Artisan Bread

Artisan bread is bread that is crafted, rather than mass produced. It will have little more than the basic ingredients of flour, water, yeast, oil, milk and salt unlike preservative-laden commercial breads. Some varieties may have eggs and /or sugar.

Ingredients:

Plain flour or maida- 250 gms

Oil- 4 tbsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Active dry yeast-1 tsp (double if fresh yeast)

Sugar- 3 tsp

Water- 50 ml

Milk- 50 ml

Method:

Warm milk and water together. Take care not to heat too much; or the heat will kill the yeast. Add sugar and yeast. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for 15 minutes. Once yeast is fully dissolved and frothy, it is ready.

Take flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add a tbsp of oil. Add the yeast mixture and knead well into a soft dough. Knead for about 10 minutes until it is not sticky. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and keep aside for 2 hours.

Apply 1 tbsp oil and punch the dough for about 5 minutes.

Grease the baking sheet or bread tin well. Shape the dough in desired shapes using the remaining oil. Let it rest covered for an hour. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10-15 minutes or till golden. A couple of minutes prior to removing, brush the top with a little milk.

Allow to cool a bit before transferring to wire racks for cooling.

Spicy Baked Cheese Rolls

Ingredients:

Maida- 300ml
Whole wheat flour- 150 ml
Sugar- 1 tbsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Olive Oil- 4 tbsp
Active dry yeast- 2 tbsp (If fresh yeast is used, double the quantity)
Red Chilli flakes- 1 tbsp
Grated cheese- 30- 40 ml

Method:

Take half a cup of lukewarm water (NOT hot water) and add the sugar and yeast. Keep it closed for about 10 minutes in a warm place. the mixture will froth up which indicates that the yeast is active. Take a large bowl. Add the flours and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the yeast mixture and mix well to make a smooth dough. If needed, add a little water. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and knead the dough well for about 10- 12 minutes. Place the dough in a oiled pan, cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Dust the kitchen top with flour and roll out the dough into a large rectangle of half an inch thickness. Spread 2 tbsp olive oil on the surface, sprinkle the chilli flakes and grated cheese evenly over the entire surface. Lightly roll the roller so that the flakes and cheese are embedded in the dough. Roll the dough into a log shape. With a sharp knife, cut the log into one inch thick rounds and place on a greased baking tray with space in between. Let the rolls rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. The volume will double. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for about 30 minutes.

Vegetable Bun

Ingredients:

For the Bread:
Plain Flour-250 gms
Oil- 4 tbps
Salt-1 tsp
Sugar_ 3 tsp
Active Dry yeast- 1 tsp
Water- 1/2 cup
Milk-1/2 cup
water to knead

For the stuffing:
3 potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1 onion- finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
4-5 finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method (Bread dough):

Warm 1/2 cup water and milk together and add the sugar and yeast. Take care not to overheat; or the yeast will not be active. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. When yeast is fully dissolved and frothy, it is ready to use.

Mix salt and flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and a tbsp of oil. Add the yeast mixture and knead into a soft dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes till it is smooth and not sticky. Grease a large bowl and place the dough, cover and let it rest in a warm place (not over stove or oven) for 1 1/2 hours. Add 1 tbsp oil, and punch the dough for 3-4 minutes. Now the dough is ready for shaping and stuffing.

Method (Stuffing):

Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic, chillies, onion and saute till onion turns pink and soft. Add potatoes, lemon juice, salt and coriander, Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes. Cool well before stuffing.

Proceed further:

Take a golf ball sized dough and pat thickly. Place a tablespoon of stuffing in centre. Pull up sides and carefully enclose stuffing. Shape into a round and slightly flattened bun. Grease your palms if necessary to shape. Place on a baking sheet leaving enough space for rising. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for 15 minutes or till golden. Brush with milk a minute or two before taking out of the oven. Cool on racks and serve warm with butter/ marmalade.

