Direction

Mix and sift the dry ingredients together and keep aside. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs, honey, and oil together till smooth. Add the flour mixture  in two batches and beat till smooth. Now fold in the carrots, apricots/pineapple, and walnuts one at a time and mix well. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius and line a 23 cm square baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Tap the bottom a couple of times to prevent air bubbles. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the top browns faster and the cake not yet done, tent the top loosely with an aluminium foil to avoid burning of the top. 

Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. You can serve it with some apricot/pineapple preserve on the top to make it more delicious. Enjoy your guilt free indulgence!!

Wholewheat Mathri in the Air Fryer

It has been a hectic Diwali this year. Not because I was busy making sweets and snacks, but because I was busy in putting up the artifacts that I got from India on the walls, getting pictures framed, putting up lights, and most importantly maintaining a strict diet and exercise regime!! My air fryer has been particularly helpful in keeping my weighing scale ticking to the left. Though I did not make any elaborate snacks and sweets especially for Diwali, I did make these super awesome and healthy wholewheat mathris in the air fryer and some Gulab Jamuns (not air fried though) for friends over dinner. The mathris are such a help to satiate my chaat cravings anytime in the day and I am sure my next batch will be done pretty soon as this one's not going to last long! So here's wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Diwali... Stay blessed!!

Ingredients

1 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup semolina

1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida

1-2 tbsp ghee/oil (I used ghee just for diwali; you can use oil)

1 tsp ajwain/carrom seeds

2 tsp chaat masala (optional)

1 tsp salt

Water at room temperature to knead

Direction

Take the flours and semolina in a big bowl and add the spices. Now add the ghee/oil and rub it on the flour with your hands till it resembles bread crumbs. 

Now slowly add the water little at a time to form a smooth and firm dough. The dough should not be sticky or too soft which will make it difficult to roll later.

Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Pre-heat the Air Fryer at 200 degree celsius for 5 minutes. Do not forget to line the basket with an aluminium foil. Pinch out tennis ball sized balls from the dough and roll out a medium thickness circle but uniform from all sides. Make pricks with a fork all over the circle. Take a round biscuit cutter or cap of a jar and cut out as many circles as you can from that big circle. 

Remove the extra cut edges and put it back with the dough. Keep the cut small circles aside and continue with the rest of the dough. 

Once the Air Fryer is ready, grease the small circles with ghee (optional; I have made them greased and non-greased as well) and place as many circles in the basket as possible without any overlapping. I have made around 12-14 mathris in a single batch. Cook the mathris at 200 degrees for 10 minutes on one side or until golden. Flip and then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Take care not to burn them but only bake till golden. If they still feel soft to touch, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes while reducing the temperature to about 160-180 degrees. Remove from the fryer and let them cool before transferring to air tight jars. 

Enjoy these healthy yummy crunchy mathris for chaat or while having your tea/coffee or anyway you like!!

Wholewheat Jaggery and Ginger Biscuits

I am dedicating this post to my dear Aunt, Ira Chakraborty or Ira Jethai as we lovingly call her. Jethai refers to Mom's elder sister in Assamese. She is no longer with us today but her recipes continue to remind us of her beautiful and loving ways of showing her love for us through her awesome yet simple dishes she used to cook for us whenever we used to visit her. 

A very soft spoken lady, she was the eldest of the family and I used to hear it from Mom how she used to be the strict guardian when it came to protecting and disciplining her siblings. It has been almost 2 years now and while we are busy with our routine lives, her memories and thoughts continue to linger in our minds. The recipe for these biscuits were recently found by one of her daughters, who made them and then shared the recipe with me. The only change I made was with the flour and the kind of sugar used in the recipe. The cookies are deliciously crunchy and healthy and leaves me with fond memories of her everytime I take a bite with my cuppa!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup (150 gms) wholewheat flour

1/4 cup (50 gms) wheat germ (optional; can be replaced with equal quantity wholewheat flour)

1/2 cup (100 gms) butter

1/2 cup (100 gms) brown sugar (you can reduce the quantity if you want as per your taste)

1/2 cup jaggery grated

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

Note: If you are using all cup measurements, please use it throughout and do not mix the metric. If you use cup measurements for some and grams for other ingredients, you might end up with a imperfect batter/dough. 

