Orange and Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Another simple and easy recipe this month for We Knead to Bake's challenge: Orange and Cinnamon Swirl Bread, recipe from 500 Breads by Carol Beckerman.

It is a typical American style sweet breakfast bread, but delicious also at teatime.
This month Aparna is having a giveaway of a copy of the book on her blog and everyone with an Indian shipping address is free to try for a chance to win it, so hurry up and leave a message to her.

I followed the recipe as described but you can make a little changes: you can leave out eggs if you don’t use them and reduce sugar in the dough and in the filling at your pleasure. You can choose any sort of preserve you like but be always aware about the amount, not too much or you will find it oozing out of your baked bread making it a bit messy and sticky (as it happened for one of mine).
Besides, liquid or flour can vary a little, you might also need a little more or less, but the dough must not be very soft. 

Ingredients:

1 tsp sugar

2/3 cup warm water

2 tsp active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

the juice and finely grated zest of an orange

5/6 tbsp apricot preserves

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

oil for greasing

Grease 2 8”x 4” loaf tins with a little oil. Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes till frothy.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and the 3 tbsp sugar. Add the liquid yeast, the eggs, the juice and the zest of orange and work into a somewhat firm dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, and turn so it is coated all over. Cover and put it in a warm place for about 1 1 /2 hours, until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Knead for a few minutes until the dough feels firm. Roll into to 6 x 13-inch rectangles. Keep the measurements as much as possible 'cause the dough should be too thin, it might tear up while baking and the filling ooze out (as it happens to one of mine). Spread each rectangle with apricot preserves and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll up each rectangle like a jelly roll as tightly as you can, seal the seam well (in case help with a little water) and place in the loaf tins, the seams facing down. Put in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and bake the loaves for about 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaves make a hollow sound when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

This recipe makes 2 medium sized loaves.

  

This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Kummelweck (Kimmelweck) Rolls - Panini al cumino

A simple and easy recipe this month for We Knead to Bake's challenge: Kimmelweck Rolls, soft buns with coarse sea salt or fleur de sel and caraway seeds on the top. Ideal for sandwiches and even burgers, though we just had them as normal bread.
They are German in origin as Kummel means caraway seeds while Weck means roll. In Buffalo in New York, these rolls are used to make a speciality sandwich called the Beef on Weck, with thinly sliced rare roast beef and horseradish and it is typically served with fries and a dill pickle.

Aparna suggests also a couple more recipes you can make with this dough, shown below.

You can fid a very helpful video here.

I made some buns with special sesame seeds I bought last winter at Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre in Turin. They are red becaus e flavored with Umeboshi, you can see the picture at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp honey

1 egg white (optional)

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 to 3 1/4 cups bread flour

egg wash (optional)

coarse sea salt and caraway seeds

Mix together the warm water and the warm milk and stir in the yeast. Let it sit aside for about 5 minutes. Knead by hand or with the machine.

In the bowl of your machine, combine the yeast mixture, oil, honey, the egg white and stir.Now add the salt and about 2 1/2 cups of flour and knead, adding as much more flour as required till you have a smooth and elastic  dough that is tacky but not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball, and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover loosely with cling film and let rise for about an hour, until it is almost double in volume.

Deflate the dough well (not kneading), shape into a round and and allow it to rise, covered, for 30 minutes more.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a smooth ball, then slightly flatten it. Place them on lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Spray or lightly brush with oil, loosely cover and let the dough rise for 30 more minutes. Brush with eggwash (or something else that will make sure the topping sticks when baking), then cut slits ( like an +) on the top using a sharp blade or scissors.

Sprinkle the top of the rolls with sea salt and caraway seeds, and then mist with water. Bake the rolls at 220C (425F) for 5 minutes and then quickly mist with water again making sure you don’t keep the oven door open for too long.

Bake for another 20 minutes or so until they’re brown and done. Cool on a wire rack. This recipe makes 8 large burger bun sized rolls.

For the Vienna Loaf:

Follow the above recipe but with the following changes:

after the second rise, divide the dough in half and shape each half into an oval with tapered ends. After the final rise, apply the egg wash and then slash the top with a 1/2" deep lengthwise slit. Leave out the salt and caraway seeds.  Bake at 200C (400F) for about 35 minutes, including the 5 minutes after spritzing with water.


