Hemp and Honey bread has a beautiful nutty taste and sweetness of honey. Slices are soft and delicate. Slather the slices with butter or cheese spread and you’ll love the amalgamation of sweet, nutty, and salty tastes.



 Rains in the hills are charming. The sky becomes a canvas for the clouds to play with colours. It is about dripping leaves, the smell of the Earth, muddy puddles, earthworms, mist rolling down the hills, croaking of the frogs, screeching of the cicadas, soggy biscuits, warm quilts, and endless cups of steaming ginger tea.




In the middle of all the drama, when the Sun manages to sneak out of the clouds, we run and place our dough on the rock slab to make it rise. The dough is heavy with hemp seeds but nevertheless, it does rise. Heavenly aroma suffuses the air as the loaf rises and turns golden. We thank the skies while slicing the bread.

 


A baker must experiment. Experiments give birth to new recipes. Baking is such an engaging activity. It knocks the creative faculty of the mind, making one think out of the box,  bringing together all the ingredients to create new edible goodness.

A packet of hemp seeds at home spurred me on to try using them in our bread. Hemp grows in the hills and hemp seeds are the seeds of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Hemp seeds are small brown seeds rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fatty acids including omega-3s. Hemp seeds are rich in an array of vitamins and minerals.




Roast the hemp seeds until they splutter and crackle and a lovely aroma emanate. Let them cool. Grind to a fine powder. Sift to remove the hard shells. Remember, we are adding these to our whole wheat bread. Hard shells will cut the gluten network and not let the loaf rise high. Add to the dry flour.

Hemp and Honey bread has a beautiful nutty taste and sweetness of honey. Slices are soft and delicate. Slather the slices with butter or cheese spread and you’ll love the amalgamation of sweet, nutty, and salty tastes.

 


 

Hemp and Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon hemp seeds / ¼ cup hemp flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 ½- ¼ cup warm water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • ¼ cup oil

Instructions

  1. Roast hemp seeds on low flame until they crackle and splutter. Keep the roasted seeds on a plate to cool. Grind into a fine powder. Sift the powder. Throw the hard shell. Measure ¼ cup.
  2. If using store-bought hemp flour, there is no need to sift as it is a fine flour.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, hemp flour, and salt.
  4. Add honey to 1 cup warm water. Stir. Add to flour mixture. Mix with hands to get a slightly wet dough. Add additional ¼ - ½ cup water if the dough is dry. By the end of mixing, there should be no dry pockets.
  5. Cover and keep for 1-3 hours.  The dough will become smooth and soft.
  6.  Sprinkle yeast and add few drops of water and knead for 8 to 10 minutes till dough becomes soft and gluten is well developed. You may take a break in between kneading. It is very important that all the ingredients are uniformly incorporated and dough becomes smooth.
  7. Drizzle oil and knead further. Stretch the sides and pull it to the center. Repeat the stretch and fold method for another 5-6 minutes. By the end of kneading the dough should feel wet, sticky, and elastic.
  8. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and keep in the warm corner of the kitchen to rise for 1-2 hours (depending upon the warmth of the kitchen) until double in volume, puffy, and light.
  9. Grease one 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Dust with flour.
  10. Punch the risen dough. Transfer the dough onto the kitchen counter generously dusted with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you are using. Roll the dough towards you tightly. Pinch seams and sides to seal.
  11. Transfer the shaped loaf into the prepared pan. Cover and let it rise until double. Poke with finger, if the dough is firm and springs back immediately, it needs more time to rise. If the shallow impression remains, the dough is ready.
  12. By the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  13. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom.
  14. Remove from the oven after 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack.
  15. Slice when cold.

Linking to #BreadBakers

Welcome to this month's Bread Bakers. Our host this month is Kelly, of A Messy Kitchen. 

She chose the theme, Favorite Breads.

Be sure to check out all the favourites baked this week!

BreadBakers


 

 

 

 Chewy and moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, Seeds Nuts and Oat Cookies make a healthy snack option. You'll love to take them on journeys. It's a healthy indulgence!



We made Peanut Butter at home recently. Homemade peanut butter is pure and healthy, sans additives, hydrogenated fats and flavouring agents. We love to sweeten it with Jaggery. When there is a stock, of peanut butter at home, it opens up possibilities of endless bakes. 



Have you tried my Peanut Butter Brownies yet? These are scrumptious and addictive. Peanut and chocolate always make a winning combination. You will also love Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

With the recent batch of peanut butter that was made, we baked Mixed Seeds Nuts Oat Cookies. There were a lot of seeds and nuts lying in the pantry. These cookies are such a delicious way of using them. Mildly sweet, chockablock with nutrition and taste, these cookies are a breeze to make. Just take out all the seeds and nuts that you have. Add them in. You can make them in different combinations of nuts and seeds retaining the measurements given.



Chewy and moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, Mixed Seeds Nuts and Oat Cookies are delicious, nutritious and substantial. Take them on journeys, picnics or enjoy them with your tea. Kids love them and it is such a healthy snacking option.


Mixed Seeds Nuts Oat Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup oats
  • 3 tablespoons amaranth flour / coconut flour / oatmeal / almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons flax meal
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons unrefined sugar
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add-ins

  • 2 tablespoons black currants
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cashews
  • 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoon dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C
  2. Line a baking tray with a parchment sheet.
  3. In a bowl whisk all the dry ingredients.
  4. In another large bowl whisk all the wet ingredients.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix well with hands. Add all the seeds, nuts and chocolate chips. Mix well.
  6. Pinch walnut-size portions of dough. Roll into a ball and then flatten in your palm.
  7. Arrange the cookies on the tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Turn off the oven as soon as you see the edges browning.
  8. Transfer the cookies to the cooling rack. Enjoy!

 

 

Fruity, flavourful, and mighty tasty, Peach Cobbler is the best bake that can be made with fresh ripe peaches.


With some rainy days that we had in the last weeks, summer is far from over, with some of the best weather still to come. Heaps and heaps of stone fruit from the orchard make it a delicious summer. Colourful, tasty, sweet, juicy, summer fruits get along great with sunny weather.




 Our Peaches are blushing. An early variety of peaches are ready to be harvested. A ripe peach is a treat in itself. Soft, juicy, and flavourful, Peaches make a great addition to the bakes.




We baked Peach Cobbler some time ago with the ripest peaches we could gather from the orchard. Peach cobbler has delicious fruity tones and warm notes of cinnamon. It is a great dessert. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream. If you do not have these options, serve with warm custard. It is a burst of great taste and flavours.

 


Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling

2 tablespoons granulated sugar / unrefined sugar

1 tablespoon corn flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups peeled and sliced peaches

1 pinch salt

Cake

  • 2 large free-range eggs
  • ¾ cup (149g) unrefined sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (43g) melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (scant) salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoon unrefined sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line the bottom and grease one 9 inch cake pan.

Filling 

 Whisk together sugar and cornflour and salt. Add peach slices. Drizzle lemon juice. Toss well. Keep aside.

Cake

  1. Whisk together eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until light and fluffy. These are wet ingredients.
  2. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. These are dry ingredients.
  3. Add  dry ingredients to wet in three rounds followed by milk, beginning with dry ingredients ending with milk and stirring thoroughly after each addition.
  4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with sugar cinnamon mix.
  5. Arrange the peach slices and spoon the juice on top.
  6.  Bake the cobbler for 50 -55 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the cake is golden.
  7. Remove the cobbler from the oven after 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pan. Let it cool.
  8. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

 Note: I have used whole wheat flour. Feel free to swipe with 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour for a lighter crumb.

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