Direction

Take the butter, sugar, jaggery, lime juice, and ginger powder in a bowl and melt it, either in the microwave or on stove top. If using the microwave, ensure that the jaggery is completely melted and no solids remain. Keep aside and let it cool. 

Now sift the flour with soda, baking powder, and salt. Take this in a bowl and add the wheat germ, if using. Now add the melted butter and jaggery mixture and start mixing the dough to a smooth lump. Ensure that the dough is not too dry nor too wet and the mixture just holds together. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Take small portion of the dough in your hands and gently roll it between your palms and flatten it to about 1/4 inch thickness. Arrange the flattened dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the dough. Keep at least 1" space between the cookies as they expand while baking. 

Sprinkle some sugar on top and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes till the cookies are browned (not burnt) but still a little soft to touch. Do not bake the cookies till hard. You will end up with rock hard cookies. 

Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely before storing in air tight jars. 

Brown Bread -- 100% Wholewheat Bread

My passion for cooking started with baking, breads specifically. I love my morning breakfast with a freshly baked toasted slice of bread with a light smear of butter and a dollop of homemade jam. However, I was missing out on this soulful breakfast for quite some time now as I was weary of eating white bread and I wasn't quite fond of the dense texture of the homemade wholewheat bread. I started reading up articles and blogs and found that wheat gluten, which is absent in wholewheat, is the reason behind the dense structure as the flour lacks the protein to help in gluten development. Bread flour or enriched flour comes ready mixed with the gluten and so the bread is soft and more delicious than the wholewheat one. One option, in the case of unavailability of wheat gluten, was to mix bread flour/enriched flour with wholewheat flour in a 40-60 proportion or otherwise and attain a better texture.

 In countries like India, where bread flour is not easily available, you can use regular all purpose flour with an egg or 1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature. You can, however, try searching on online sites, like Zansaar, which are known to have a good stock of baking supplies or request your local baker for wheat gluten. I was however looking for a 100% wholewheat bread baking technique without compromising the texture. After a lot of search, I finally laid my hands on a pack of Bread Improver/Wheat Gluten and was overly excited to try a simple wholewheat loaf to see the difference in texture. All this while, I had also bought the Bread Bible on Kindle and started reading the basics of bread making. While it is actually a science to achieve that perfect loaf of bread, I tried to correct my kneading and proofing process wherever possible to achieve better results. There are so many tips and tricks, you have to actually try and experiment in several attempts to know what works best for you. I will add my gathered knowledge on bread baking through all my bread posts and keep updating as well, as I keep experimenting more and start getting better results. Today's recipe is of my own but I have tried to include a few techniques I have read over the past few days. Also, it is quite handy to have a digital kitchen thermometer, especially while baking breads, where temperature plays a vital role. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (I used organic)

3 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

1 tbsp vital wheat gluten (optional, but helps in attaining a better texture; please refer to the notes above for options)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk powder (you can use any milk powder here including your baby's unused and leftover dry formula milk powder)

2 tbsp olive oil plus a little extra for greasing

2-3 tbsp milk for milk wash

About 1 cup warm water or as required for kneading (33.5 degree celsius)

Direction

1. Start with the preparations. Warm a little water, about 100 ml, and dissolve 1 tbsp sugar. Bring it to the desired temperature of 33.5 degree celsius or just comfortable enough to be put on the back of your wrist. Now dissolve the yeast by mixing thoroughly with a fork and let it stand for 10 minutes undisturbed. You may be inclined to start kneading the dough as soon as you see it foaming and frothing. However, be patient and give it those 10 minutes to activate those innumerable number of dry but living cells to feed on the sugar and feel powerful enough to puff up the dough later. Here is how it should look at the end of 10 minutes.  If it does not look anywhere close to this, discard and start fresh again and if problem persists, you surely have expired or dead yeast. 

