It is a day after Diwali. We walk to our backyard. It is a hazy afternoon. The Sun is high up but not visible. It is nippy. The haze is thin fog or smog born out of crackers that were burst by those whose idea of enjoyment is poisonous smoke and loud noise, we wonder. The backyard presents a perfect picture of a beautiful autumn. 

It is the season of butterflies. 


The winged beauties flitting from flower to flower never fail to mesmerize the nature lover in us. 


The intricate patterns and colour on their dainty wings intrigue us and hold us in awe as we watch them fluttering by. 



A few days back, I baked an English Muffin Toasting Bread. 


A simple and easy no-knead bread that is truly delicious and a perfect saver when you want a homemade loaf in a short time.

I have baked this bread many times and we have always loved it. It is a soft and delicious bread.



English Muffin Toasting Bread


Recipe adapted from kingarthurflour.com  

Ingredients



3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
¼ cup of water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cornmeal (to sprinkle in the pan)

Instructions



Grease one 8 inch x 4-inch bread pan (about 4 inches high). Sprinkle the sides and bottom with cornmeal.
Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast in a large mixing bowl (I used a steel wok).
Take milk, water and oil in a pan. Heat the mixture till quite hot (hotter than lukewarm).
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients in the wok.
Beat at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. (I used a steel spoon to mix). The dough will be very soft.
Scoop the dough into the pan. Level with a spoon. Grease your palm and smoothen the top.
Cover the pan and let the dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or till it crowns ¼ inch over the rim of the pan. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes till the top turns a beautiful golden brown.
Remove from the oven and remove from the pan after 5 minutes. Turn onto rack to cool. Slice when cold.

My notes: I have baked this bread many times. It is very yummy and bakes in a short time. If the dough looks a little dry, add two tablespoons of water. While the bread is rising, it is very important to monitor it. When it crests ¼ inch above the lip of the pan, it should be kept for baking or else it will flow out of the pan from the sides.

We are on a post monsoon cleaning spree. Having cleaned the front, it is now our backyard that needs attention. This is where our vegetable patch will come up. It is time for winter vegetables and the beds have to be prepared. 


We found a medley of wild creepers and climbers with lovely flowers thronging our backyard. 


A large number of butterflies, big and small fluttered amidst the myriad flowers. 



It looked so colourful and festive that we could not uproot them and decided to leave them to complete their life cycle. We prepared another patch for winter vegetables.


Yesterday, I made Bay Leaf Pound Cake. A simple cake that has citrusy aroma and a hint of flavour of the bay leaves, is ideal with a cup of hot tea that is an elixir after a hard day’s work. 


I used I cup of whole wheat flour and avoided the glaze mentioned in the recipe.  Feel free to use all- purpose flour for a lighter crumb and visit the original recipe for glaze.


Bay Leaf Pound Cake
A David Lebovitz recipe adapted from 101cookbooks.com
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (85g) butter
1 tablespoon butter for piping
½ cup sour cream*
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon vanilla extract
10 fresh or dry bay leaves
Zest of an orange
*you can prepare sour cream at home. I made it at home. I read the method here 
Method
Melt 85g of butter in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add 3 bay leaves. Leave for an hour.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line the base of one 8 inch round cake pan with a parchment paper. Grease and dust the sides. Take 4 bay leaves, butter one side and place the leaves with the buttered side down in the bottom of the pan.
Whisk together flours, sugar baking powder and salt.
Whisk together sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and zest. If needed warm the butter barely to liquefy it. Remove bay leaves and add butter to cream –egg mixture.
Add dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and mix till well combined. Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan without disturbing the bay leaves.
Take one tablespoon in a plastic bag. Snip off a corner and draw a circle on the batter. Place remaining bay leaves on top of the batter. Bake for 35 -40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a rack to cool. Slice when cold. The cake tastes best next day.

My Notes: The cake is dense and flavourful. Citrusy aroma dominates the aroma of Bay leaves which is subtle. It tastes great on the second day.

It is a pleasant evening. Houses are being spruced up for Diwali. There is frenzied shopping going on in the market. We, too, are imbued with the festive spirit. Though there is mindful buying at our end. Houses around us are decorated with lights. Different colours, different shades and some blinking alternately while some in different patterns intrigue our kids.



 Post dinner we go to the terrace and walk around. Kids are very excited as they spot and count the houses shining bright. A group of bats fly overhead towards north, flapping their giant wings. They meld into the darkness. There is chill in the air…..a series of crackers go up making patterns in the dark sky, leaving behind a trail of white smoke. We scurry indoors before the smoke suffuses the air and pollutes it.  Crackers are such a nuisance …….such a spoilsport.


Yesterday I made Semolina Laddus. A recipe that is extremely popular yet made every year in every household during festivals. A recipe that does not leave you guilty as it has very less sugar and very less fat. The laddus are mildly sweet, juicy and flavourful.


