We Knead to Bake - 6 Baked yeasted Doughnuts

This may be a bit confusing that I posted a bread few days ago and numbered it ‘We knead to Bake 7’ while this has been numbered 6. I had missed a few breads that the members of the group had done. Now I am trying to bake those and post them too.
The first Friday of June has been marked in the US of A as National doughnut Day. The first National doughnut Day dates back to 1938, to raise funds for the Salvation Army. It was that during 1917, the First World War, the Salvation Army volunteers made them for the homesick American soldiers who were then serving in France. They were so popular that later a day had been marked to celebrate them.

 

Aparna had suggested we bake doughnuts in June. I was able to bake them much later and post them only now.

There was a time that to me bread meant only the regular sandwich ones or buns. Even if I were to spot anything other than those, I may not have tried them. Only when we moved to Malaysia and during the initial days of hotel accommodation, I ventured to try the varieties that came in our breakfast bread basket. I was particularly fond of the sugar dusted doughnuts. Later, my friend warned me that they were fried stuff which led me to approach them with caution. 

I have, in my books, a recipe for the fried doughnuts. This month's is not; I cannot claim that these are healthier and such. But they were sure better tasting and stayed soft for a day longer. I set aside a Saturday and my husband and daughter were around to do a few errands. So we baked a few, glazed, jam filled and pops. This is a recipe that I might use often for we liked them much.

Recipe adapted from Lara Ferroni's Doughnuts.

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 cup warm milk (45C/115F)

3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour) divided, plus more for kneading

100gm butter, cut into 1 inch cubes 

For the topping:

75 to 100 grams butter, melted

1 cup superfine sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon (more or less, depending on your taste), mixed together

And

Glaze of choice - Maple syrup and heavy cream

And 

Jam to be piped in

Method:

I used the processor to knead but you can do this by hand also.

Place sugar, milk, yeast, salt and vanilla in the processor bowl and pulse to mix well. 

Add the cake flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Process this adding a little more of the flour as necessary till the dough is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Add the butter pieces one at a time and process till there no large chunks of butter are left in the bottom of the bowl. 

Now add a little more flour until your have a soft, pliable and elastic dough that is most but not overly sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large mixing bowl. Turn the dough around to coat well with the oil. 

Cover with a damp cloth and leave it rise till double in volume, say for about an hour.

Punch the dough down, roll out to a 1/2" thick somewhat circular disc. 

Cut out doughnuts using a doughnut cutter of 3” diameter and 1” diameter holes.

If you’re making doughnuts to fill with jam, do not cut out the holes.

Place the doughnuts and the holes on parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheets, leaving at least 1” space between them.

Re-roll the scraps and cut out more doughnuts. 

I used the last scraps of dough by pinching off bits, rolling them into balls and baking them as pops.

Let them rise for about 20 minutes or till almost double in size.

Pre heat the oven to 200 Degrees Centigrade.

Bake the doughnuts at 200 C  for about 5 to 10 minutes till they are done and golden brown. Do not over bake them.

Take them out of the oven and immediately brush them with the melted butter and then dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

For  jam filled the doughnuts, allow them  to cool. 

Place the jam into a piping bag with a writing nozzle/ tip and press into the doughnut from the side and gently press out the jam into the doughnut till it starts oozing out. Jam doughnuts do not need too much jam to fill them.

For glazed doughnuts, let them cool completely.

Prepare the glaze of choice and then dip one side of the doughnut in the glaze and  set.

To make the Maple syrup glaze, I mixed 1 cup of icing sugar with 1/3 cup heavy cream and mixing in enough Maple syrup to achieve a slightly thick mixture that set quickly in a thick glaze.

For some interesting facts about doughnuts check out this post and there you may also find links to other members' posts. 

Green gram and oats dosa

Sometimes planning for breakfast on lazy weekends when I have no clue where to start with makes it a task I can do without. I ask my husband if he had something specific in mind and then I can go about it. But the usual reply will be "whatever you think is good enough".  That is some help I was hoping for. I also want to get away from the regular on the menu dishes only when I have time on hand. There is not much I do when it is just the two of us. Now that my daughter is here, she comes up with her wishlist and my husband has no option but to go with it. Thus, when she asked me why I had not posted this dosai with whole green gram on the blog so far, I had the Saturday's breakfast set.