2. Sift the flour and salt together and take it in a bowl. To this, add the wheat gluten, if using, milk powder, and sugar. Mix everything well. Keep aside. Also, warm another 100 ml of water to 33.5 degree celsius or just lukewarm and keep it ready. 

3. Now, make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the frothy yeast mixture into it. With the help of a spatula, start mixing the flour by stirring only in one direction till the entire liquid is soaked up and forms a lump. There might be some dry flour in the bowl at this point. Try and gather everything well as far as possible into the lump. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the flour to soak up the water and remain moist and soft while baking. 

3. Now, pour in the warm water little at a time and the oil and start kneading the dough. If using egg or buttermilk, you must add it now instead of the water. Ensure that the egg or the buttermilk is at room temperature. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface for kneading further for about 10 minutes. At the end of it, you should have a smooth, soft, and elastic dough. Ensure that the dough is not dry and stiff as wholewheat dough needs to remain a little moist. Oil your hands and lightly grease the dough on the outside. Wrap if loosely in a clingwrap and keep it in a warm place (I keep in the microwave) for the first rise, about 1-1.5 hours or until doubled. 

4. Lightly grease a medium loaf tin and line it with parchment paper. 

5. Now take the dough out and punch down to release the trapped air. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and, with the help of both the hands, roll the dough out to a uniform thickness rectangular log almost the same size as your loaf tin. Arrange the dough on the prepared loaf pan and spray some water on top and keep it loosely covered. Return it to the warm place for the second rise, about 1-1.5 hours or until the dough starts reaching the brim of the pan or doubled. 

6. Towards the end of the second proofing, pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius with a pan of hot water inside. This will help form steam inside the oven and helps in browning the crust as well as prevent it from drying out. 

7. Take the loaf pan out and give a gentle milk wash on the top with room temperature milk. This is again for a beautiful brown crust. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and give a gentle press with the tip of the milk brush to ensure the seeds stick to the top. Put the loaf pan in the pre-heated oven and bake at 175 degree celsius for 20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the top and the internal temperature (by inserting the food thermometer in the center or the side) is between 80-100 degree celsius. 

8. Remove the bread immediately from the loaf pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Store in an air tight container. 

Baked Wholewheat Peas Kachori (Baked Motorshuti Kochuri)

I am in love with my diet these days. Not only am I eating healthy, but tasty too not to mention the interesting twist I give to each recipe which makes it even more appealing and as delicious as their not-so-healthy counterpart. Today's recipe was a baked trial for my most favorite of all sinful savory snacks, Peas Kachori or as we call it in Bengali, Motorshuti Kochuri. The thought of all the oil that goes into the making of these kachoris is so repelling that I never really gave a thought of making them at home even though I loved them. However, I do not have to resist my temptations anymore as I have an answer for my cravings. The Kachoris are perfectly baked to get the same crispy crunch as you would get in a regular fried kachori and stuffed with sufficient filling to get a mouthful of peas in every bite. The icing on the cake was the Date and Tamarind Chutney which I prepared for serving this along with the Mint and Coriander chutney. And the festher in the cap was the Panchratna daal which was leftover from yesterday and perfectly complemented the meal. All in all, a super satisfying and healthy meal!