For the Salt and Pepper Sticks:

Again follow the above recipe for the rolls, but make the following changes :

leave out the second rise and do only the first rise. After that, divide the dough into 13 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 12" rope of even thickness, and place them  1-1/2" apart on the greased or lined bakng sheet. Let them rise now. Apply the egg wash, but do not make any cuts. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt crystals and coarsely ground or cracked black pepper. Do not spritz with water and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Black Forest Buns

Traditional Black Forest cake is all about chocolate cake, cherry compote and kirsch (cherry brandy) and loads of cream. 

For this month's challenge of Aparna's group We Knead to Bake she chose a little variation, Black Forest Buns, a sort of sweet bread,  using chocolate cake and cherry compote in the filling. You could always flavour the compote with a little kirsch if you want to aim for the “real deal” in terms of flavour.

For Black Forest Buns the obvious choice of jam to use would be cherry but you can always substitute with strawberry jam or any red berry one.
The method of kneading, rolling out the dough, covering it with the filling, and then rolling it back is not too difficult, just like making cinnamon rolls.
Finely chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips can be spread onto the filling to give more flavour if you like.

 Ingredients for 12 buns:


For the Dough:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
50 gm butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg (at room temperature, optional)
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
3 to 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling:

3/4 cup cherry/ strawberry jam or compote
2 1/2 to 3 cups crumbled chocolate sponge cake

(for me 3 or 4 chocolate muffins)


For drizzling:

1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Pour the water and milk in a saucepan, and heat onthe egg.
You may knead the dough by hand or in the processor which is my usual preference. Pour the lukewarm mixture into the processor bowl (if using) and add the yeast and the egg. Pulse a couple of times to mix well. Then add about 1 cup of the flour and mix well. Add the salt and more flour, as much as is necessary, and knead the dough until it is smooth, elastic but not sticky.
Add in the salt and some more flour and mix. Once the mixture becomes difficult to mix, turn it out onto your work surface. Add more flour and continue to knead for about 10 minutes till the dough is not sticky and elastic.
Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl, turning the dough till lightly coated with oil. Cover loosely, and allow to double in volume, for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Now place the dough on a flat surface and roll it out into an approximately 18” by 12” rectangle (or 9" by 12" if using half the recipe).
Spread the jam over the leaving a 1/2 inch all around. Sprinkle the chocolate cake crumbs on top of this. Roll the dough away from you, as snugly as possible, starting with the 18” edge like a jam/jelly roll (as for cinnamon buns). Try to pinch the dough closed as best as possible, or dampen the edge with a little water to seal well.
Cut the roll into 1 1/2" wide pieces with a very sharp knife/dough scraper. You should have 12 pieces for the full recipe and 6 for half of it.  Place each piece in a mould (or make collars using foil or parchment paper to fit well around each piece) and then on a baking tray. Otherwise place them in a cake tin leaving enough space for them to expand. If you place them too far apart, they will spread rather rise in height.  Cover loosely, and allow to rise, for about 1 hour or till almost double.
Bake at 180° for 25/30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Drizzle with melted chocolate and serve.

Just make sure you roll the dough, with the filling, as tightly as you can and well because these buns swell up quite a bit.

 This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Pane Siciliano - Sicilian Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread

An Italian bread for this month's challenge of Aparna's group We Knead to Bake: Pane Siciliano, Sicilian Bread, simple semolina bread crusted with sesame seeds.

I love this bread very much and I use a very fine and selected flour, named Senatore Cappelli, which is a special cultivar of very high quality.

Apana gives a little information about this bread:

On the 13th of December every year, feasts are held in Sicily and around the world celebrating the bravery of Santa Lucia. One way is by baking a special bread which is known as Pan Siciliano. What is different about this bread is that it is made with semolina (flour from durum wheat). In Sicily (and Italy), the semolina used for this bread is a specific grind of durum wheat called semola di grano duro rimacinato or just rimacinato, which translates as ground again. This refers to semolina which is ground once more to break the coarser grain into finer flour for bread.
You can use the finest grind semolina you can find.
Traditionally this bread is made using a pre-ferment which the Sicilians call cresciuta. This produces a more flavourful loaf of bread and isn’t all that much more work than a recipe without the pre-ferment. Pane Siciliano is generally shaped into one of two shapes: Occhi di Santa Lucia meaning the Eyes of St. Lucia or the Mafalda, a snake shape.