I usually adapt the recipe from Ms. Mallika Badrinath given in the book 100 Tiffin Varieties. This time I put my own proportions and varied the ingredients. I had some white oats on hand that needed to be used up quickly. So, I soaked the green gram overnight, the oats was given a thorough wash and left to keep the moisture for a few minutes before grinding. Since this is one dosai that does not require fermentation, I put the ingredients to grind in the morning and let the batter sit until only I made the side dish. the green chillis and the whole gram gave the dosai a nice green colour. The oats gave it some softness and it was perfect for us.

Susan's My Legume Love Affair is now an event taken up by Lisa's Kitchen. This month's Edition 61 is being hosted by Aparna. I would love this recipe to be featured there.

Ingredients:
Makes 10 slightly thick Dosais
1 & 1/2 cups whole green gram/ mung beans
1/2 cup white or quick cooking oats
5 green chillis (adjust according to heat and required spice level)
2 tablespoons horse gram (optional)
Salt to taste
Few teaspoons cooking oil

Method:
Wash the green gram and the horse gram giving a few rinses. Drain and soak them together in sufficient water for a few hours. I soak them overnight.
About half an hour prior to grinding, wash the oats clean and drain allowing it to retain some moisture.
Run the soaked legumes along with the green chillis. Once they have been ground coarsely, add the oats and run the machine for a few minutes more to achieve a batter that is not very fine.
Remove the batter from the jar of the machine and add the salt. Give a few brisk stirs to mix the salt.
Heat the gridle/ non stick pan. Drop a ladle full of the batter and spread in circular dosai.
Drizzle some oil over the batter.
Flip it over and when both sides are done remove from the pan.
Serve hot with chutney of choice.

You may adjust the texture of the batter according to the thickness you desire for the dosai. I usually have it thick and like to pat it around the pan with my palm. It is also easy to spread like regular rice and dhal ground dosais.
You may chop onions and add to the batter or spread them over while cooking the dosai.
Though fermentation is not required, there is no harm making the batter ahead for later use.
I have served them here with tomato-onion gojju and milagai podi.
Enjoy them with your choice of side dishes.

We Knead to Bake - Savoury Kugekhopf

It has been very quiet here for the past few months. We had relocated to a new country and thus the lull. It seems to me that this once it has taken longer than usual to be fully settled and be back in routine.
I have had to miss baking along with the group, guided by Aparna for the last three breads. Those, I am soon baking and will also share the recipes. This month's chosen bread was a savoury Kugelhopf. Kugelhopf is a sweet cake baked with yeast. Regarding the origin and related history of this cake please read them in Aparna's  post. Also that it is baked in a specific pan thus giving it a rounded and risen shape. It is baked in many regions not just as an everyday dish, but also to mark special occasions.

We trod away from the traditional sweet version and tried the lesser known spiced savoury bread for this month. However, I did not have the right type of pan and had to bake it in the normal loaf tin. We liked the spices and the texture of this slightly heavy bread. It pairs well as a side for soup or even with tea. It also makes for a good breakfast, which we enjoyed.

This bread had eggs in the list of ingredients which I have substituted with flax seed powder. The given quantity of ingredients were sufficient to bake one big loaf in the regular size pan. If you are using a bundt pan or the kugelhopf pan it will require an 8" diameter pan.

Ingredients:
3 to 3&1/2cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt ( or more as per individual's taste)
75 grams butter at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons flax seed powder mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water ( this is substitute for 2 eggs lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon oil
1/3 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/3 cup firm tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed and chopped fine
1 cup onions finely chopped
1/2 cup any sharp cheese diced
1/3 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method:
Put 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of the processor. 
Pulse a couple of times to mix. Then add the butter in small parts, and process till well incorporated. 
Warm the milk slightly. Add this to the above and process till mixed. 
Add the flax seed water mixture to this and process till mixed. The resultant will be a soft and sticky dough. Knead some more, adding more flour, a little at a time and just enough till the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Do not add more flour than absolutely necessary. 
This dough will be very soft, elastic and just short of sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and keep aside to rise until double in volume. This can take from 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 a teaspoon oil in a pan. Add the chopped green bell pepper, the tomato and a pinch of salt and stir-fry till the raw smell disappears but the vegetables are still crisp and crunchy. Remove and keep aside. 