                                  

Ingredients

For the dough

1 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ghee (you may substitute with olive oil)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp ajwain

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Water to knead (room temperature)

For the filling

2 cups frozen or fresh peas boiled and mashed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp heeng

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp amchur powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp olive oil

For Date and Tamarind Chutney, click here

Direction

Take the flour in a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients. Now add the ghee and oil and mix with your hands till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Then slowly add water and start kneading the dough. It should be a smooth but stiff dough. Take the dough out on a clean work surface and knead for 5 minutes till the dough is completely smooth and does not look dry. Take care not to over moisten the dough as well as not to overdry it. The dough should be firm to touch but smooth. Lightly oil your hands and rub it on the dough on all sides. This will help the dough from drying out. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing.  Heat oil in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds. Add the heeng and as the aroma arises, quickly put in the boiled and mashed peas. Add all the spices and mix well. Continue stirring till all the moisture has evaporated and you have a fairly dry mixture in the pan. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius for 20 minutes with top rod only. Keep a baking tray ready lined with aluminium foil.

Now, get back to the dough. Roll the dough with your hands into a hot dog shape and pinch out equal sized balls out of it. You should be able to get 7-8 balls with this measure of flour. Roll out each ball as thin as possible into a uniform circle. This will help you achieve a crisp crust once baked. Make sure each circle is of uniform thickness, else some kachoris might remain uncooked in the oven. Roll out all the balls and keep the circles arranged on a plate or on the counter. Now put generous spoonfulls of the peas mixture into each circle. Gently pinch in the edges together of each circle and roll it back into a ball between your palms. Make sure the edges are properly sealed so that the mixture cannot ooze out. Smoothen out the ball as best as you can by gently rolling between your palms. Repeat for the rest of the circles. We won't be rolling out the balls back to disc shape as we won't be frying them and so it is important that we put it in a generous amount of stuffing in each circle so that there are no empty bites while eating the baked kachoris. Also, try and pinch the edges as neatly as possible so that you are not left with a big chunk of chewy empty dough in the kachori. 

Now, oil your hands lightly and rub it on each stuffed ball and arrange on the prepared baking dish, pinched side up since that will take longest to cook. Repeat for the rest of the balls. 

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20 minutes with top rod only till slightly golden on top and feels firm to touch. Once one side is done, take the tray out and flip the sides and sprinkle a little water on each ball. This will ensure that the balls do not dry up and the thinner upper crust is crispily baked. However, take care not to drench the balls in water. Bake again for 15 minutes till slightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Please note that the kachoris might not become brown even if they look cooked. In that case, slightly increase the temperature to 200 degrees for an additional 5 minutes. The browning continues even after removing from oven and so in the final minutes keep a very close eye or you might burn the kachoris.

Remove the kachoris from the oven and immediately apply a dash of ghee on each ball and keep covered with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes. This step is highly advisable and not recommended to be skipped. This way you achieve that beautiful brown tan as well as a flaky crispy crust! Serve hot with chutney and some Panchratna daal or a light potato curry.

                               

                               

Wholewheat Date and Coffee Loaf

Every sunday, I try and bake something which lasts me through the entire week for my on-the-run breakfast. Since it is the first meal of the day, it is really necessary that I make it as healthy as possible with maximum nutrient value. The bake also comes quite handy for my evening cup of Honey Lemon Tea as well as for my anytime hunger pangs. All in all, I am finding it quite helpful in keeping my weight in check and have also succeeded in losing a few grams per week with having these breakfast bakes and coupled with salads/soups/grills for lunch and dinner. Now I can safely indulge on my weekends and control throughout the week!

                                    

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour

1 egg

1 cup dates pitted and chopped

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee (without milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup almonds/walnuts/pecans chopped

1 tsp vanila essence

2 tbsp butter

Direction

In a bowl, put the dates and sprinkle baking powder on top. Now pour the hot coffee and keep it aside till room temperature.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar till smooth. Add the egg and vanila essence and beat further. Now add the flour and salt and mix till no lumps remain. Now add the coffee date mixture and mix further till smooth. Lastly, fold in the nuts.

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius and line a loaf tin with baking paper. Pour the batter into the tin and smooth out the edges. Bake in the pre heated oven for 30-35 minutes till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the top starts over browning and the inside is not yet cooked, tent the top with an aluminium foil. Once done, remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

                                 

 

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.