Ambrosia

Anadama bread is a traditional bread of New England. It is made with flour, cornmeal and molasses. There are a number of legends about how the bread got its name. It is believed that a New England fisherman was fed up of eating the same bread everyday made by her wife Anna. One day, in a fit of anger he went into the kitchen to make something different to eat. He baked a loaf of bread using the ingredients in the kitchen- all the while muttering, “Anna damn her!”

According to another legend, Anna, fisherman’s wife fed him cornmeal porridge sweetened with molasses. One day, the fisherman when came home, added some flour and yeast to the mush and put it in the oven to bake bread, all the while mumbling, Anna damn her!”

Whatever be the origin of the story, this simple loaf with flour, cornmeal and molasses has become extremely popular in New England.

It is a delicious bread.

I read the recipe of Anadama bread here, here and here. However, I finally baked one from kingarthurflour.com

Some changes had to be made keeping in mind the availability of the ingredients and also keeping in mind our taste preferences. Molasses was replaced by honey. I omitted milk powder and used olive oil instead of butter. I also required a little more water than mentioned in the recipe. So, here goes my Anadama Bread recipe-

Anadama Bread

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup honey

1 cup boiling water plus ½ cup warm water

Method

Whisk together cornmeal and salt. Mix oil and honey. Add boiling water. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and instant yeast. Knead well. If the dough feels dry add warm water to get smooth soft dough.

Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Deflate the dough, knead further for 5 minutes.

Grease a bread tin (8 inch x 3 ½ inch) and dust with cornmeal.

With the help of a rolling pin or with hands, stretch out the dough , no wider than the loaf pan you are using.

Roll the dough towards you, tightly. Pinch seams to seal.

Place the roll in the greased loaf tin with the seam side down. Cover and keep it to rise for 1 hour or until the center has crested at least 1 inch above the lip of the pan.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degree C for about 25 to 30 minutes till the top turns golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from the tin after 5 minutes, transfer to the rack to cool.

Sending to food events-

Yeastspotting

Bake Fest #21 conceptualized by Vardhini, hosted by Sweet 'n' Savoury

Healthy me &Healthy us conceptualized by Priya, hosted by Annarasa

It rained heavily early morning. So heavily the Earth was not able drink up water and there were miniature lakes and pools all around. If my kids were awake, they would have made paper boats and jumped into every puddle splashing water. Morning was bright and as the Sun rose majestically from behind the hills, dark clouds of myriad shapes fleeting across the clear skies as if scurrying to reach some other destination.

While doing my breathing exercises, my attention was caught by the gleaming water drops, trapped in the branches and leaves of the Neem tree. Dappled in the sunlight, they glittered like diamonds. Some glimmered, some sparkled, some shimmered, some twinkled, some flickered and some flashed. I was mesmerized. Nature never fails to surprise us. My reverie was broken by a spotted Cuckoo that perched in the branch and all the drops fell into the lap of the Earth. Beauty is ephemeral and a source of blissful ecstasy. It cannot be replicated or recreated…. this is divine….spiritual!

Himalayan Peaches

Early monsoons and incessant rains in the hills marred the joy of summer fruits this year. Last year we had the privilege of collecting peaches from the orchard itself. Few days back we bought some peaches from the market. And they were used beautifully in the Peach Yogurt Cake a recipe that I discovered in the kitchn, which is a storehouse of recipes of lovely bakes and this one had to be tried out.

Diced peaches

Peach Yogurt Cake

Peach Yogurt Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

Peach Yogurt Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

Ingredients

3 large ripe but firm peaches

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ cups thick yogurt

1 cup sugar powdered

½ cup olive oil

3 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried ginger powder

¼ teaspoon clove powdered

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Method

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a 9 inch round cake tin.

Peel and chop the peaches.

Whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a wide mouthed vessel, mix yogurt, olive oil, sugar and vanilla and beat till smooth.

Add eggs, one at a time mixing well.

Add flour mix to wet ingredients and stir till well blended.

Fold in chopped peaches.

Pour batter into the cake tin. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or till the top turns golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover the cake with a foil it is becomes too brown.

Transfer to the cooling rack and remove from the tin after 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Glaze

Ingredients

¼ cup low fat cream

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon.

Method

Whisk together all the ingredients.

Pour cinnamon glaze over the cake. sprinkle toasted, slivered almonds.