Aparna suggestion for shaping the bread:

the Mafalda produces a rather odd looking bread, but if you’d like to shape your bread like this, then wind the rope of dough back and forth on itself a few times, leaving about 7” for a “tail” to lie over the top (here a video about making Pane Siciliano).

To form the Occhi di Santa Lucia or a scroll shaped loaf of bread, roll the bread dough into a long rope and lay it out straight. Then coil it from each end in opposite directions (detailed pictures here).

Recipe adapted from Ciao Italia.

For the Cresciuta (Biga):

1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour


For the Dough:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water (110° to 115°F)
2 tsp honey
all the prepared Cresciuta
2 to 2 1/2 cups fine durum semolina flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

a little water for brushing on the bread
1/8 cup sesame seeds

First make the Cresciuta. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl and stand it aside for about 10 minutes till it is frothy. Stir in the flour with a fork and loosely cover the bowl. This mixture should be a little wet/ stringy. Leave it in a slightly warm place for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

The next morning, mix the dough for the bread. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your processor), dissolve the yeast in the warm water mixed with the honey. Let it stand for 10 minutes till it is frothy.

Add the cresciuta and mix well. Mix together 2 cups of the semolina  and salt and add it to the bowl with the olive oil. Mix well and then add as much more semolina as is necessary until you have a smooth ball of dough.

Stir the cresciuta into the yeast and water mixture and blend well. Add 2 cups of the semolina flour and the salt and mix until a pancake like batter forms. Add additional flour a little at a time and knead well until you have a soft and smooth ball of dough that is just short of sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat well, then loosely cover and let the dough rise till about double in volume. This should take about 1 1/2 hours.
Deflate the dough, and then roll it out into a “rope” that is about 30” long. Place baking parchment on your baking tray, grease it lightly, and then gently lift up the rope of dough and place it on the baking tray. Curl the dough back and forth on itself leaving a 6 or 7 inch tail. Fold the tail over the shaped loaf. Do not tuck it under the loaf. If you’re making the “occhi”, then shape the rope accordingly.

Loosely cover and let the shaped dough rise for 2 hours till almost double in size. Lightly brish the top of the dough with water and then sprinkle the sesame seeds over this pressing them in lightly with your fingers.

Pre-heat your oven to 190C (375F) with a baking tray placed upside down in it. Place your baking tray with the dough on the hot tray and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread is brown and done, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

This recipe makes one small to medium sized loaf and should serve 3 to 4 people.

 This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Julekake, Norwegian Cardamom Scented Christmas Bread

A traditional Christmas recipe for this month's challenge of Aparna's group We Knead to Bake.
And she kindly tells us the origin of this sweet bread:

Julekake (or Julekaka/ Julekaga) is a rich holiday bread flavoured with cardamom which is traditionally served at Christmas in many Scandinavian countries. It is particularly popular in Norway and Denmark. Incidentally, Julekake means Yule Bread in Norwegian.  This bread is more cake-like in texture and sometimes it is dusted with powdered sugar or glazed with a white sugar icing. If it is not glazed or left plain, then it is usually served warm at breakfast with butter or a goat milk cheese called geitost/ brunost.

In Norway, Julekake traditionally only a lime green citrus peel called sukat is added along with the cardamom. Nowadays many people also add red and green cherries to reflect the colours of Christmas. Other popular additions are raisins, candied orange peel, and coloured candied peel.  Some recipes for Julekake also feature almonds, but the main flavour in this bread comes from cardamom.

Candied fruit at your pleasure but Julekake must however feature raisins and cardamom. Vegan people can omit egg.

For this bread I used dates, jumbo raisins and cranberries and cardamom, of course.

It's a very nice and fragrant bread and mine made its long way from Italy to London, as we are celebrating the festive holidays here, our fourth son Matteo is studying and working in the city. 

This bread will be our special guest at Christmas' breakfast.

As it's a festive bread, I shaped the dough into a ball and put in a high round tin mold, so to be like a panettone shape once leavened.

Recipe partially adapted from the Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

1 egg

50gm butter, soft at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar*

1/4 tsp salt

4 to 5 pods cardamom, powdered

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mixed candied fruit or peel

1/4 cup golden or dark raisins

Glaze:

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp milk

Pearl sugar or crushed sugar cubes and/ or chopped almonds

Icing:

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 to 2 tbsp cream or milk

¼ tsp almond extract

* if you plan to use the icing, reduce the sugar in the bread by half to 1/4 cup

 so that the bread doesn’t turn out too sweet.

