Petit Pains Au Lait (Milk Breads) - We Knead to Bake # 17

The bread for this month for the We Knead to Bake group chosen by Aparna is a simple but classic french bread. Petit pain au lait means little milk breads/ rolls. The rolls are mildly sweet and they bake to a beautiful golden brown. They are slightly rich and are soft and almost flaky on the inside because of the way they are shaped and rolled.

This is a wonderful and very easy recipe making it perfect for beginners. I stuffed about four rolls with some chocolate and left the others plain. All of us at home preferred the plain ones and I will surely be baking these again.

Do take a look at these videos to get an idea of how the bread is cut to create the pattern. Link1/ Link2.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet by Kat

Petit Pains Au Lait

Ingredients:

2/3 cup warm whole milk (plus a few teaspoons more if needed)

1 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour*

1/4 tsp salt

60 gms butter, soft at room temperature

extra milk for brushing

Method:

*If you don’t have bread flour, put 2/3 tsp vital wheat gluten in your 3/4 cup measure and top up with all-purpose flour. Mix this well. 

Or if you don’t have vital wheat gluten, then just use 3/4 cup all-purpose flour.

**This topping is optional. The pearl sugar looks pretty and adds a little crunch. If you can’t find pearl sugar, use large crystals of sugar or even regular granulated sugar. 

I used my stand mixer to knead the dough, you can also use the food processor or knead by hand. Put the warm milk, yeast and sugar in the bowl. Mix on low speed. Then add all the flour and the salt and mix until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the butter and knead until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough that’s not sticky. Add a little more milk (in teaspoonful at a time), if your dough is dry, until you have the required consistency of dough.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Turn it over to coat with oil. Cover loosely and set aside to rise until double in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. The dough will be easy to work with and not sticky, but if needed, just lightly dust your palms with flour. Deflate the dough gently, and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Let them rest for 15 minutes.

Roll out each piece of dough, one at a time, into a circle of about 4” in diameter. Slowly roll up the circle from one end, Swiss roll/ jelly roll style into a cylinder. Pinch the seam closed neatly, and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet with the seam side facing down. Cover loosely and let them rise for an hour or so till almost double in size.

Brush them lightly with milk and using a pair of sharp scissors, make diagonal cuts (not too deep) on the top of the rolls. Sprinkle pearl sugar/ granulated sugar. Bake them at 200C / 400F  for about 15 minutes or so until they’re golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and serve them warm or at room temperature.

This recipe makes 10 Petit Pains au Lait. They’re best eaten the same day, though you could warm them up and serve the next day.

My Favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread

I can never eat an overripe banana, even a small black spot or mushy texture is a big no-no. So all such bananas are usually used up in shakes and I also love them caramelized.

But such overripe bananas are of course best suited for baking and I love banana bread especially when it is loaded with chocolate and nuts.

I have tried a lot of recipes in search for the perfect one and this is my favorite, the best one so far! I first baked this bread last October and its the fourth time that I've baked it again. It's just what I have been looking for and everyone who has had it has loved it! The banana flavor is prominent without being over-powering, it's super moist and it has a ton of chocolate and nuts making every bite absolutely heavenly!
Recipe from Food52.

Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread

Ingredients: 

3 medium overripe bananas

1 cup light brown sugar (packed)

10 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Grease and line a 9"x5" loaf pan. Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F.

Beat bananas with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the banana mixture and mix just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The top of the cake browns rather quickly, so I tented it with foil after about 25 minutes and then baked until it was done.

Let it cool completely before slicing. To get neat slices use a serrated knife and cut using a sawing motion.

Focaccia Caprese - We Knead to Bake # 13

Though I do not have a lot of bread recipes on the blog, I do bake them often and rather enjoy the whole process.  'We knead to Bake' is a group started by Aparna last January and I've been following all the breads that they have baked through the year. I'm super excited about being a part of the group and this is the first bread of the year.

I was really happy to see the bread we would be baking, first of all focaccia is a wonderful bread and secondly this one had all my favorite things on it. I wanted to bake the bread the day it was announced, but it took me a while to find really good mozzarella and fresh basil. And for the first time I did not cut down on the oil, rather used it quite generously and it made such a difference.

This time I used a shortcut and used my Kitchen Aid to knead the dough. I can't believe I never did that before. Making bread has never been easier! 

The bread baked beautifully and it was fabulous fresh out of the oven. It was soft and spongy and the cheese all melted and gooey and the flavors were just amazing.
Recipe has been adapted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen from The Kitchen Whisperer.