Sending to the food event Bake Fest #21 conceptualized by Vardhini and hosted by Sweet 'n' Savoury

On days when I am frazzled and fatigued I fall back on some of my recipes where some prior preparation makes things really easy and less time consuming. Overnight Cornmeal Rolls is one such handy and wholesome recipe. Last month when my sister visited us, I made these rolls and served with pasta. Light and simple, it was a good change, required very little involvement in the kitchen and we all enjoyed the meals very much.

Overnight Corn meal Rolls

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup coarse cornmeal

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast

½ cup water to knead (quantity of water may vary)

Method

In a large bowl whisk cornmeal, 1 ½ cup all purpose flour, salt and yeast.

Heat water, add oil and yogurt and beat lightly.

Add this to flour mix and mix well.

Add remaining ½ cup of all purpose flour and knead on a lightly floured surface.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes to get smooth dough.

Place in a grease bowl, cover with a greased wrap.

Refrigerate overnight. You can refrigerate from 2 to 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator. Punch down the dough. Knead again on floured surface for 2 to 3 minutes.

Divide dough into equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.

Place balls in a greased baking tray.

Cover and leave to rise for an hour or till double in size.

Dab the top of the rolls with some water, sprinkle poppy seeds.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till the rolls become golden brown.

Remove from the tray, cool on wire rack.

Sending to Vardhini's Bake Fest #21 hosted by Sweet 'n' Savoury and for Yeastspotting

Irish soda bread has always come as a saviour to me especially on occasions when there is very less time to decide on and get working for a meal (generally dinner) or when out of sheer lethargy there is no motivation to work in the kitchen and most commonly in my case when I am too popped to make chapattis. Healthy and hearty, Soda bread is a great substitution to chapattis. With a simple veggie and soup, it makes a great meal.

I remembered reading Heidi’s version of soda bread with seeds and it remained in some corner of my mind waiting to be tried out with a little changes.

Healthy seeds

Last week when my kids were down with viral and needed constant nursing, I just couldn’t muster strength to cook in the kitchen with myself down with fever too, from infection passed on to me by my little ones. Sometimes eating is more out of routine than appetite and during such times something light and nourishing does the needful.

Before going into the oven

I made Irish Soda Bread with wheat flour and finger millet flour, added a lot of healthy seeds to it. The experiment paid well. Everyone loved the bread with seeds. We enjoyed it with sweet corn soup.

Two Grain Irish Soda Bread with a medley of Seeds

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour (atta)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup finger millet flour (raagi)

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons melon seeds

1 ½ cups butter milk (quantity may vary while kneading)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oil to grease the tray

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Sift whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and raagi flour. Add soda and salt. Add seeds.

Make a well in the center and add about 1 cup buttermilk and stir till the flour mixture just comes together.

Knead with hands gently till just smooth, say for a minute.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in the greased baking tray and mark it with a deep cross across the top with a sharp knife.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the top turns golden.

Cool on a wire rack. Slice when cold.

Sending to Healthy Me & Healthy Us conceptualized by Priya and hosted by Annarasa

Bake Fest # 21 hosted by Sweet 'n' Savoury

and

Come summers and if you are living in the countryside, you are likely to spot lush green bael trees profusely laden with bael fruits standing tall in sharp contrast to the otherwise parched landscape. As summer peaks and then recede by the welcome pre-monsoon showers, the bael fruits begin to ripen. Before rains, sun-ripened baels begin to fall from the trees.

Bael is known as Bilwa and Sriphala in Sanskrit. It is known as Wood apple in English. Bael tree is one of the most useful medicinal plants of India. Its medicinal properties have been in the ancient medical treatise in Sanskrit- Charak Samhita. Bael fruit has immense health benefits. It is rich in beta-carotene, thiamine, riboflavin and Vitamin C. It is also a good source of proteins, iron, phosphorous, calcium, niacin and oxalic acid. Bael is a liver and cardiac tonic. The pulp of the ripe bael is useful in irritable bowel syndrome. Bael is regarded as the best natural laxative. It cleans and tones up the intestines.

Bael tree laden with fruits

Ripe bael fruit is eaten plain. It is also used to make jam. Most popular way of enjoying the fruit is in the form of sherbet. A glass of cold bael sherbet is so soothing and comforting when the temperatures soar and the heat becomes unbearable.

There are two bael trees in my father’s garden. In the fag end of summers, ripe bael fruits keep falling from the trees. My kids love to run and collect bael when they hear the “thump” sound of the bael falling from the tree. Last summers, I made Bael Jam (Wood apple Jam)

Bael sherbet is made regularly during summers.
You may adjust lemon and sugar according to your taste. Sugar can be avoided if the fruits are sweet.