In the same pan, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt till they turn golden brown. Remove and mix them with the tomatoes and bell peppers and keep aside.
Oil the walls and floor of the pan. Place some of the chopped walnuts in the bottom of the mould. If  using a loaf tin, keep aside some walnuts to press on top of the dough after the second rise, just before baking. 
Once the dough has risen, deflate it. Then work the cheese, stir-fried onions, bell pepper and tomato, the remaining walnuts, black pepper and thyme into the dough.Roll the dough out and spread the above mixture over the surface, fold the dough over and then knead it. This will ensure uniform incorporation of the “filling”. The dough will be a bit sticky, so it is recommended to use a scraper to help with the kneading. do not add more flour.

If using a kugelhopf mould or a circular bundt pan, roll the dough into a long log enough to fit into the mould comfortably. Lift the “log” of dough and place it in the mould in a circular fashion and pinch the two ends together to close the “circle” of dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour or so, until it reaches the edge/ rim of the mould.
I had to just roll it well in a cylinder and fit into my loaf tin. I pressed the walnuts kept aside earlier on the top of this before the second rise.
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Bake the kugelhopf at 200 degrees C for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when it is tapped. 

When done, allow to cool slightly and remove from the pan/ mould. Let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve. 
This Kugelhopf should serve about 10 people and is also good for breakfast, as a snack or served with a simple soup.

 

What I am leaving behind - Black and White Wednesdays

This is the last week for us in Lagos. Just saw the last of my packages loaded on to the movers' truck for stuffing and shipping last weekend. It is a back breaking task I do once every few years, that now my friends think I am a pro at it.
The home that was, is back to a shell of a house, but my small pots are blooming with their plants. Some sprouts are also showing promises of lush, only I will leave them with hopes of someone would care.
There will be a new home to set up and newer plants will bloom in the garden, yet it is not easy letting go and allow them to die.

 

Aparna is hosting this 78th week's Black and White Wednesdays, a culinary and food related photo event.
The event is the brainchild of Susan of The Well seasoned Cook and is currently being put together by Cinzia of Cindystar
My entry to the week is titled "The street vendor". There is this man who brings on his push cart his wares ranging from plastic trash bins to aluminium cooking utensils and some small stainless steel stuff in my home town.

 

We Knead to Bake - March Hokkaido Milk Bread with Tangzhong

Last month's classic croissants were a hit among the bakers in this group. All of whom who tried the given recipe seemed very happy with the outcome. As for me, having baked them twice, I am more confident to handle a rather complicated recipe now. This month's bread is not any less in creativity and taste while the recipe is not difficult to make. We have tried the Hokkaido milk bread using tangzhong.
I am reproducing here the interesting facts about this bread and the secret ingredient that gives it the rise and texture as given by Aparna.

Hokkaido Milk Bread is known for its soft cottony/ pillow like texture. Apparently it’s very popular bread in South Asian bakeries across the world. It is also known as Asian Sweet Bread and Hong Kong Pai Bo. 

Some people say this is a Japanese bread while others say it’s because the milk used in this bread is from Japan while some others have suggested its pure white colour and the texture resemble the pristineness of Hokkaido!

The Hokkaido Mild Bread owes its texture and height to the use of an interesting ingredient called Tangzhong. Basically, the Tangzhong method involves cooking 1 part of bread flour with 5 parts of water (by weight) at 65°C (149 °F) to form a roux. 

At 65°C, the gluten in the bread flour and water mixture would absorb the moisture and create a “leavening” action.  When the Tangzhong is added into other ingredients of a bread dough, it produces light, tender and fluffier bread.

This method of using Tangzhong is often seen in South Asian breads and was created by a Chinese woman, Yvonne Chen, who describes this method in her book which translates to “65 degrees Bread Doctor".

Thus, we were baking this very versatile bread with the basic recipe shared by Aparna. She had tried the recipe a few times and added a picture collage of the process to help us.

