Monthly Archives: April 2012

Whole Wheat Flaxseed Bread

June 21, 2012 in Bread, Recipes

A delicious and easy to make whole wheat bread

Those who know me well enough know that I have been off of store-bought bread for a while now. But that means that I have to make my own bread else I have to go without bread for a few days. So after a long break and not having bread for a while now, I decided to bake some bread for myself today. This is another treasure from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It is just five minutes of work mixing the bread and another five minutes to shape it. And obviously it takes as long as it takes to bake the bread. And yes the flaxseed flavor is an acquired taste but it is extremely healthy and contains tons of omega-3 fatty acids, yeah the same stuff found in seafood. I am told that omega-3 fatty acids are a very healthy form of polyunsaturated fat. So all in all, this bread is extremely healthy, contains whole wheat, so there’s your fiber and then the flaxseed. And there is no oil or butter used! Now let me get to the ingredients. This makes about two 1-pound loaves. Now if you want all the detailed instructions that the authors of the book give, you will need to buy the book. It is a treasure trove of awesome instructions and little details that make your bread baking experience a really incredible one.

Ingredients:

  1. 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  2. 3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (subdues the whole wheat flavor)
  3. 3/4 tbsp granulated yeast
  4. 1/2 tbsp salt
  5. 1/8 cup vital wheat gluten
  6. 2 + 1/8 cup lukewarm water

Directions:

  • Mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl of lidded container. Do not knead the dough, just mix it well together and set it aside in the bowl.
  • Let the dough rise for about 2 hours. Let the dough rise and collapse.
  • Now you can either make the bread the same day after the initial rise but it tastes better if left in the refrigerator for atleast 24 hours.
  • When you are ready to bake the bread, dust the dough with some flour and cut off a grapefruit sized dough. Quickly shape the dough into a ball by bringing together the ends of the dough together underneath the dough and turning it to shape it.
  • Allow the dough to rise on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap. Or you can use a greased cookie sheet or a silicone mat to let the dough rise.
  • Next place a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 450 F for about 30 minutes. Also place an empty metal broiler tray on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  • Slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife (parallel cuts) just before moving the dough into the oven. When you transfer the dough into the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and shut the oven dough.
  • Now bake the bread in the oven for about 30-35 mins till the bread is nicely browned.
  • Cool the bread in a cooling rack before slicing it.

Hope you enjoy baking bread at home as much as I did. I promise, you will love this bread and this recipe is a keeper for sure. If you do try the bread, please do let me know whether you like it. Thank for reading my blog and happy baking!

Shilpa

 

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Curried Black Eyed Peas

June 15, 2012 in Main Course, Recipes

A very simple and easy to make dish.

This is going to be a very short post. My absence from the blog world is thanks to my dissertation writing and that literally means that I have absolutely no time to update my blog. Which is kind of sad as that’s how I relax at the end of the day. But well, my PhD degree is a priority now but this recipe turned out so awesome that I really could not not write it up and blog about it. It took me about 20-30 mins to prepare (which excludes the time it takes to boil the peas). This recipe would serve 2 persons.

Ingredients:

  1. 2/3 cup black eyes peas (boiled)
  2. 1 cup vegetable stock
  3. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  4. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  5. 1 sprig curry leaves
  6. pinch asafoetida
  7. 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
  8. 1 tsp garlic paste
  9. 1/2 tsp red chili powder (to taste)
  10. 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  11. 1/2 red onion chopped
  12. 1 small tomato chopped
  13. 1/4 tsp tamarind paste
  14. 4 tbsp coconut milk
  15. small bunch chopped cilantro
  16. 1 – 2 tsp oil
  17. salt to taste

Direction:

  • Cook the peas in the vegetable stock and some water.
  • Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
  • Once they start to sputter, add the asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves.
  • Next add the garlic paste and fry for a few mins till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
  • Now add the chopped onion and fry till it is translucent or lightly browned
  • Next add the chopped green chili and tomato and cook till the tomatoes and mushy and soft. Now add the cooked peas and tamarind paste and bring to a simmer.
  • Next add the red chili powder, black pepper powder and salt to taste depending on how spicy you want the dish.
  • Simmer the curry for about 5 mins.
  • Next add the coconut milk and simmer for a couple of mins. Do not bring it to a boil once you add the coconut milk. You could skip the coconut milk if you do not like or want to add coconut milk. But make sure that you reduce the spice if you are not adding the coconut milk.

Thanks for reading my blog and sorry about the short post but the choice was between not writing at all or writing a short blog. I chose the latter and I think I am all rejuvenated to work on my dissertation once again… And you can serve this with some rice or any bread. In fact I just had it plain with some salad. Quick, easy and healthy! Bon Appetit!

Shilpa

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