Put the water, milk and 1 tsp sugar (from the 1/4 cup) in a small bowl and add the yeast to it. Mix well and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes till it becomes “frothy”.

Put this yeast mixture, the egg, butter and sugar and salt in a larger bowl (or bowl of your processor/ machine). Mix well, and then add the flour and the powdered cardamom. Knead well until you have a dough that is soft, smooth and elastic. Add just as much more flour or water to achieve this consistency of dough.

Take the dough out and flatten it into a largish round (shape is not important). Sprinkle the fruit and raisins evenly and then roll it up, swiss roll style. This is a good way to knead in fruit into bread dough. Then just knead the dough lightly by hand and roll it up into a ball.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover loosely and let it rise till double in volume, for about an hour or so. When done, lightly knead the dough to deflate t slightly and shape it into a ball. Place it on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet (You can also bake it in a cake or loaf tin if you wish). Let it rise for about 45 minutes.

If you’re using the egg wash, then brush it over the top of the dough. Otherwise brush it with milk and sprinkle it with crushed sugar cubes or chopped almonds.  Ignore this step if you’re going to use the icing.

Bake at 180C (350F) for about 30 minutes till the bread is golden brown and done. If you find the bread browning too quickly, cover it with foil after about 15 minutes in the oven to avoid further browning.

Cool it on a rack. Let it cool completely before you slice it or ice it. For the icing, mix together the ingredients for the icing till you have an icing of pouring consistency. Pour over the bread and let it set.

This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Sheermal/Shirmal, pane asiatico allo zafferano

 English recipe here

La ricetta scelta da Aparna questo mese per il gruppo We Knead To Bake riguarda lo Sheermal.

Lo Sheermal o Shirmal è un pane al latte semidolce tradizionale allo zafferano, presente in vari paesi della sub-continente asiatico, tra cui Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan e India. Assomiglia al Naan e pare sia di origine persiana dato che il suo nome deriva dalla parola sheer, latte in lingua persiana. In India, questo pane al latte si trova soprattutto nei quartieri musulmani del Kashmir, Lucknow e Hyderabad.
Come questo pane venga servito e come lo si degusti cambia leggermente a seconda di dove viene prodotto. Si possono infatti trovare alcuni Sheermal decorati in superficie, i Lucknowi Sheermal sono guarniti con uva passa, ad altri ancora piace usare le mandorle a scaglie, i semi di papavero o di sesamo come decorazione finale.
Solitamente questi panini si mangiano così al naturale con il tè della prima colazione, oppure serviti tiepidi come accompagnamento ad un pasto con un curry di montone chiamato Nihari/Nehari o con degli spiedini piccanti. Può anche essere servito con Khurma/ Korma/ Qorma o con un curry di verdure.

Si può utilizzare sia lievito secco o compresso che chimico per dolci.
Il kewra (un olio essenziale ricavato dai fiori di Pandanus  fascicularis ed  utilizzato per aromatizzare pietanze, bibite e dolci) dà a questo pane un sapore unico, così come l'acqua di rose. Non avendone, ho semplicemente usato dei semi di cardamomo pestati.

Meglio incorporare il burro chiarificato poco alla volta, in modo che si amalgami bene.
Bisogna ottenere un impasto morbido ed elastico per avere poi dei panini fantastici. Un altro passaggio da non evitare è la finitura finale scintillante con burro fuso, ogni tanto si può eccedere :-).
L'uovo rende l'impasto ancora più ricco, ma si può comunque evitare, regolando le dosi dei liquidi.

Tradizionalmente, questo è un pane che viene cotto in un tandoor, ma viene bene anche nel forno di casa.

Un paio di video per vedere come vengono solitamente fatti queste piccole focacce: in piccoli panifici commerciali e fatti in casa.

I miei Sheermal risultano più gonfi e più soffici perchè li ho stesi a mano, senza usare il matterello e senza premere troppo; ma essendo veramente gradevoli, proverò a rifarli come suggerito nei video.

