Whole wheat -Herb Bread

"Herbs"....sounds quaint especially if you pronounce it with the "h" silent ...the french way...sounds sexy ...the [pronunciation of the word..almost...but do they taste so...so...quaint?no ...anything that's good for you and good to your taste buds is super sexy....

This bread is not quaint...its better!

So we make the bread again...and again...but the flavours must be different after all the dal has to have a new tadka every time...

I altered the flour....and hoped the gluten would do its bit...what you need to remember is that just because the bread is made from whole wheat flour or atta can only be tall and handsome....never tall ,dark and handsome...like that you buy from a commercial bakery....

So don't worry if it is only a few shades darker than a regular white bread ..you know what you put into it... so here goes

for the 

Whole wheat -Herb  Bread

you need

2 cups whole wheat flour...regular atta
1 1/2 cups plain flour or maida
1 1/2 tsp  plus a pinch of dried yeast
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt plus extra to sprinkle
200 mils milk
1+1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
Assorted herbs...throw in whatever you have...I used a fist full each of chopped coriander,mint, and a tsp of dried dill weed
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp red chili flakes...for the oomph factor..lest you forget

now first attack the yeast.The extra pinch is for the atta...it needs a little kick it is denser than plain flour.

In a glass add the yeast ,water and 1 tsp sugar and set aside for 5 minutes

In a bowl place the flours (leave out 1/2 cup plain flour -helps in kneading the dough) add the salt and the sugar.

Prepare the herbs

Add the herbs and half the melted butter to the flour and pour in the now frothy yeast

Knead with the milk...ensuring it is warm to the touch to get a  sticky dough.

Now sprinkle the remaining flour and knead it to a soft dough.

Cover and leave an hour to double.Winters ...you need a warmer place and a little more time and may be 2 pinches of the yeast!But summer...all the bacteria and water vapour take care of this for you.

Punch,punch ,punch and knead the dough a bit again.Oil a loaf tin.and shape the now flat dough into a roll and put into the tin.

Brush the top with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the salt.If you want to.......it just adds to the taste.Cover with AL foil and leave at least an hour.Pre heat oven to 210C and when hot pop the tin in..35-45 minutes depending on voltage ,flour quality ,yeast etc.

Knock on the back of the tin for the hollow sound.

You need not wait...dump the bread out as soon as you bring it out of the oven....don't start slicing just yet...too many crumbs.

Pretty huh??
Now cut out a thick slice and make that Egg in a Broat...
http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2011/08/egg-in-boat.html
The commercial bread could'nt hold the egg or compliment its sublime taste!

Butter ...as much or as little..in this home baked slice of goodness....
Try it...home made is always better...


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Faux Shepherds Pie

What do you do when your family refuses to eat dinner??
What do you do when they want something Hat ke???
What do you do when all you have that even remotely tastes non vegetarian is eggs??
What do you do when you have only some potatoes to bank upon???

Pray on bended knees that you have a carton of Soya Granules...and prepare to fool all you love..

All deceptions are not bad...only when they taste bad do you know you have failed(In deceiving all you love...)

Most of the time you will get by for that day...with a promise to make it with the real thing ,not the ersatz mutton mince the next time...

So make the Faux Shepherds Pie and try your luck....

and remember to stuff your freezer with all things non vegetarian in future.For all you vegetarians....life could not be easier.

This is the result of the above questions...

Pretty and pretty wholesome...

for the 

Faux Shepherds Pie 

you need

100 gms Soya Granules

4 medium potatoes boiled (about 500 gms)

1 large onion finely chopped

5-6 cloves of garlic chopped

2 green chillies slit

3 large tomatoes -pureed(1 tetra pack tomato puree)

1 tbsp Olive oil(or any vegetable oil)

50 mils milk or cream

50 gms butter(the more you put in .....)

Salt ,Red chili flakes,Celery powder ,pepper to taste 

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Start by soaking the Soya Granules in warm water for about 15 minutes and then squeeze out all the water you can. 

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions the garlic and the green chillies.

Add a tsp of salt ,red chili flakes and the celery powder...use fresh celery by all means.

Saute till the onions are pinkish and add the squeezed Soya Granules and saute till they take some colour and loose their raw taste.

Now add the tomatoes and fry ,fry ,fry on a gentle flame  till all the tomato is incorporated and cooked,checking the seasoning and adjusting all along.More Chili for us..of course!

Once it is done place it in a baking dish.We ate a little before we plated it...so the pie was almost "scanty".

Now the potatoes.

Start by  mashing them well....if they are warm you can add the butter here

If you are brave enough ,use cream else use milk and place this on the fire...we like our mashed potatoes creamy ....

The exercise does burn a few calories.....Add in the pepper

The nutmeg and the salt to taste...

Once done...they taste  yummier and yummier....so the danger is having a little less to put over the faux mince...so keep kids away...

So we assemble the pie..

The faux mince at the bottom and the creamy potatoes on top...you can swirl,pipe or make awesome designs....but ensure you have loads of time before dinner.So in a hurry we only fork out a design.Preheat your oven to 180C and pop in the pie for 30 Min's...if you have a combination oven....Grill+Micro at 70% power for 12-15 minutes.

And enjoy.
Next time we use mince.
Not that this was any less but the real thing is the real thing.

Try this out and tell me what you think.

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Chai Latte...

Chai Chai ...
Quintessentially Indian...
Quintessentially comforting...
From me ...a (forced) non tea drinker...
Before I (unwillingly) converted to Green tea...I was a serious,I mean serious tea drinker....
My friend Jaya Tripathi and partner in crime Poonam Bedi will vouch for that!
Many a thermos of tea were consumed by us before half the work day was past....then the work would be fuelled only by the thought of the big steaming Mug(I don't want to call it "mugga"....it does not remind one of the "cuppa"...but of something really unpleasant!)of tea waiting at home with lunch.
But no I'm not heading back that alley way...though the tea gardens will thank me for the boost to their economies.....
Today...I tried something different.