Focaccia Caprese

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 tsp instant yeast

1 1/2 tbs sugar

3 1/2 cups bread flour/ all purpose flour

 (I used all purpose flour and added 1 tbs vital wheat gluten to it)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil (preferably olive oil)

1-1 1/2 cups warm water

A little more olive oil for brushing the dough

For the topping:

4-5 tomatoes, sliced thin

1 6-7" round piece of fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

For the herbed oil:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/4-1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp finely minced garlic/paste

salt to taste

Basil leaves for garnishing

Method:

Herbed Oil:

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together. Keep aside.

Dough:

Take the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Add 1 cup of warm water and mix with your fingers to form a dough. Add  more water if needed. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until you have a soft elastic dough, that us just short of sticky. Shape into a round and place in a well oiled bowl turning the dough around so it is coated. Cover and let it rise till almost double in volume. This should take about an hour.

**I kneaded my dough in my KA mixer using the dough hook. I set it at speed 4 and mixed for about 8 minutes until I had a smooth dough. You can also use a food processor.

After the dough has risen, divide it into two equal portions. Place the dough into a greased pan and press and spread the dough with your fingers until they are approximately 11” by 7” in size. The shape does not really matter as the focaccia is a rustic bread, but try to get it evenly thick. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Generously brush the surface of the bread with olive oil and use your fingers to create evenly spaced 'dimples' all over the surface of the dough.

Bake at 210C (410F) for about 18 to 20 minutes till it is almost done and is beginning to turn golden brown. Take the Focaccia out and turn up the heat of your oven to 230C (450F).

Lightly drizzle some of the Herbed Oil over the Focaccia and then evenly arrange some slices of mozzarella all over the bread, leaving very little space between them. Top the cheese with the tomato slices and sprinkle the chopped basil over this. The topping should cover most of the surface of the bread.

Drizzle some more Herbed Oil over the topping and return the bread to the oven. Bake the Focaccia for 5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese has just melted. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Cut the Focaccia into slices and serve while it is still hot. 

This recipe serves 4 if served alone or 6 if served with a side.

This bread is being yeastspotted!

Eggless Chocolate Mango Marble Cake

Chocolate and mango are on the top of my list of favorite flavors and they pair up beautifully too. This was the second dish we baked as part of the Homebaker's Challenge and the recipe was chosen by Sangeetha of Spicy Treats.

We had two recipes to chose from, with or without eggs and I went eggless this time. I usually prefer baking with eggs but this recipe did not disappoint. The cake was moist and the  two flavors really stood out. Like most eggless cakes this one too had a dense crumb, but the taste more that compensated for it.

The only change I made was adding a little bit of coffee to the chocolate batter and that really helped to enhance the chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Mango Marble Loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

11/2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mango pulp

1/4 milk

1/4 cup buttermilk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C. Grease and line a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Mix the cocoa powder with 3-4 tbs of warm water and keep aside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.

In another bowl mix together the sugar, oil, vanilla, mango pulp, milk and buttermilk.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold gently until well combined.

Divide the batter into two and gently fold in the cocoa mixture into one half.

Pour the two batters alternately into the prepared pan and run a knife through the batter to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until done.

Mango Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

I have been making smoothies everyday for the last couple of years. Anushka and I, have a smoothie daily for our  mid morning snack and it's the only thing she will have without a fuss.

Smoothies are the perfect way to include a good serving of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet, especially for kids. They are healthy, refreshing and so filling. Use ripe, sweet fruits and fresh vegetables and mix and match them to get various flavors, colors and textures. Makes a wonderful healthy dessert too.

I always try to add vegetables to my smoothies, about a third of the amount of fruits. I have tried a lot of combinations and this is one of my favorites. Use tender sweet carrots and sweet mangoes and strawberries and you'll have a great tasting drink.

Mango Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

Ingredients:
pulp of two mangoes
8 strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 big carrot, washed and peeled and chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
sugar/honey/ any other sweetener as needed (I usually avoid this)
cold water as needed

Method:
Take all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add sugar if needed and add enough water to get the required consistency and blend again. Serve immediately.

Kappa Masala - Spiced Tapioca/ Yucca Root

The members of Kerala Kitchen, a facebook group have decided to cook a traditional dish from Kerala every month. I loved the idea as there are a lot of dishes I would love to make and whats better than a group of fellow enthusiasts cooking together. Nags of Edible Garden selected Kappa Masala as the recipe for this month and its one I  enjoy any time of day.