Ingredienti per 4 focaccine:

8 g di lievito di birra

2 cucchiaini di zucchero
40 g di acqua tiepida
350 g di farina 0
un cucchiaino scarso di sale
1 uovo, battuto leggermente
40 g di burro chiarificato
110 g di latte 

(o poco più, come richiede l'impasto)

1 cucchiaino di kewra 

(o acqua di rose o semi di cardamomo pestati fini)

alcuni fili di zafferano sciolti in 2 cucchiai di latte o acqua tiepidi
burro fuso, per spennellare

Sciogliere il lievito nell'acqua tiepida con lo zucchero.
Si può impastare a mano o con l'aiuto di  un'impastatrice.
Mettere la farina nella ciotola, aggiungere il lievito sciolto e l'uovo sbattuto e dare qualche colpo a intermittenza per amalgamare bene. Quindi aggiungere il burro chiarificato poco per volta, ancora qualche colpo a intermittenza finchè il composto sembra sbricioloso.
Aggiungere quindi il latte e poi l'aroma scelto ed impastare fino ad ottenere un impasto molto morbido e leggermente appiccicoso (non necessariamente, però). Trasferirlo in una ciotola unta d'olio, coprire con un panno umido e lasciare lievitare fino al raddoppio (da 1 a 2 ore).
Rimuovere il panno e impastare di nuovo la pasta. Formare una palla, ungerla leggermente con un pochino di burro, coprire con un canovaccio umido e lasciare riposare per circa 20 minuti.
Dividere l'impasto in 4 parti uguali e formare delle palline. Appiattire ogni pallina fino ad ottenere delle focacce di circa 15 cm. di diametro ciascuna. Ci si può aiutare col mattarello. Posizionare ogni focaccia su una teglia ricoperta di carta forno e con una forchetta, o l'apposito attrezzo, bucherellare tutta la superficie.
Spennellare generosamente con la soluzione di zafferano e latte. Cuocere in forno a 180° per circa 10 a 15 minuti, devono prendere un bel colore dorato.
Appena fuori dal forno spennellare subito con burro fuso. Servirli tiepidi.

 

 Questa ricetta partecipa a Panissimo, evento creato da Barbara e Sandra,

questo mese ospitato da Sandra.

Sheermal/Shirmal, Saffron Flavoured Bread

la ricetta in italiano qui

For this month's challenge of We Knead To Bake group th choice went to Sheermal (or Shirmal).

I didn't know this bread, but Aparna always give enough info about anything she chooses to bake:

Sheermal or Shirmal is a saffron-flavored slightly sweet traditional leavened flatbread that is found in various countries on the Asian sub-continent including Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
Sheermal is a Naan-like milk bread, apparently of Persian origins, and it is suggested that the name comes from the Persian word for milk which is sheer. In India, this milk bread is predominantly found in Muslim neighbourhoods (another reason to suppose it came to India with the Mughals) of Kashmir, Lucknow and Hyderabad.
The finished flatbread and when it is served/ how it is eaten, seems to differ slightly depending on where it is made. So you will find that some Sheermal decorated with a lovely pricked rustic pattern on its surface, Lucknowi Sheermal garnished with raisins, others like to use slivered almonds, poppy seeds or sesame seeds to top their Sheermal.
Sheermal is usually eaten as it is with tea for breakfast, or served slightly warm as part of a meal with a mutton curry called Nihari/ Nehari or spicy kebabs. It can also be served with Khurma/ Korma/ Qorma, vegetable curries, etc.

Sheermal can be made with either baking powder or yeast as the leavening agent, and this version uses yeast. The kewra (screw pine extract) gives a unique flavour, as well as rose water/essence. 

I couldn't find any of them and just used crushed cardamom instead.
Pay attention to add the ghee a little at a time so to amalgamate evenly and give a better texture.
The dough should come out soft, elastic and well kneaded as this will produce a superior Sheermal. The hallmark of good Sheermal is the glistening finish on the flatbread from brushing it with melted ghee or butter, so do not skimp on that, even though this flatbread is already rich as it is.
The egg gives extra richness, texture and flavour to the dough, but you can leave it out if you don’t use eggs.
Traditionally, this is a bread that is cooked in a tandoor, but the oven also produces quite good Sheermal.

Two videos to help: how Sheermal is made in smaller commercial bakeries, and a good demonstration on how to make/shape Sheermal.

My Sheermals were puffier and softer as I did not use a rolling pin and did not pressed them too much, but will try them again thinner as shown in the videos.

