Herbed Tomato Garlic Bread has all the homegrown ingredients. The bread has a burst of flavours. The crumb is super soft. It tastes amazing when toasted and had with cheese spread or with oodles of butter.

We are living through difficult times. The world is in the grip of the worst disaster. The ongoing pandemic has thrown the world in fear and anxiety. The news of the suffering of friends, near and dear ones, of people known and unknown has created a feeling of helplessness. Staying at home has become a necessity for safety. There are lockdowns and curfews.  This is a reality that is completely unimaginable.

To quell the feeling of hopelessness that has pervaded everywhere, it is important that we resort to activities that involve and keep us occupied. Be it gardening, reading, baking, cooking, music or anything else it is important to keep occupied. Also, it is also the time to reach out in whatever possible way to those suffering. The smallest of help will also make a big difference. And keep the hope alive. Hope is a valuable tool in protecting from stress and burnout. Hope has a positive impact on physical and mental health.

It is time to pray. “True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – It is a spiritual transaction with the creator of heaven and Earth.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Prayers can heal the sick, Prayers can comfort those anxious and sinking into depression. It is time to send prayers to the universe for the health and healing of the pandemic ridden world.

 It is this time that pushes us to be creative and prepare meals that are not only healthy but also use minimal ingredients and with things available around.

Tomato season is almost over and the plant has some last small size tomatoes hanging from the shaggy branches. These look like cherry tomatoes.  We decided to bake bread using all the tomatoes along with homegrown garlic. Some homemade spice mix was added to the dough.

The bread was a burst of flavours with a lovely red tinge from the tomato puree.  The crumb was super moist and fluffy. It tastes amazing when toasted and had with cheese spread or oodles of butter.

We used tomatoes with skin as the tomatoes were homegrown. If you are not sure of the source, remove the skin as farmers spray a lot of pesticides.

 

Herbed Whole Wheat Tomato Garlic Bread (Vegan)

Ingredients

• 8-10 cherry tomatoes/small size tomatoes
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons unrefined sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoons Italian spice mix/herb mix of choice or fresh herbs
• 4-5 buds of garlic minced
• ¼ cup warm water

Instructions

1. Wash the tomatoes. Cut each into four. Blend to get a fine puree. If the seeds are too many, pass through the strainer. You should get 1 cup plus a little extra puree.
2. Add sugar and yeast to the puree. Stir well.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Add minced garlic. Stir and turn off the heat.
4. Take flour in a large bowl or in a large plate. Make a well in the centre. Add tomato puree, garlic oil and salt and herb mix. Gently mix everything to get a shaggy dough. If the dough feels dry, add warm water.
5. Knead for 7-8 minutes to get a smooth, shiny and little sticky dough. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around once so that it is evenly coated with oil. Keep in a warm area for 1- 1 ½ hours or until double.
6. Grease one 8 ½ x4 ½ inch loaf pan.
7. Punch the risen dough. Shape into a log.   Place it gently into the prepared pan.
8. Cover and keep to rise until the dough doubles (almost).
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or until the loaf turns brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Remove from the pan after 7-8 minutes. Cool in the rack. Slice when cold.

 

 

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Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread is mildly sweet, soft and very delicious.  It toasts well and has all the goodness of ripe pumpkin.

Pumpkin grows aplenty in the hills. The creeper is made to climb the roof of the houses. The green pumpkins are eaten all through the summer. During rains, when there is an abundance of growth, the creeper becomes luxuriant and spreads all around. The young shoots are eaten as green veggie. And a lot of pumpkins are left on the creeper to be ripened. The leaves wither and the plant dries once the season is over. Ripe Pumpkins are kept on the roof in the Sun all winter before snowfall. These are then used over the months.

Ripe pumpkin is gently sweet and a beautiful shade of orange. It is highly nutritious and low in calories. And, there is something about the flavor and texture of fresh pumpkin puree.  It makes a great addition to the bread. It makes the regular bread a little sweeter and richer.

Homemade bread has an appeal far beyond just taste. Making your own bread allows you to increase wholesome grains and decrease sugars and play with ingredients of choice.

I baked bread with pumpkin puree. It turned sweet, soft and delicious.

You may add a pinch of cinnamon and a little extra sugar to the dough.  Toasted slices with butter is a heavenly treat.

 

 

 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin  Bread

Ingredients

• 2-3 slices of ripe Pumpkin (peeled)
• 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unrefined sugar (powdered)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2-3 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• Water (if needed)

Instructions

1. Wash and dice pumpkin. Steam or roast.
2. If steaming, add very little water to the cooker and steam until the cooker gives out a whistle. Blend to get a smooth puree.  Do not add extra water.
3. If roasting, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place the slices in the parchment lined baking tray. Drizzle some oil. Roast for 40-60 minutes or, until a fork or a knife easily passes through. Let the slices cool. Puree.
4. Measure 1 cup puree and reserve 3-4 tablespoon extra.
5. Dissolve yeast in 2-3 teaspoons water.
6.  To the puree, add yeast, sugar.  Stir and let rest for 5 minutes. Add oil and stir well.
7. Sift whole wheat flour with salt in a large bowl.
8. Make a well in the center. Add pumpkin puree.  Mix together all the ingredients. Knead for 7-8 minutes.
9. Whole wheat flour drinks a lot of water. If the dough feels dry or hard, add the remaining puree. The dough should be really soft and supple. I Used 1 cup plus a little extra puree and a little water..
10. The dough will feel sticky initially but will come together and become soft and supple. Stretch and fold a couple of times. By the end of kneading, the dough should not be very sticky but quite soft.
11. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around once so that it is evenly coated with oil. Cover and keep in the warm corner of your kitchen for 1 hour or until double.
12. Grease one 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan.
13. Punch the risen dough and shape it into a loaf. Gently transfer the shaped dough into the loaf pan. Cover and keep to rise for 40-45 minutes or until it reaches the rim of the pan.
14. During the last stages of rising, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
15. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top turns golden and the loaf pan sounds hollow when tapped at the bottom. Tent with a foil if the top is browning too fast.
16. Cool in the rack. Slice when cold.

Linking to #BreadBakers

Our theme is this month  is whole grains, and our host is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Zesty South Indian KItchen: Einkorn and Spelt Whole Wheat Flour Sourdough Bread 

• Passion Kneaded: Marble Wheat Loaf 
• Magical Ingredients: Multigrain Carrot Rolls 
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Oatmeal Rolls with Molasses
• Making Miracles: Seedy Soft Sandwich Bread 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Sourdough Boules with Quinoa, Oats, and Sprouted Seeds
• Food Lust People Love: Sourdough Sprouted Spelt Blini 
• Sneha's Recipe: Spelt Banana Bread 
• A Messy Kitchen: Sweet Wheat Braid
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
• Ambrosia: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread 

 

 

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