I made them twice, the first time following the recipe to the letter and the next time, altering to make it savoury filled dinner rolls. With half of those saved for another night's pav bhaji, we enjoyed the rest with soup. Also I substituted the milk with soya milk that a friend next door made and shared. Though I did not make it fully vegan, the butter was replaced with oil too. I still used the milk powder and the cream though.

As the month progresses, we get to see the pictures other members put up having tried the recipe. With each of those, one would only be motivated to bake again, along with them.

Now to the recipe,

adapted from http;//kirbiecravings.com/2011/05/hokkaido-milk-toast.html 

Ingredients:

For the Tangzhong (Flour - Water Roux)

1/3 cup of  all purpose flour (it weighed 40 grams when checked)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

For the dough:

2 and 1/2 cups (310 grams) all purpose flour

3 table spoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons powdered milk

2 teaspoons instant dried yeast

1/2 cup milk (and a little more only if absolutely required)

1/8 cup of cream (I have used low fat content cream)

1/3 cup of tangzhong ( that would be half the quantity of the yield that you got from the above listed ingredients)

25 grams unsalted butter

For the chocolate rolls: 1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips

For the gem tree: Candied cherries of different colours

For the savoury filling: Pestos or chutneys of choice.

 

Method:

Preparing the Tangzhong:

Whisk lightly the flour, milk and water to a smooth and free of lumps batter in a heavy bottomed pan.

Place the pan on the stove and on a low heat stirring the mix allow it to thicken. The roux is supposed to be done until it reaches the optimum temperature of 65 Degrees C/149 Degrees F. But I do not have a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature. I opted to do what Aparna had suggested. The roux id done when it has thickened enough and lines form in the tangzhong as you stir. This would have thickened sufficiently, but still have a kind of jiggling consistency. 
Take the pan off the heat and allow the tangzhong to cool for two to three hours. By now the consistency would be like that of a soft and creamy patisserie.
This can be made ahead and refrigerated covered well for just about a day, not longer.

Making the bread dough:
The kneading is a bit long drawn if you choose to do with your hands. The dough should be kneaded well and long enough to form a perfectly circular tear if stretched beyond its elasticity.
You may use the food processor or a hand mixer fitted with dough hooks. Whichever process you choose, the dough has to kneaded well.
First whisk the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and the milk powder together.
In a separate bowl, add the cream and milk to the measured quantity (half of the resultant quantity that you made with 1/3 cups of flour and other ingredients) of tangzhong. Whisk them well to blend in a batter like consistency. Ensure to make it smooth without lumps.
Add this to the whisked flour mix. Knead/ run your mixer at a slow speed until the dough comes together. Then add the butter and knead.
The dough will start out quite sticky and as you continue, the stickiness will give way to softness and elasticity. This takes a while, but the exercise is necessary.
Once the dough has been achieved, roll it in a ball and place it in a well oiled bowl. Roll the dough around to coat it with the oil. Cover and place it in a warm place to allow it to almost double in its initial volume. This may take from 45 minutes to an hour.
Place the dough on your working surface, deflate slightly and then shape.
You will not need flour to work this dough. Just about a little might be required.
Divide the dough into three if you are baking one 9"X5" loaf. Or six equal portions if you choose to bake them in 2 tins of 6"X4" .
I used my mini loaf pan that gives 4 mini loaves and the rest of the dough was shaped in smaller rolls to fit a muffin tray. I had desired to shape one portion of the dough and reserved it to shape a small tortoise.
Whichever size you want to bake, follow the steps with the dough.
Roll out one portion in an oval shape. Bring the top side of the shaped dough away from you to the centre. Overlap this at the centre with the lower portion of the oval.
Rotate the somewhat rectangular shape and roll it along the length a bit.
starting from the end towards you, roll the rectangle like a mat, pinching the edges together to seal well.
Repeat the process and place all of the rolled dough in the respective pans.
If using the loaf tins, place the rolls next to each other. Place one roll in each of the muffin holders.
To shape the tortoise, I removed small portions for the four legs and the head. I reserved another slightly larger portion for the shell/carapace.
Roll the body in an elongated circle with the hind slightly pointed. Flatten the dough for the head piece and attach. Likewise do the limbs. Roll the reserved dough for the shell in a circular disc and make deep cuts with a knife to bring out the shape.
For the eyes and the mouth, I placed one pepper corn  for each.
Cover the finished rolls and allow a second rise for another 45 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade.
Carefully brush the tops of the rolls with milk and cream mix. bake them for 20 to 30 minutes until the tops of the rolls are browned beautifully.
The bread will rise vertically while baking and will have a very soft texture.
If you tap the tops they will sound hollow.
Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and remove.
Cool them completely and store them in your bread bin.
To make a savoury bread or a bland tasting dinner roll, cut down the sugar.
Layer the savoury filling before rolling the rectangular dough in rolls and placing in the loaf tins.
This bread stays fresh even on the next day and maintains the texture.
It is ideal for having with soup or  as pav with a bhaji to go with it.