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:

Paneer slices- 250 gms
Hung Curd- 1/2 cup
(Tie curd in a thin muslin cloth and let it remain for 2 hours. All the whey will drip and you will get thick creamy curd.)
Ginger- 1″ (grated)
Garlic- 4-5 pods (crushed)
Butter- 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Tandoori Masala- 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp (crushed)
Carrot, Tomato, Capsicum, Onion juliennes(thin long strips)- 1 tbsp each
Coriander leaves- 1/2 tbsp(finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Method:

Slice paneer into 1.5″ square slabs. Mix red chilli powder, salt, sugar, cumin, tandoori masala, half the ginger -garlic and chopped coriander in curd well. Dip the paneer slices well in this mixture and let marinae for 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator till required.

Just before serving, heat a non-stick pan, heat 1 tsp butter, add the julienned vegetables, chaat masala and salt to taste. Remove and keep aside. Add the remaining butter and place the paneer slices to sizzle till light brown. Flip and repeat for the other side. Serve the tikkas hot with the sauteed vegetables on the side and tomato sauce if preferred.

Veg Katti Roll

No. of servings: 6 rolls

Ingredients (for filling):
Carrot – 1
Green Capsicum (or coloured) – 1/2 large size or 1 medium size
Onion – 1 large
Paneer – 100 g
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 1-2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

Method:
1) Cut onion, carrot and capsicum into thin long strips.
2) Take oil in a pan and add jeera. Add onions once the jeera starts to crackl.
3) Sauté the onions till the colour becomes transparent. Add carrot and continue to sauté till it becomes soft. Add capsicum and sauté the same.
4) Crumble the paneer to pieces and add this to the sautéed vegetables. Add salt, and the spice powders.Add coriander leaves and mix well. Now the filling is ready.
5) Make regular chapathis. Once they are taken from the tawa, add the filling inside the chapathis and roll them.

This roll tastes best with coriander or mint chutney.

Yellow Dal – Gujarati Style

Ingredients:

For Dal:

Toor dal- 60 ml
Deskinned peanuts- 2 tbsp
Boiled, chopped potato- 2 medium
Grated Ginger- 2 tsp
Green chillies-3 or 4
Jaggery- 1 tbsp
Kokum or Tamarind- 2 tsp
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp chopped
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Ghee- 1 tbsp
Tomato- 1 medium, chopped
Mustard- 1 tsp
Jeera- 1 tsp
Methi seeds- 1/2 tsp
Red chillies (byadagi)- 3
Curry leaves- 4 or 5
Cloves- 3 or 4
Cinnamon- 1 stick
Bay leaf- 2
Dried methi or Kasoori methi- 2 tsp
Turmeric- 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder- ! !/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves (for garnish)

Method:

Cook in pressure cooker, the soaked dal, kokum or tamarind, potato and deskinned peanuts. Take the cooked dal in a pan, add water, ginger, green chillies, peanuts, peeled and chopped potatoes, kokum(tamarind), jaggery, salt and coriander leaves. Simmer covered until dal begins to thicken. In another pan, heat the ghee and add the bay leaves, red chillies, jeera, mustard, methi, cloves, cinnamon, dried methi and curry leaves. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute till tomatoes cook. Add to the dal and cook for a few minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Mayonnaise & Mustard Sandwich

Here is a quick recipe for a sandwich.
Ingredients:
White/brown bread
Tomato –slices
Cucumber –slices
Green/coloured capsicum – cut into strips
Black olives (optional)
Eggless Mayonnaise
Mustard paste
Cheese slices cut into thin strips

Method:
1) Toast the bread to make it nice and crisp.
2) Apply mayonnaise on one slice of the toasted bread. Arrange the tomato and cucumber slices, along with the olives.
3) Apply mustard paste on the other slice of the toasted bread. Put the cheese and capsicum strips on top of it. Close the sandwich, and enjoy it!

This sandwich can also be made using Pav bread for a change.
Method:
1)      Toast the pav bread with some butter on your regular toaster (or tava).
2)      Apply mayonnaise, mustard and arrange the vegetables (tomato, cucumber, capsicum) as per your taste.
3)      Serve it as an open sandwich. This will surely be an interesting snack for children.