Serving 4 Sheermals:

1 tsp active dried yeast
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup milk 

(or more, as required for kneading)
1 tsp kewra water (screw pine essence) or rose water

(or crushed cardamom seeds)

a few strands saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk or water

melted butter, for brushing

Mix the yeast into the warm water with sugar and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes till it is frothy. You may knead by hand or with a machine. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg and run the processor a couple of times to mix well. Then add the ghee in two lots to this and again pulse a couple of times till it looks like fine crumbs.
Now add as much milk, and finally the kewra (or rose water) and knead until you have a very soft and slightly sticky dough. Transfer this to an oiled bowl, cover with a moist cloth and let the dough rise till doubled in volume (about 1 to 2 hours). Remove the cloth and knead the dough again. Shape into a ball, lightly coat all over with a little ghee, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Now divide the dough into 4 equal portions and using your fingers, press out each portion into a round of approximately 4” diameter (about 1/8” thick). You can also use your rolling pin, or hust do with your fingers. 

Place the rounds on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking tray and using a fork, dock (prick holes) the whole surface of the dough rounds. Brush them all over, generously, with the saffron-milk solution. Bake at 180C (350F) for about 10 to 15 minutes till they turn a lovely golden brown. Do not over-bake them.

Take them out of the oven, and immediately brush them lightly with melted butter or more ghee. Serve warm.

This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Pav Bhaji: welcome to India!

l'annuncio in Italiano qui

 Namaste

 (नमस्ते)

Balrampur - Uttar Pradesh

Welcome to India, second stop of our long cultural & culinary tour of the new ABC journey.
I am very happy and proud to be the ambassador, as very fond of this people, its traditions and its food.
Not easy at all to make a summary in a few lines of this vast region, so many differences in everywhere. But we have three weeks time to spend in this country, enough to enjoy and share more than one recipe and living custom, and post after post we'll be able to enrich the cultural heritage of this great Asian country.
Should you like to join World Culinary ABC just have a look at all details and rules here, I will be very happy and honored to recieve your entries!

India, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Ganarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. 

Home to the ancient  Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the  British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by  non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by  purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and a multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.
India's coastline measures 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi) in length; of this distance, 5,423 kilometres (3,400 mi) belong to peninsular India and 2,094 kilometres (1,300 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep island chains.
Major Himalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the economically and culturally pivotal summer and winter monsoons. The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes. The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden south-west summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall. Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.

The Indian film industry produces the world's most-watched cinema.

Cotton was domesticated in India by 4000 B.C.E. Traditional Indian dress varies in colour and style across regions and depends on various factors, including climate and faith. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as the  sari for women and the  dhoti or lungi for men. Stitched clothes, such as the  shalwar kameez for women and kurta–pyjama combinations or European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Use of delicate jewellery, modelled on real flowers worn in ancient India, is part of a tradition dating back some 5,000 years; gemstones are also worn in India as talismans (from wikipedia).

India is a very wide country and food vary from region to region.
Therefore Indian kitchen is very rich and it's an amazing result of so many different regional kitchens, each peculiar and delicious.
In the North, with a temperate climate, breeding rams is very popular and lamb is cooked slowly in oven. Going to the South, passing through  Delhi and Punjab, we find richer food: they eat chicken too, and ghee is mostly used. Bread is preferred to rice. On East coast, around Bengal Bay, fish is largely used, for sea and numerous rivers all around. Hot and humid climate helps palm tree grow easily and coconut is so often used in recipes.
On West coast, in Gujarat, most people are vegetarian and they largely eat vegetables and cereals as well as in Tamil Nada, at the very South.
In Goa and Malabar humid and tropical climate allows to grow coconut, banana, date palm trees, and fish and crustanceans are numerous.
In South India the foodstar is rice and steamed food is the most favourite. Quite all dishes are traditionally very hot, much more than in Northern regions.
India counts several and different races and religions, very influent about food, with rules to be respected. Muslims and Jews don't eat pork, while for Hindus and Sikhs beef is forbidden. Quite most Hindus are strictly vegetarians, but many include fish and crustanceans in their diet because they are considered harvest of the sea.
When you cook Indian recipes don't be afraid about how much spices or chili to put inside, be generous as you like, keep the recipe lighter if you like, or add some more ingredients if you need. As Indians say. it's your personal touch Hath ki bat that makes the difference!
And last but not least, tea, as India is one of the major producer in the world and Darjeeling is considered the world's finest tea, and almost all of it is exported.