Do check this link in My Diverse Kitchen where all of us have shared our breads.

Sprouts and mixed vegetables salad

In general, I do not recall that they made salad regularly at home. One occasional kosumalli with grated carrots, cucumbers or just soaked, drained and garnished moong dhal were made on festival days. Apart from that we always had cooked vegetables in curries, stir- fries and kootus. Even in my hostel during college and working years it was not on a regular menu. Only when ladies at work used to bring and share home cooked food that we had salads often and with variety.
My husband is not very fond of raw vegetables, while I am very used to eating a cucumber raw and whole. My daughter is somewhere in between on the scale. She would choose to have a salad with select vegetables, and not very often. I have to find days to make a salad because, with just the two of us, I find it difficult to limit portions. If that is the case, how do i ever make such small portions only for myself? However, I try to indulge and make my salads on days that my husband decides to pack extra portions of his breakfast for lunch. I do not cook a meal for myself and make do with a bowl of  anything I fancy.

Likewise, salad dressing was quite new to me for we have always had them with one squeeze of lime juice and salt. Tempering will have mustard seeds and slit green chillis. I was introduced to dressings only from restaurants. In Bahrain, there was a small exclusive to salads and juices outlet in a mall. The assistant there soon got to know that I refuse mayonnaise and would give me other dressing options like cider vinegar or infused olive oil. On one such day I spotted that he had labaneh and asked if he could use it for me. He obliged and I found that creamy texture interesting. Now I play around with the flavours and make curd cheese by hanging the home set curd.
The other day, I found that my vegetable shop had stocked small size raw papayas and bought one to make kootu. But when I cut it, they tasted semi sweet and so I had to give the idea of kootu for another time. I used them in my salad and thus this post.
It also happens that Lisa's  popular No Croutons Required event is being hosted at Lisa's Kicthen and she is asking us to bring raw salads and soups. So this will be my share to go there.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup green gram sprouts
1 small raw papaya peeled and julienned
1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
1 chinese cucumber peeled and julienned
1 large tomato sliced
A fistful of fresh herbs (I have used basil and mint leaves)
Salt to taste
Powdered black pepper corns to taste

For the dressing:
1 cup home set yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mixed dry herbs crushed
1/2 teaspoon powdered black pepper corns

Method:
Make the hung curd or curd cheese by bundling the yogurt in a cheese cloth and hanging it to drain the whey.
Once the curd has been removed of the liquid, transfer it to a dish and add the rest of the ingredients listed for the dressing and cream together with a spatula.
To make the green gram sprouts, wash and soak the gram for about eight hours. Drain and transfer them to a casserole. Cover the lid and leave it to sprout overnight.

In a larger bowl, first take a portion of the curd cheese and top it with the vegetables. Toss them to be coated with the cheese. Add the salt and pepper as required.
Keep alternating with curd cheese and vegetables. Finally add the sprouts and gently mix them in.
Top with fresh herbs.

Serve with portions of lime and the curd cheese.
Consume fairly quickly or refrigerate soon after making the salad until required.
This makes a meal for me by itself, but if you are not inspired eating raw vegetables, have this as starter and have a main course with these Quinoa peppers and some Hariyali paneer tikkas.
I would be glad to add this to Priya's event Healthy Me and Heathy Us.