Archives for December 2011

Indian fry breads are commonly known as ‘poori’ or ‘puri’ in Hindi. Many a time they are a meal in themselves. Here is a simple Indian fry bread recipe which uses fresh fenugreek leaves as a main ingredient. This Indian fry bread recipe not only tastes excellent but also gives you the nutritional benefits of fenugreek.

Ingredients:

– 2 cups of wheat flour
– 1 cup of gram flour
– 1 cup of fresh fenugreek leaves (washed and chopped finely)
– 2 tablespoons of salt (adjust according to taste)
– 2 tablespoons of hot oil
– 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
– A pinch of turmeric
– A pinch of asafetida
– Oil for frying
– Water for kneading the dough

Method:

•  In a big kneading bowl, take the wheat flour and mix in the gram flour.
•  Now add the salt and fenugreek leaves to the flours and mix well by lightly rubbing the ingredients together using your hands.
• Leave the mix aside for 15 to 20 minutes. This is important because the fenugreek leaves shed water when they come in contact with salt. If you knead the dough immediately then it will get wet.
• Now mix the flour and fenugreek leaves well and add the cumin seeds and asafetida into it. Mix well.
• Make a hole in the center of the mixture and pour the hot oil in the middle.
• Mix using a fork (be careful – if the oil is too hot you can burn your hand).
• Now add water at room temperature to knead a soft dough.
• Let the dough rest for some time.
• Heat some oil in a frying pan.
• Cut the prepared dough in small balls and roll the balls to 3-4 inches in diameter. It should not be too thick or thin (about 1/2 centimeter thick is more than enough).
• Fry the bread in hot oil until golden brown on both sides and puffed.
• Remove from oil and place on an absorbent paper towel to soak up the extra oil.
• Serve warm.

Serving suggestions:

Fenugreek fry bread is a meal in itself and very filling. You can serve it with:

• Tomato chutney
• Mango or chili pickle
• Potato and peas gravy or any other gravy of your choice
• Raita (yogurt seasoned with cumin seeds, mustard powder, cucumber and tomatoes)

Indian fry bread is great to carry with you if you are going on a long journey. It can be stored for up to 10 days at room temperature without spoiling. Make sure that you use properly washed and fresh fenugreek leaves only.

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This recipe is going to stick to the theme of gluten free recipes that we have been taking a look at lately. This time around, we’ll be baking a bread recipe that uses rice flour instead of regular flour. Some people prefer rice flour for its nutritional benefits while others simply prefer the taste to traditional flour. We’re going to be using both brown rice flour and white rice flour for this recipe, resulting in a deliciously fresh tasting rice flour bread that is easy to make at home, even without a bread machine. I really enjoy this rice flour bread recipe and I hope you do too!

Ingredients:

– 2 tsp granulated sugar
– ½ cup water (warm)
– 1 ¼ cups water (room temperature)
– 1 package of active dry yeast
– ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
– 2 cups white rice flour
– 1 cup brown rice flour
– ¼ cup granulated sugar
– 4 tsp xanthan gum
– ⅔ cup dry milk (or ⅓ cup soy powder)
– 1 ½ tsp salt
– 2 whole eggs

Preparation instructions:

1.Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2.In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Next, sprinkle the yeast on top of the water, but do not mix it in. Allow this to sit for around 10 minutes. Once the froth from the yeast has nearly reached the top of your bowl (by the way, your bowl should be a two-cup sized bowl), then it is ready.
3.In a saucepan, add the other water along with the shortening. Heat this and stir it until the shortening has melted, then remove from heat and let it sit until it has cooled down some, but is still slightly warm.
4.In a mixing bowl, mix together the rest of the dry ingredients and then mix in the water with the yeast and sugar. Blend this mixture together well, then add in your water and shortening mix and blend it together some more. Now add the eggs and knead the dough for several minutes.
5.Put the dough in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size. This usually takes about an hour. Pour the risen dough into a greased bread pan.
6.Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and then cover it with foil and bake for an additional 50 minutes.
7.Allow your bread to cool on a rack.

