Water Chestnut flour laddus are gluten-free and healthy. With loads of raisins and cashews, the laddus make a delicious festive indulgence.



It is that time of the year again, Diwali is around the corner and we cannot contain our excitement for the same. Festivals give a perfect reason to be indulgent. Mithais are made in every home and every family has traditional mithai recipes passed down from generations.

One special ingredient that finds its coveted place in our all time family favourite sweets is Water Chestnut flour, commonly called Singhare Ka Atta. Water chestnuts fruits are dried and ground to get flour. It is a nutrient dense gluten-free flour, rich in iron, calcium, zinc and phosphorous.  Water chestnut flour is generally used to prepare goodies during fasting as it keeps the energy levels up.

Every year, we make Water chestnut Flour Laddu during Diwali.  With peanuts, raisins and nuts of choice, the laddu is delicious, addictive and healthy. Use ghee made from cow’s milk for the recipe.

You may add nuts of choice. Roasting water chestnut flour on low flame stirring continuously is important. Roast till a nice sweet aroma wafts through and it begins to change colour. Begin roasting the flour by adding 5 tablespoons of ghee. Once you add peanut powder and boora sugar, take the mixture in your hand and press to bind laddu. If it holds shape, there is no need to add ghee. If it does not, add 1 tablespoon at a time till you are able to bind the mixture and make laddu.




Singhara Atta Laddu / Water Chestnut Flour Laddu (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Singhara Atta / Water Chestnut flour
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts
  • 5-6 tablespoons ghee
  • ¾ cup boora  sugar (or more according to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons raisins
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cashews

Instructions

  1. Powder the roasted peanuts.
  2. Take Singhara flour in a thick bottom flour. Add 5 tablespoons ghee. Roast on low flame. Roast till the colour changes slightly and you get a sweet aroma.
  3. Add peanut powder to roasted flour. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add boora. Mix well. Take a small quantity of mixture and press it in your palm to make laddu.
  5. If the mixture feels too dry, add another tablespoon or two of ghee.
  6. Add raisins and cashews and make laddu while the mixture is hot.
  7. Take a handful of the mixture and make walnut size laddu.
  8. Store in an airtight container.

 Whole Wheat Coconut Muffins are coconutty and delicious and make a great accompaniment to a cup of tea. Chocolate adds a lovely twist to the muffins.


Our hills abound in autumn vibes at this time of the year. The colours, flavours, fragrances, flowers, bees and butterflies make the days so beautiful and mesmerizing and the warmth of the Sun is soothing and comforting.




Sitting on the carpet of green and gazing at the endless valley is a monotony we love. Sometimes, doing nothing is also relaxing and rejuvenating. Himalayas form a spectacular backdrop against the azure sky and birds play some soulful music. We hear the ripe pears falling with a thud and see some Yellow-throated Martens feasting on them. 




A barbet calls loud and clear from some nearby tree. A Rufous Treepie swoops down, catching the insects midair.



There is some kind of placidity and mirth that permeates the soul. Autumn is really delicious. When the heart is so happy and the soul so contended, you want to add more joy to your day and bake something special. Our most special bakes are rich in the purity of ingredients. It is the guilt-free indulgence that makes them special. 



We baked Eggless wholegrain coconut chocolate cupcakes.



 Chocolate always makes everything better, so a dark chocolate piece was placed atop every muffin before baking. The flavor of coconut and the chocolate was simply divine.




Whole Wheat Coconut Muffins

 Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup thick curd (not runny)
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup to 1 ¼ cup unrefined sugar
  • ¼ cup desiccated coconut
  • ½ cup warm milk 
  • 12 pieces of dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add desiccated coconut. Keep aside.
  3. In another deep bowl, whisk curd until smooth.
  4. Add oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
  5. Add dry ingredients in three shifts adding warm milk after each addition.
  6. If the batter feels dry, add more milk. The batter should not be too dry or runny.
  7. Pour into the 12 cupcake moulds filling halfway through. The moulds should not be more than 2/3  full.
  8. Place a piece of dark chocolate on top of the batter in each mould.
  9. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes turn golden.
  10. Remove the muffins from the oven after 10 minutes.
  11. Remove from the moulds when cold.

 

 Japanese Milk Bread Buns are soft and sweet buns with spicy tones of ground cinnamon and citrusy notes of the candied orange peels. Buns taste amazing with butter.



Autumn is about blue skies, a million wild cosmoses, wild daisies, chrysanthemums, warm hugs of the Sun, cool breeze, colourful butterflies and all that makes the heart joyful and soul contented. Crisp weather, gorgeous scenery and tranquillity, colours of Autumn lift your spirits.




Fog tinted trees stand in the forest. Dew makes the leaves studded with pearls, and the drops keep rolling down from the leaves making sonorous notes as they fall on the vegetation below.  Mornings are misty, cold with the snow-capped peaks shining on the horizon.



Pear trees are shedding leaves, a wee bit early, as the ripe pears are still hanging on the bare branches. Birds keep pecking the juicy fruit. A loud thud every now and then indicates that a ripe pear has fallen down. Pears get camouflaged in the grass and kids love to spot them and get home the trophy. Sliced pears smeared with chilli garlic salt taste lovely.


Wedge Tailed Green Pigeons visit the pear tree quite often, especially during morning hours and seem to love perching on the branches after having their fill of the sweet fruit.

As we enter the late autumn, our baking timetable changes and the bakes have to be done with before the afternoon. The Sun is warmest and makes the dough rise like magic. Yesterday, we baked Japanese Milk Bread Buns using the Tangzhong technique.


This is the Asian bread technique that has origins in Japan’s Yukone (or Yudane) and was popularized across Asia by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen. Using Tangzhong in bread makes it soft, and retains moisture, bread does not get crumbly after a few days and it also increases the shelf life.




A small part of the yeast bread recipe’s flour and liquid is cooked into a slurry. This is then added to the remaining ingredients. Typically, tangzhong calls for using 6% of the flour and 45% of the liquid in the slurry. Cooking the slurry into a paste pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour. This means that the dough will now absorb more water. Tangzhong, distributes itself throughout the dough during kneading. It keeps the bread soft and fresh.

We made regular bread rolls with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and finely chopped homemade candied orange peels. Sweet buns with spicy tones of ground cinnamon and citrusy notes of the peels made it really delicious. Buns taste amazing with butter.




Japanese Milk Bread Buns

Ingredients

Tangzhong

  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • Dough
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons milk powder
  • ¼ cup unrefined sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • ½ -3/4 cup warm milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon chopped candied orange peels

Instructions

  1. To make the tangzhong, mix all the ingredients in a saucepan. Make sure there are no lumps.
  2. Cook on low heat whisking constantly. Cook till the mixture is thick and the whisk leaves lines on the pan. Let tangzhong cool.
  3. For dough, mix all the ingredients except candied peels add all the tangzhong and knead a soft and elastic dough. Start kneading with ½ cup milk and add more only if needed.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl. Turn it around so that it is evenly coated with oil. Cover and keep in a dry warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes or until almost double.
  5. Deflate the dough and sprinkle chopped candied peels evenly on the dough. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
  6. Grease one 9-inch round cake pan.
  7. Divide into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Arrange the rolls in the pan. Cover and let the rolls rise for 40-60 minutes or until puffy.
  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes.
  9. Remove the rolls from the oven. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to the rack to cool completely.
Linking to  #BreadBakers

The theme for the event this month is baking with Tangzhong. Our host this month is Karen from Karen's Kitchen Stories. Her blog has an amazing collection of breads.











 


#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.



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