Semolina / Sooji / Rava Laddu
Ingredients
2 cups Semolina (Sooji)
1 cup desiccated coconut
½ cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
½ cup cashews halved
10-15 almonds chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup golden raisins
10 -12 green cardamoms (seeds removed and crushed fine)
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
Method
Take a thick bottom steel wok. Add ghee, cashew halves and almonds. Roast on low flame and turn off the heat when the cashews begin to change colour. Add raisins. Stir for few minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate.
Take Semolina in the wok and roast on low flame. Turn off the heat when it becomes dry and gives out a sweet aroma and just begins to change colour. Add powdered sugar, desiccated coconut and cardamom powder. Stir well.  
Add milk to the mixture. Add 1/3 cup and stir so that the mixture is evenly moistened. Now add remaining 1/3 cup slowly. Test if the mixture can be rolled into balls. Add more milk only if the mixture feels dry and does not come together.
Make balls / laddus when the mixture is warm enough to be handled. Make lemon size laddus by pressing the mixture tightly.
Let the laddus cool. Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate the laddus.



A freak rainfall last week left us cold and clammy. It seems that we are already into winters. Morning Sun is so soothing and beautiful. As the Sun peeps from behind the hills, and the rays infiltrate the thicket of our garden, every form of life begins to throb.  
 

Soaked in the warmth of the Sun, our spirits soared, a lot of pending work in the garden saw the light of the day and a lot was accomplished in the early hours of the day. We transplanted Calendula, Pansy and Phlox around Magnolia. Some tiny branches were removed to get light and Sun under the thicket. Kids helped us in ferrying stones to mark the flowerbeds.

While we were working, a Myna peered at us curiously for some time and then flew away.

 Another bird sitting in the higher branches of Magnolia seemed enjoying the enchanting morning. Refilled by the rain, our fish pond looked emerald green and tranquil.

Having worked hard, we had our second tea with homemade digestive biscuits.
English Digestive Biscuits
Recipe adapted from kingarthur's flour.com
 Ingredients
1½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
100 Gms (1 stick) butter
1/2 to ¾ cup powdered sugar (depending on taste)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
¼ cup cold milk
Method
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy. Add flours and sugar and mix with hands till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Add milk slowly till the mixture comes together as stiff dough. Knead further for 3 to 4 minutes to get smooth dough.
Roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out round biscuits with a cookie cutter of with a cap of a bottle. The biscuits should be 2 to 2 ½ inches in diameter. Prick evenly with a fork or a toothpick.
Place biscuits in a greased baking tray and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until pale gold.
Cool and store in an airtight container.

My notes – These biscuits taste like our atta biscuits. I made two batches. First batch was according to the recipe above. In the second batch, I added 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour. With this I needed a little more milk than ¼ cup to get smooth dough. You may adjust sugar according to your preference. I added less sugar



Diwali is round the corner and there is festivity in the air. There is something magical about the festivals. The spirits soar high and there is so much excitement everywhere. I make sweets at home every Diwali. Idea is to enjoy the process as much as the product. Homemade sweets are far more hygienic than the store bought ones and the purity of ingredients is also guaranteed. Kids lending the helping hands is a bonus and the whole process becomes a family event, a celebration.


We made coconut laddus at home yesterday. We made elaichi flavoured laddus and then experimented with chocolate flavour. Both the batches came out well.

Here is the recipe of soft,chewy coconut laddus in two flavours-


Coconut Laddu | Coconut Balls (Elaichi Flavour)
Ingredients
2 ½ cups + I tablespoon desiccated coconut (240 ml cup)
I (400 Gms) tin condensed milk
8 green cardamoms (remove the seeds and powder them)
20 almonds chopped finely
½ cup desiccated coconut to roll laddu
½ teaspoon ghee (clarified butter) or butter
Method
Empty condensed milk in a thick bottomed steel wok. Add desiccated coconut.
Mix well. The mixture should be thick.
Cook the mixture on low flame. Keep stirring continuously so that it is evenly cooked.
The mixture will start leaving the sides and collect in the center as one big lump. Turn off the heat.
Add cardamom powder and chopped almonds. Mix well.
Apply ghee or butter in your palms and roll out mixture into medium size laddus (balls).
Roll the laddus (balls) in desiccated coconut. Cool and store in airtight jar.


Chocolate Coconut Laddu | Chocolate Coconut Balls
Ingredients
2 cups desiccated coconut (240 ml cup)
I (400 Gms) tin condensed milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons hot milk
½ cup chopped walnuts
A pinch of salt
½ cup desiccated coconut to roll laddu (balls)
½ teaspoon ghee (clarified butter) or butter
Method
 Empty condensed milk in a thick bottomed steel wok.
Mix cocoa powder and milk to form a lump free paste. Add the paste to condensed milk and mix well.
 Add desiccated coconut and salt.
Cook the mixture on low flame. Keep stirring continuously so that it is evenly cooked.
The mixture will start leaving the sides and collect in the center as one big lump. Turn off the heat.
Add chopped walnuts.
Apply ghee or butter in your palms and roll out mixture into medium size laddus (balls).
Roll the laddus (balls) in desiccated coconut. Cool and store in airtight jar.