There you have it. A healthy and delicious rice flour bread recipe that you can make in the late afternoon and enjoy with dinner! This bread recipe is a favorite among my friends who cannot eat gluten.

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Sausage bread makes a delicious breakfast meal. It is not only very filling, but it is very easy to prepare. The following sausage bread recipe takes only about an hour and a half to prepare and yields 14 normal slices. You can make this bread recipe at night and simply warm it up in the microwave the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of frozen pizza or bread dough (you can make your own dough, but it will take more time)
• 2 tablespoons of yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1.5 kg of Italian sausages (you can use any type of sausage you like)
• 1 cup of onions cut in strands
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
• ½ teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes
• 3 teaspoons of chopped basil leaves
• 3 teaspoons of chopped parsley leaves
• 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of water

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Take a baking sheet pan (about 8×12 inches) and sprinkle one tablespoon of cornmeal on the insides.
• Beat the egg and water together to get a fluid mix.
• Take the pizza dough out of the refrigerator and let it thaw.
• In a nonstick pan, heat some olive oil on medium heat.
• Add the sausages to the pan and fry on low heat until the sausages are cooked perfectly.
• Add the onions to the oil and fry until translucent in color.
• Add the chopped garlic and let the oils from garlic seep into the oil for some time.
• Add basil and parsley leaves to the oil and let them cook for some time.
• Remove from heat and mix well so that the sausages are coated with the herbs.
• Let the mix cool.
• In the meantime, sprinkle the rest of the cornmeal on a plain surface and knead the thawed pizza dough on it.
• Roll it out to about a 10×14 inch rectangle.
• Sprinkle the shredded cheese on the rectangle.
• Spread the cooled sausage and herb mix on the rectangle (leave about one inch on each side for rolling).
• Brush the egg and water mix on the sides and roll the dough in a jellyroll style. Press slightly as you roll so that the edges stick.
• Brush the rest of the egg and water mix on top of the rolled log. This will give a nice glossy and crisp look to the loaf.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes.
• Cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting in slices.
• Serve with butter on the side.

 

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As most bakeries use egg and yeast to bake their breads, it is difficult for people who are vegan to find bread recipe‘s in the market that is without eggs. It is also especially difficult for those who cannot eat gluten to find a loaf of bread to enjoy. Here is a simple gluten free and vegan rice flour bread recipe that you can make at home and enjoy with your family and friends.

Items needed for rice flour bread recipe:

• ½ cup fresh and unsalted almonds
• 1 ½ cup brown or white rice flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 3 teaspoons poppy seeds (optional)
• ½ cup fresh yogurt
• ½ cup water
• 1 large tablespoon flaxseeds (for those who eat eggs, use 1 large egg and 1 egg white)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (this keeps the bread moist even after a few days)

To prepare the batter:

• Grind the flaxseeds to a fine powder and mix with 3 tablespoons of water.
• Let the mixture simmer for a little while for the flaxseeds and water to gel well. This acts as a substitute for eggs.
• Grind the almonds with ½ cup of rice flour to a fine almond meal. The finer you grind it, the better it is.
• Mix the rest of the flour, baking powder, salt and 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds with the almond meal. Run the mix in the blender once to ensure proper mixture.
• Mix the yogurt with water, put the mix in a food processor and whisk it to a buttermilk-like consistency.
• Add the flaxseed gel and oil to the mix and run the food processer on the middle speed to blend all the liquids well.
• Use a tablespoon to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend well after each addition. This will incorporate the air in the bread and make it crumbly and soft.

To bake the rice flour bread:

• Heat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
• Grease a bread loaf pan with a little butter.
• Pour the prepared bread batter in the bread loaf pan.
• Sprinkle the rest of the poppy seeds on the top.
• Bake in the oven for 55 minutes.
• Take the bread out of the oven and cool it on a wire rack.
• Once the bread is cool, cut it in slices to serve.
• The bread can be stored for up to 2 weeks. Store in an air-tight container.

 

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