I have many Indian cookbooks, I love this kitchen, its spices and perfumes, some of which bought in India by a dear friend of mine who lived there for a while (and still work somehow), and she promised to take me there as soon as possible.
I also follow blog friends in India, and the Indian FBAI is twinned with our local AIFB, I belong to.
To begin the collection of Indian recipes I followed a recipe from Aparna's blog My Diverse Kitchen, she's also the founder of baking group We Knead to Bake.

I love street food and believe that it's the direct expression of most real emotions and culinary traditions of a country. India too is part of this great stret food community, with stalls everywhere, so attractive and persistently fragrant.

Aparna says that if anyone ask an Indian what street food is his favorite, his most frequent response will be Bhelpuri, Panipuri and Pav Bhaji.
It seems that this specialty is born as lunch for the workers of a textile mill in Mumbai, convenient and easy to eat during their short break. Today has overcome its humble beginnings and can be found on the menu in most restaurants across the country, because it is a very easy dish to cook and serve.
The bhaji is a preparation of mixed greens with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and basic spices, very hot and red/orange colored: the vegetables are cooked and then mashed to give the consistency of a thick gravy, mashed type. It is usually served with chopped raw onion and fresh cilantro, a dash of lime juice and a generous dollop of butter, accompanied by the typical pav. To handle the spiciness of the dish, the trick is to eat a little raw onion in advance, so to low the impact of the overwhelming hot feeling in your mouth (but perhaps it would be sufficient to use less chili).
A local custom says that you have not eaten the real pav bhaji until you have it on the beach, where the beach is Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai.
Do not miss this video, where Vikas Kumar shows us how a street vendor (his stall is called Chandan Laxmi Pav Bhaji and Fast Food) prepare bhaji on this great iron skillet called Tava: speed and ability as he crushes and mixes vegetables are amazing. And that is  Juhu Chowpatty Beach.

The pav (often called pao or pau in honor of the Portuguese inheritance) are sweet soft rolls baked in a row.
Then they take a couple, cut in half and crashed into the melted butter and served with vegetable sauce.
In Marathi pad means a quarter, and the name probably derives from the custom of serving pav bhaji accompanied by 4 sandwiches together.
But in Hindi it means feet, and another legend says that the dough for these buns, produced in huge quantities, was done with feet instead of hands, so to make enough for the huge demand.
In this video Nisha Madhulika shows us (in original language) how to make pav. Or you can follow English instructions in Cooking Shooking video.

Laadi Pav

Serving 8 rolls:

250 g allpurpose flour
130/150 g warm milk
1 tbs extravirgin olive oil or softened butter
1 tbs honey or sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast or 5 g fresh yeast
melted butter for brushing

Dissolve the fresh yeast in milk (for dry yeast follow instructions on the bag).
In a bowl pour flour and sugar and begin to knead, adding the milk little by little, oil (or butter) and salt at last.
It should be a very soft dough. Shape into a ball and let it rest in a greased bowl, covered, until doubled.
Then transfer the dough onto the working surface and divide in half, then into quarters and finally into eighths.
Roll each piece in a little ball and place to rest in a rectangular mold (lined with parchement paper) slightly spaced, covered with a damp cloth for about 30/40 minutes.
Bake at 200° for 10-13 minutes, should not darken much.
Once removed from the oven brush with melted butter and let cool on a rack.

This recipe also goes to Susan's weekly YeastSpotting.

Bhaji

 (spicy veg curry)

The same word but with different pronunciation: Bhaji (pronounced bhaaji) means vegetable, while Bhaji (pronounced bhajji) means fritters, so be aware when you oder at the restaurant :-).

Vegetables' texture, usually mashed, may also be a little different, into small pieces if you like.
You can use the pav bhaji masala *, like the one I got from India, or make a mix such as in Aparna's recipe (I just did half and half). Usually a third of a teaspoon for every spice, but the amount is at your pleasure, as well as your favorite chili, more or less spicy.