I make kappa atleast a couple of times every month, but its usually just steamed for breakfast or snack times.  And if I do make a fish curry I make sure to make a little puzhukku, my favorite! Though I have eaten this kappa masala a few times, this was the first time I made it myself. I actually made it thrice this month, the first two times it was almost over before I could take pictures, but the third time I was determined! It was delicious and made the perfect tea time snack.

Kappa Masala

Ingredients:

500 gms kappa, tapioca, peeled and cut into cubes

1 tbs coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

1 sprig curry leaves

2 big cloves of garlic, crushed

3/4 tsp dried red chili flakes or use while chilies to taste and crush with the garlic

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

Method:

Take the kappa in a large pot and add enough water to cover it well and some salt and cook until the kappa is tender but holds its shape. Drain the water well.

Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the urad dal and fry until browned. Add the curry leaves, garlic, red chili flakes and turmeric and fry for a few seconds, take care not to burn the garlic

Add the boiled kappa and salt of needed and stir until everything is well combined and the kappa is evenly coated with the spice mixture.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

Whole Wheat Focaccia

I made this Focaccia bread for the fourth time last week and realized that I never posted about it. I usually buy Focaccia from the farmers market and it is one of the best I've had, but its all white flour and has lots of oil. This one on the other hand is a much lighter and healthier bread and I don't feel so guilty if I have one extra serving. Plus, baking your own bread is so much fun!  This one makes a wonderful sandwich, pizza and is great with curries and even on its own!.

Whole Wheat Focaccia

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 packet active dried yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 tsp cumin seeds

6 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

1tsp salt

3 tbs olive oil

Toppings:

cumin seeds

thinly sliced onions

Method:

Combine warm water and yeast. Stir in olive oil, cumin seeds, chopped garlic, salt and flour and mix to form a dough. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for a few minutes in a folding motion until the dough is smooth.

Grease a large bowl with olive oil and plop the dough into it. Roll around a few times to coat the dough in the oil. Cover the bowl with a warm cloth. Place the bowl in a warm spot and let the dough rise for about an hour.

After the rise, punch the dough once and place it on a floured surface and knead gently for a few minutes. Roll out the dough to about 1" thickness. 

Place dough on a greased baking sheet. Poke holes all over the surface with your finger.

Brush the top of the dough generously with olive oil. Top with cumin seeds and sliced onions.

Cover with the towel and let rise again for 20 minutes, in a warm spot.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30-35 minutes or until you see a light brown crust. Check the bread for firmness with a toothpick. Cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Sending this to Yeast Spotting.
Recipe adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes

I have a big bottle of honey in my pantry, that's just begging to be used. Any suggestions??? I've been trying out a few dishes and these pancakes are my favorite so far. Pancakes are one of the easiest dishes to prepare, and we just love them. Even Anushka, who is other wise a very picky eater, doesn't turn her face away...so we have pancakes almost every weekend, or atleast she does!
I tried this recipe from Simplebites for the first time last month. The pancakes are fluffy, moist and just plain delicious. There's only a little butter and I think buttermilk does the trick. I doubled the amount of honey and yet they are not really sweet. So feel free to dunk them with your favorite syrup...I always use pure maple syrup, you can also checkout some great syrup recipes out here.

Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tbs butter, melted
4 tbs honey

Method:
Whisk all the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
Whisk all the wet ingredients in another bowl until well combined.
Add the wet to the dry and whisk only until just combined, lumps are okay, do not over mix.
Heat a griddle over medium heat and grease lightly with oil or butter.
Spoon batter about 1/3 cup at a time. Cook till the edges are set and you see lots of bubbles on the surface, 3-4 mins. Flip and cook until golden brown, about two minutes.
Serve warm with your favorite syrup.

Vatteppam/Vattayappam – Kerala Special for Indian Cooking Challenge

I'm currently on vacation in India at my parents place and having a wonderful time. This trip has been pending for a long time and I'm realizing that three years is really a looong time. Everyone and everything seem so different from what I remember...lot to catch up!!

I'm a little late in posting, been a little busy and a little lazy, but really enjoyed this challenge. Vattayappam is a familiar dish and we make it almost the same way. Love it for breakfast. This recipe for Indian Cooking Challenge is from Shn's Mishmash.

I'm skipping the recipe this time, do visit Mishmash for a detailed description.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins

Wish you all A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!! The past year was full of moments that will be cherished forever and there is so much to look forward to this year. My daughter will be one in a short while, it's all happening too fast and watching her grow is such an incredible experience. Needless to say our life revolves around her. She babbles constantly and cruises around nonstop exploring every nook and corner of our home. All my time is spent chasing her and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Here's a picure of my little one...