Chai Latte..
The expression may look feigned...but you can not see the Hindi text book that he was studying from!Check the foam and the froth and the sprinkling of fennel seed powder---looks straight out of Barista!
Excuse the lack of accents on the letters -I am not that "font" savvy yet!
Well...I actually had a version of this Chai Latte at a Delhi hotel coffee shop...not naming any names...I don't want people banging on my doors...it did taste different .....they have big machines...we here use our ingenuity!
I ,needless to say ...made it more palatable(less loaded with cream and full fat milk) and lower in calories...Calories being the buzz word!
For the  


Chai Latte...
you need


2 cups skimmed milk
1/2 cup water
3-4 tsp  tea leaves...I mixed red label,green label and yellow label
4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp each cinnamon powder,fennel seed powder,dried ginger powder
2 each cardamom,cloves
6-7 peppercorns
Actually..use as much or as less of the spices that you want...you are the one who has to drink it!


So without much further ado...


here are the sweet spices..

Start by pounding the whole spices..

Put the milk,water ,sugar, tea leaves and all spices except the ginger powder into a sauce pan and let it boil away till you get the colour and flavour in your pan...keep tasting as you go on.If you do add the ginger to the milk more often than not it will split!

Now strain it out into a clean pan.

Turn on the gas to simmer and whip out your hand blender...add the ginger powder and whip away....

No,you cannot use egg beater blenders...too much air,too less froth and the latte cools super fast on you...
Now take out a pretty cup....

You can sprinkle it with fennel seed powder or cinnamon or even top it with whipped cream...the world is your oyster baby...

I like mine in Jiya' s mug..the one from her baby shower.

We are looking at a Eureka Moment here!Sadly it didn't translate to Hindi..

And mine...That was easy...

We made only two cups..to honour the rain....If it rains in your city as much as it does here in Ranchi...what are you waiting for???
Make this Chai Latte....
I wont come banging on your doors for royalty ....
and have some cake or cookies with it...


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Garlic Bread...with herbs!

Herbaceous!
So much green!
So flavourful!
So good for your health!
So great on your taste buds!
Garlic bread ...with herbs!

All made at home....bread is extremely comforting....even more than sugar laden cakes and cookies.
And if it is warm and full of the amazing flavours of fresh herbs and garlic....Awesome
This is the basic white bread -with a difference.
I really want to use an amazing adjective praising bread...heard It long time ago on a Brit stand up comedy show...the word stuck ! and here it fits....


Fandabidozi !


pronounced "fan""dabi""dozi"!


So well after reading about the kind of stuff that is put into commercially prepared bread...I feel its better to bake two loaves a week than to buy them from the store...that brings to mind the "GIGO" bit we all teach our kids.....better to put good stuff in ...whatever comes out...who cares..

you  can use it for toast,dunk it in your soup,as a homemade sub,as the pseudo french bread for your bruschetta...the sky is the limit!



So to make this freaking good bread....

for this 

Garlic Bread...with herbs! 

you need 

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp dried yeast

250 mils warm milk

1 +1 Tsp melted butter 

1+1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt + extra for sprinkling

1 heaped tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp each chopped fresh coriander and basil

1 tsp dried dill(if you have fresh...use as much as you want)
 1/2 cup warm water


In the warm water add 1 tsp of the sugar and all the yeast.

Set aside after lightly mixing.The two ingredients blend together to produce....GAS! carbon dioxide.....that's what works on your bread.after  5 minutes the mix should look like this!

Get the herbs and  the garlic  ready---not by dressing them up for the slaughter ,but by chopping them finely!

In a big bowl place 3 cups of the flour,add the salt and the sugar.Make a well in the mixed flour...

Pour in the yeast and the melted butter , the garlic and the chopped herbs,

I used my kneading blades here...total waste of time.But clean hands give clean pictures...so bear with me.Knead the dough with the warm milk.The dough is sticky ,now add in whatever amount of the flour needed to  make a dough.You will need to Knead for at least 5 minutes.

Cover and leave to prove for at least an hour.When it has doubled,bring it out and vent all your anger on the dough.Provided you are the "angry young man" types!Therapeutic ,bread making is...and also never complains.....even to your mum!

The worktop is floured ...we don't want to leave too many tell tale signs.....once beaten into submission...the dough must be cut into three equal sizes....You can leave it as one simple baguette....but plaiting always brings back memories...of my mum forcing my sisters hair into one plait...and all the cussing that went with it every morning!Baking is all about reliving the memories...no Jiya???

Shape the tree balls into  three sausage like things...

Devils Pitchfork or Poseidon's Trident???
Pinch them together on one side and plait the logs"?" of dough...into...

Placed on a greased piece of Al foil...saves up the cleaning later and slathered with the remaining one tsp butter.You can sprinkle some salt on the bread at this stage...gives an absolutely yummy salty ,buttery crust.
Cover and leave for a hour.Set your oven at 200C after an hour and pop in the risen plaited bread.

This bread takes between 30-40 minutes.Always economical and labour saving to bake two loaves together....Not that I do that...you can!
After it came out...

and the loaf sliced...

The basil gave a nice aroma in which the dhania coriander to most, got lost....for Indians..dhania is more out of habit.....Could have been omitted here.....and the dill...that almost acted as Faux Butter...gave the impression of there being more butter than there was.
Toasted,with soup...made a wholesome dinner.


This was for you Poonam Bedi...get inspired from your best friend...start eating! 
Bake it for Shine!Tell me how he liked it.


Did he say Fandabidozi by any chance?? 



I really miss you guys...Lets get together soon!


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