* spice mix as follows, in descending order: coriander - chili - mango - cumin - iodized salt - fennel - cassia - ginger - black pepper - clove - cardamom - nutmeg - caraway - star anise - mace

You need:

mixed vegetables
(carrot, cauliflower, beans, peas)
1 large potato
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
grated fresh ginger
extra virgin olive oil
turmeric
paprika
coriander
cumin
garam masala
 fresh coriander

Steam carrot, cauliflower, beans and peas.
Blanch tomatoes, remove skin and cut into cubes.
Use a large wok: stir-fry garlic and ginger in a couple of tablespoons of oil, add chopped onion and cook over high heat until slightly translucent (if necessary add a little water so it does not burn).
Add tomatoes and cook until very soft. Mash well with a spoon.
Add the spice mix and cook over medium heat until the raw smell of them disappears.
Mash the vegetables with a fork or a masher until you have a puree and add it to the wok.
Season with salt, add half a glass of water and cook 5/10 minutes until well blended, adding a little more water if necessary.
Before serving, add a few tablespoons of melted butter and garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

How to serve pav bhaji: melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a frying pan.  Slice two pieces of the pav sideways and place both, cut sides down, on the melted butter and allow the pav to absorb the butter and brown slightly. Place the sandwich on a plate, add a few tablespoons of bhaji aside (even inside the sandwich) and serve with the remaining chopped onion, a few drops of fresh lime juice and a spoonful of melted butter.

Looking forward for your recipes till Nov., 16th.

Namaste

 (नमस्ते)

La nostra raccolta indiana - Our Indian Collection

Salato - Savoury

Pav Bhaji
Raita 
Nimki

Cinzia

Paneer, formaggio fresco
 Navrathna Kurma, verdure con formaggio (paneer) fritto Cavolfiore al curry  Gata da Plar

Pakora di verdure tritate con chutney di cipolla
Fr@

Mughlai chicken, pollo speziato con mandorle
Mushroom & Chicken Masala, Masala di funghi e ceci
Chilli Chicken, pollo alle spezie e peperoni
Chicken Tikka Masala
Lucia

Spiedini paneer tikka
Paneer tikka
Marinata vindaloo
Spezzatino di manzo al vindaloo
Marta

Fusi di Pollo con Menta e Coriandolo in Stile Kerala Indiano
 Sweet Potato Saag Aloo - Curry Indiano di Patate Dolci e Spinaci  Morena

Biryani vegetariano
Tamara

 Cheppankizhangu/Seppankilangu Varuval - Taro root roast - Radice di taro al forno
Cristina

Indian-style Spicy Chicken 
Pakora 
Chicken Biryani
Eloisa

Tandoori Murghi
Jhinga Tandoori
Carla Emilia

Phool Kopir Dalna
Pinko 

Zuppa Mulligatawny
 Pollo al tikka masala con riso thay e pomodori piccantini
Elena 

Merluzzo con Fish-Curry Masala
Sara

Dahl Indiano e Basmati alla Curcuma
Sabrina

Punjabi Aloo Chole
Rosa Maria

Samosa alle verdure
Resy

Besan ka Cheela e Raita alla menta
Manuela

Aloo Tikki - Polpette di patate e piselli - Potato & Pea Patties 
 Khiceri
Terry

Potoler Dolma
Sanhita 

Panch Phoran - Masala bengalese 
Cristina 

Dum Aloo Punjabi
 Merce

Chana Masala
Alejandro 

Raita ai cachi - Persimmon Raita
Simona





 

Pani - Bread


Butter Naan
Lucia

Chapati o Roti
Puri - Pane fritto
Resy

Chapati 
Naan
Eloisa

Naan
Dosa di lenticchie rosse 
Miss Roti
Tamara

Pane Naan
Carla Emilia

Pane Naan al pepe nero e cardamomo 
Parathas
Alessandra

Gajar Paratha - Carrot Paratha - Pane ripieno alle carote
Cristina

Naan al Curry e Chapati - Curried Naan & Chapati
 Cinzia

Chapati
Alejandro 

Chapathi e Metha Parathi
Terry




 


Dolci - Sweet


Kulfi gelato
Marta

Patisa o Soan Papdi 
Nankathai
Coconut Ladoo e Rava Coconut Ladoo
 Jalebi
Chocolate Sandesh 
Karanji
Resy

Indian Milk Cake
Mysore Pak
NanKathai 
Aparna K.

Singhare Halwa - Dolce alle castagne
Morena

Dolcetti al cocco
Tamara 

Kesar Suji Halwa
Anisja

Chawal ki Kheer
Rosa Maria 





 


Drinks


 
The Chai Masala
Marta

Royal Bengal Tiger Tea - Cognac Indian Tea
Kela ka Rayta 

Hot Ginger
Cinzia

Guava Lassi
Saffron Lassi - Lassi allo zafferano
Terry

Golden Milk
Rosa Maria

Golden Milk
Morena

Masala Chai
Elena