I barely have time to complete my usual work but I miss blogging so much! I really can't stay away any longer, so here I am hoping to blog regularly. Thank u all so much for your warm wishes after my last post.

I haven't been cooking anything extravagant, just some easy n quick dishes.

I baked these muffins last week and they were amazing. Recipe is adapted from here. Just made a few healthy changes...

Marble Cake

Marble cake has always been my favorite, what's better than a combination of chocolate and vanilla. This recipe is from the book, Baked - New Frontiers in Baking, and what's interesting is that it uses dark chocolate along with cocoa powder. I had to try it and it makes such a difference in the cake. The chocolate flavor was really intense and just irresistible.

Eggless Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

This was the first time I tried eggless baking and I'm really impressed. The muffins were really easy to prepare. The bananas, walnuts and the chocolate chips go so well together and the muffins were delicious. The recipe is from Madhuram's blog and my entry to Zlamushka's Tried and Tasted being hosted by me.

Check the recipe out here....

Sharkara/ Jaggery Dosa

This dosa was one of my favorite snacks as a kid. Mom used to make this often for us and she would make it in different shapes, flowers for me and animals for my brother, we used to gulp it down happily. I still make this once in a while, when I need to fix us a quick snack. Sending this to 'CFK:Evening Snacks' hosted by Divya of Dil Se, event started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup grated jaggery

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

water

ghee

Method:

Take the jaggery in a bowl, add some water and microwave on high for 30-40secs. Mix well till the jaggery dissolves.

Add the flour and cardamom powder and enough water to make a smooth batter. The batter should not be very thick.

Heat a griddle and smear with some ghee. Pour a ladle of batter and spread a little. Top with a few drops of ghee. Cook till golden on both sides.

Serve hot.

Rava Idli with Coconut Chutney

Manoj loves idli's and would have it for any meal, but I'm not very fond of it. I also find the whole process of making the batter a big headache and too much work, its just one of those things I don't like to do even if its so simple. That's why I love this recipe. Noted it a couple of months ago from the book, Curried Favors and I've made it every week since.

Completely hassle free and the idlis are soft and has great flavor.

Challah Bread

Last weekend we had been to NASA, something I've wanted to do ever since I got here, but it was such a disappointment. We had to wait in the car for over an hour to get through the gates and there was nothing to see. There were some games n all for kids, lectures about space missions and I could not catch a word of it, there was so much commotion in the tent. I was basically in a sour mood with it being so hot n all, I'm sure I've mentioned that I cannot stand the sun. But the day ended well, we were a big group and went to one of our homes and played games and stayed till dinner.We were really tired at the end and although I had promised I would get back to blogging by Monday I couldn't bring myself to write a post until today.

The oven in this apartment is even bigger that the previous one and I could not wait to use it. So it's great that I have been paired with Tania of Love Big, Bake Often for Taste n Create this month. She has got amazing recipes for baked goods, but the one thing that caught my eye was the Challah. It's been ages since my last bread and this was a braid, something I have seen in so many blogs.

I finally baked it yesterday and everything went so smoothly. The dough was easy and the braid was a breeze....lots of practice with my hair:-). You can get the recipe here.

I used rapid rise yeast as that was all I had and so I could avoid the first rise. I really wanted to take step by step pictures but the camera was still in the car after the weekend trip and so this was all I could manage after Manoj got back from work.

My bread browned within the first 15 mins, so I had to cover it with foil. Baked for 40mins and it was perfect. My home smelled heavenly for hours.

I prefer the bread warm and had some as soon as it had cooled down a bit.

Had some for breakfast today with some chole...Yumm!

Also sending this to Susan's YeastSpotting.

Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

I make pancakes quite often especially on weekends when I want to indulge or am in the mood for something sweet that I could whip up in a jiffy. I try a different recipe each time and I always love the result. You couldn't ever go wrong with this. I have always wondered why people buy the packaged mixes, yet I know a number of people who swear by 'Bisquick'. So when I saw the recipe for Homemade Bisquick at Natalie's Blog Perry's Plate, I had to make it. I'll never if Bisquick is the same but i totally loved it. The pancake were light, fluffy and soft, I didn't mind having them cold. This recipe is a keeper for sure.

I followed Natalie's recipe and just added 2 tbs extra sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla essence.

I made my favorite topping, chocolate sauce of course, to go with the pancakes. Just melted about 1/3 cup chocolate chips with 1 tbs of butter. Had 5 pancakes by myself, all the talk about dieting! But I'll save the guilt for another time:)....this was just irresistible.

My entry for Taste n Create.