Ambrosia

Gulab Jamun Cake (Eggless)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup milk powder (not dairy whitener)

2 tablespoons fine semolina

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

6-7 green cardamom seeds powder

¾ cup boora sugar (or, powdered sugar)

¾ cup thick yoghurt

½ cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Some strands of saffron

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the first six ingredients. Keep aside.

Heat two tablespoons of milk until warm. Add saffron strands. Cover and keep aside.

Whisk boora sugar and yoghurt until smooth.

Add semolina. Mix well. Cover and keep for 20 minutes.

Add oil. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add milk. Mix gently.

Add saffron infused milk and mix well.

Pour into the prepared pan. Level the batter with a spatula.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top turns a lovely brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you want to drench your cake in syrup, take slightly less than ½ cup of water, two tablespoons of rosewater and ¼ cup of sugar. Mix till sugar dissolves. Poke holes all over the warm cake with a toothpick and pour the syrup evenly over the cake. Poke holes in the base of the cake and pour the remaining syrup.

Glaze

¼ cup icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

4-5 strands of saffron

2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Add saffron strands to warm milk. Cover and keep for 5 minutes. Add saffron milk to icing sugar and prepare a thick and pourable glaze. Pour it over the cake once it is completely cold. Decorate with sliced almonds and rose petals.

Ghost Bread has crisp edges and a soft centre. A combination of different herbs and chilly flakes makes it an excellent snack bread. It pairs well with hot soup.

Autumn has flooded us with bright colours, pretty hues and delicate shades. Autumn in the hills is the season to savour the warmth of the Sun, the songs of the birds the nip in the air and the majestic view of the snow-capped mountains. Trees have begun to shed leaves. Dry Pear leaves have amazing patterns. Dots, streaks and pale colours from yellow to brown and even pink. The Forest floor is littered with leaves that will rot and enrich the soil. The smell of leaf litter has its own aroma that is intense and unique. The beauty of nature is nourishing for the body and the soul.

A wedge-tailed green pigeon often comes to a tree that has a creeper full of wild berries while the Mountain Bulbul enthrals with her lovely songs every morning.

The last few days have been wet and cold as it rained incessantly for almost a week. We were surrounded by fog and waterfalls.

There was a constant roar of the mighty waterfalls that sprouted in the forest adjoining our home. Every waterfall has its own rhythm and music. We strolled into the forest to enjoy the waterfalls and a majestic rainbow in the valley.

Being in the hills, we always celebrate festivals with enthusiasm It brings so much excitement and happiness and keeps us involved. This is the month of Halloween and we decided to bake Ghost Bread. There is no recipe for Ghost Bread as such. You may use the recipe of your favourite bread dough and shape it into Ghost Bread. Shaping is the most exciting part. Roll out the pieces of dough into an oval. Use a round cookie cutter for the eyes and mouth. Then flatten it with a rolling pin. You may stretch the eyes or mouth to get ghost-like features.

In fact, it is your creativity to get the ghosts right. My son got so excited that he ended up shaping the best ghost (the one with teeth)

We used the basic dough for Ghost Bread. We added minced garlic and dry herbs along with some chilly flakes. Our ghosts were delicious. We had them with tomato soup. Perfect dinner for a chilly night.

Halloween Ghost Bread (Vegan)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon dries thyme
2 teaspoon chilly flakes
½ cup -3/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the first seven ingredients.

In another bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Add oil.

Now add the liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and make a soft dough.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around once so that the dough is covered with oil all over.

Cover and keep in a warm corner until double.

Punch the dough, and divide it into six pieces.

Roll out each piece into a round. Once you have shaped all the pieces, cover them and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll out each round into an oval. Use a round cookie cutter for the eyes and mouth.

Use a rolling pin to spread out the eyes and mouth. You may use your creativity to shape the Ghost Bread.

Transfer the shaped dough to a baking tray. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes or until puffy.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30-35minutes or until golden from the edges.

Serve warm with hot soup.

Linking to #BreadBakers

#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.