Monday, March 23, 2015

Cinnamon Rolls & Babka Bread

Normally whenever I'm stressed or just under the weather, cinnamon helps me get back to my funk. I used to go to my all time favorite Banana bread and load it with cinnamon and sometimes dry ginger but ever since I have tried my hands on cinnamon pull apart bread, it is giving very tight competition to our good old friend.

Cinnamon Rolls

They are not just easy to whip along and if you plan in advance which I rarely do, they become your best companion during high tea, midnight snack and the next day morning tea partner. You get the gist?

Cinnamon Rolls

The only thing I really missed was the glaze. But since my family is right now going through overdose of sweetness in their lives, I tried to keep it calm and just kept them plain and simple.

Babka Bread

And because I just could not have enough, I also made this amazing Babka bread which I saw on pinterest and was intrigued by its twisting design. And to add Ozzy's interest to it, I bought in Nutella's help and it worked really well! Like really really well!

Babka Bread


The recipe was sourced from: Purple Foodie's Workshop

Recipe follows:

For the basic dough: 

794 gm Flour
9 gm Instant Yeast
425 gm Warm Milk
2 tsp Salt
80 gm Sugar
6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Egg for the dough

for Rolls:

30 gm softened butter
2 tsp Cinnamon
60 gm Caster Sugar
Icing sugar for dusting {or make a glaze}

for Babka bread

30 gm softened butter
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Nutella spread
60 gm Caster Sugar
Icing sugar for dusting {or make a glaze}


Procedure:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk and keep aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, oil, egg and sugar together. Make a well in between and add milk in the middle mixing slowly together. Once they are evenly mixed together, start kneading until it becomes soft and flexible.

Place the dough ball in well greased bowl covered with cling for about 2 hours or until it is doubled in volume. 

knock down the dough and divide it into 2 parts: for rolls and bread ( you could make all rolls too or just half the recipe)

for rolls:

Roll out the dough in rectangle for about half an inch of thickness.

Spread butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar uniformly.

Starting at one end, tightly roll the dough keeping seam down. pinch the seam lightly to make sure it does not break open in between.

With a metal scraper or a serrated knife, cut about 1 or 1.5 inch sections.

Arrange them in well greased pan and cover with cling to rest for about another 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 Degree F (180 degree C). Bake for 20 - 25 mins or until the top is beautifully browned.


For the babka bread:

Roll out the dough in rectangle for about half an inch of thickness.

Spread butter and Nutella. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar uniformly.

Starting at one end, tightly roll the dough keeping seam down. pinch the seam lightly to make sure it does not break open in between.

With a metal scraper or a serrated knife, cut in the middle to make two sections and leaving them joint at one end.

Roll each section outwards in a twist and and then twist them together in a braid formation.

Settle them in well greased tray or you could use loaf pan) and cover with cling to rest for about another 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 Degree F (180 degree C). Bake for 20 - 25 mins or until the top is beautifully browned.


Yum

Monday, March 16, 2015

Classic Victorian Sponge with Fresh Cream and Strawberries

If we were to not consider the freak weather that is going on in Delhi, I'd say we are well into the summers here. Only these unexpected downpours don't let the sun to be dominant. But its the matter of few days and I am already dreading the summers.

Classic Victoria Sponge with Fresh Cream and strawberries

We have already started making changes in our diet. Believe me, Delhi summers are not something you joke about. With the temperature soaring to 48 degrees Celsius, we are well part of a big bad oven.

Victorian sponge cake with fresh cream and strawberry was also done to keep things lighter at home after dinner. This turned out be a very nice and airy light sponge with wholesome of cold sweet whipped cream and fresh fresh strawberries.

Classic Victoria Sponge with Fresh Cream and strawberries

It is also an adieu to fresh strawberries from the market. Even though there are lots of it still available in the market the sweet taste is lost somewhere.

These ones get bad even before ripening and have no sweetness to it. So for me its done for this season.But not before we had our fill with a cheesecake, strawberry cobbler and our favorite preserve.
Oh and a bag full in freezer to use later in summer :)

Classic Victoria Sponge with Fresh Cream and strawberries

The recipe was adapted from: Jamie Oliver


Recipe follows:

For the sponge: 

226 gms / 4 Large Egg
226 gms Self Rising Flour
226 gms Unsalted Butter
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Additional:

1 Cup Amul Fresh Cream
3 Tbsp of condensed milk {or your desired sweetener}
Lots of Strawberries { 450 gms}, hulled and halved
Icing sugar for dusting

Strawberry jam (Optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 Degree F (180 degree C). Grease and line two 8 - inch cake pans.

In a small bowl, sieve the flour.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar on medium speed until soft and creamy.

Add eggs one by one. Scrape down the sides, add vanilla beating for few more minutes.

Putting speed on low put flour into the batter. Divide the batter evenly into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes or light golden brown or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool at the room temperature.

For the cream: Put your tetra, whisk blades and mixing bowl in freezer for about 10 minutes before start.
Beat cream and condensed milk on high speed until it reaches soft peak stage. It should take about 10 -15 minutes.

Hull and half strawberries keeping aside few to decorate.

For assembling: Place one cake layer on the serving plate and level the cake if required.
Spread whipped cream and place halved strawberries all around the cake in circular pattern.

*Note:At this point you can drizzle strawberry jam over the fruit to add more sweetness. (I'd left it out because no one likes sweet cakes at our home )

Put the remaining layer on top of it to make a sandwich.

Garnish with strawberries and sprinkle with icing sugar to decorate.

Cover and refrigerate the cake. Leave out in room temperature for a while before serving.


Yum

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Crispy Baked Potatoes

I can't say I have much to complain recently. I have so much to share but not enough time.

Crispy Baked Potatoes

After I announced my new venture, I haven't really done much to share more interesting news.
We participated in a lifestyle mela ~ All That Jingalala last month and to do so I realized that I have to up my game from just being a home baker to home based bakery. Which also meant that I had to buy new things - a lot of them! YIPPY!

LoveThemPeaches


And in the middle of this craziness, I have to feed my little one too. Something minus sugar please for my sanity. Her oven instincts are now developing, each 'ding' means a new cake and her spoon's out.

So I did some pinterest soul searching and created this beautiful plate which was finished as soon as I returned with some mayonnaise. It's a very versatile recipe. You can add anything over it and create a mini meal.

Crispy Baked Potatoes

Recipe follows:

2 Medium Potatoes
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Sea Salt - to taste
Black Pepper - to taste
1/2 Tsp Dried Sage
Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Greens from Green Onion (Optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400 degree F (Approx. 200 degree C).

Wash  and scrub the potatoes clean leaving the skin on. Slice them very thin.

Mix Olive oil, salt, garlic, black pepper, dried sage in a large bowl.

Put potatoes in the same bowl and make sure each slice is coated. Place them on a plate in a circular overlapping pattern. ( I used pizza tray)

Bake them for about 20 - 25 minutes until they are crispy on outside and soft on inside.

You can add shredded mozzarella or cheddar and green onions 5 minutes before the oven says ding. :)


Yum
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