Bolillos are the crusty rolls staple to Mexico. Nearly every village has a bakery and every bakery makes Bolillos.


 It is a lovely crusty bread perfect with hot soups. It makes lovely sandwiches too. It is simply fabulous with a little butter. Great for any meal where you want crisp rolls.


Bolillos – Crusty Mexican Rolls

Recipe adapted from www.foodnetwork.com 
 here  is a video on shaping the rolls

 

Ingredients
3 ¼ cups all- purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter or shortening melted and cooled
1 1/3 cup warm water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Method
Take warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in honey and butter/shortening. Add salt and stir.
Add flour.  First 2 ½ cups and then remaining quantity bit by bit kneading well so that the dough comes together. Knead for about 10 minutes till it becomes very soft and elastic. Take it out in the counter and knead further for about 5 minutes.
Transfer dough into a greased bowl and turn around so that it is coated with oil. Cover and keep in a warm and dry place for about 1 hour or till it doubles in volume.
Punch the dough down and knead again on the floured counter for 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls.
Rolls the balls between your palms applying pressure in the center to make oval rolls.
Each piece should be about 5 ½ inches long and 2 inches in the middle, tapering at the ends.
Place the rolls in a greased tray keeping 3 inch gap between the two. Cover and let rise till doubled or for about 30 to 40 minutes.
While the rolls are rising, mix corn starch and cold water in a pan. Heat the pan and keep stirring constantly till the mixture starts boiling and becomes thick and clear. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.
Heat oven to 190 degrees C.
Brush each roll with the cooled starch mixture.
Slash each roll down the middle, stopping ½ inch from each end and cutting about ½ inch deep.
Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes or till golden brown. The bottom of the tray should sound hollow when tapped.
Cool in the rack. Serve warm and fresh.

Submitted for  Yeastspotting






Ramgarh belt of Kumaon is famous for apples specially the Golden Green Apples. This variety is crunchy, sweet, juicy and flavourful. Last time when we went to the hills, we saw the apples growing in the trees. They were not ripe that time. These days, the fruit mart is full of apples – both local and from Himanchal. We bought some Golden Green apples.


I baked a cake using the apples.


Easy Apple Cake (with whole wheat flour)
Recipe adapted from www.bettycrocker.com

I made some changes in the recipe.
I used whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour.
I used ¾ cup mineral sugar instead of I cup white sugar.
I used table spread instead of butter.
Please feel free to use the ingredients mentioned in the original recipe for a lighter buttery crumb.

This is how I made Whole Wheat Apple Cake
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup to 1 cup mineral sugar (powdered)
1 ½ cup peeled and shredded apple (about 2 medium apples)
2 eggs
1 stick (½ cup) table spread
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line one 8 inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add vanilla essence and shredded apples.
Add flour mix. Stir till well combined.  Fold in walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven after 10 minutes. Remove from the pan after 5 minutes. Cool in the rack.

Serve with ice cream or with a dollop of cream or enjoy plain.
 
It rained heavily in the evening. The retreating monsoon left puddles and dipping temperature with a pleasant, cold and windy night. We went out to breathe the fresh air…so invigorating, rejuvenating and brimful of energy.


Our fish pond looked beautiful with the half-moon reflecting in the tranquil waters. A frog perched on the edge of the pond jumped in and the moon in the pond quivered and danced. This is perhaps the same frog that fell into our water tank and was rescued after four days with great efforts.



Next morning I got down to baking Cracked Wheat Bread.



 This is a yummy bread full of cracked wheat and all the health benefits that it has to offer.


The bread  oasts really well and makes a great meal with a simple veggie.


Cracked Wheat Bread
Recipe adapted from www.redstaryeast.com

Ingredients
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Cracked wheat
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoon Instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt

Method
Bring ¾ cup water to a boil.  Place cracked wheat in a bowl. Pour boiling water on it. Cover and keep for 1 hour or till the cracked wheat becomes soft and swells up.
Add yeast, sugar, salt and oil to the cracked wheat (the cracked wheat should be warm). Stir to mix well.  Empty this mix to a big bowl or a kneading plate. Add flour and stir. Knead with hands for 5 to 7 minutes to get a soft and elastic dough.   Add more water if the dough feels hard. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn around to coat evenly with oil. Cover. Leave to rise for 1 hour or till it doubles in volume.
Knock down the dough on a floured counter. Roll out the dough into a rectangle not bigger than the width of the pan you are using. Roll the dough towards you, tightly. Pinch seams to seal.
Grease one 9 inch x 5 inch loaf tin. Place the roll in the greased loaf tin with the seam side down. Cover and keep it to rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place or till it rises ½ inch above the lip of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes till the top turns golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Tent with a foil if the top is browning too fast.
Remove from pan after 5 minutes. Cool in the rack. Slice next day.

Submitted for Yeastspotting 


NewerStories OlderStories Home