Monthly Archives: December 2014

20 Dec
2014

Whole Wheat Banana Cranberry Oat Bread with Greek Yogurt

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Recipe

I ran out of WHITE flour.Something that’s never happened before thanks to all the baking I’ve done in the past.Realized it only when I had to bake “Sheermal” a few days back. I barely had a cup of flour so had no choice but to halve the recipe.Of late I have made a switch to whole grains. On any given day you will always find Whole Wheat, Amaranth flour,Quinoa flour,coconut flour,Sorghum etc at home. I resort to white flour only when participating in blog events. I am so glad I made this change as I feel a lot satisfied and enjoy these baked goodies without any guilt.

When you have overripe bananas…you make Banana Bread. Don’t we all? I made my Banana Bread with organic whole wheat pastry flour( I love the 365 brand from whole foods), oats,brown sugar, eggs and cranberries. It was moist and slightly dense.

Cranberries are a great addition to this bread… they add to the sweetness . I have made a similar bread with Amaranth flour but felt it wasn’t sweet enough, so this time I added two extra tablespoon of brown sugar to this recipe. But after tasting the bread I realized that it was not required, the cranberries do the trick.

Whole Wheat Banana Cranberry Oat Bread with Greek Yogurt

A wholesome bread with the goodness of oats,wheat flour, bananas and cranberries.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup old fashioned oats dry
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
a pinch salt
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
½ cup + 2 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup nonfat greek yogurt, plain
2 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract(optional)
a teaspoon orange zest (optional)

Instructions

Whisk together flour, Oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl mix banana, egg, sugar, yogurt and oil. Add in the cranberries. Stir gently the banana mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over mix the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. Let it cool slightly and then remove from the pan. Slice them into ¾ inch pieces and serve warm.

Notes

152 Cal; 4g Fat; 26g Carb;3g Protein;13g Sugar; 2g Fiber

http://www.thefoodielovers.com/2014/12/whole-wheat-banana-cranberry-oat-bread-with-greek-yogurt/

Enjoy!

Categories : Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Wholegrain, Yogurt | 2 Comments »

8 Dec
2014

Sheermal / Shirmal ( Saffron Flavored Flatbread)

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Aparna chose “Sheermal”for the “We need to Bake”group few months back. I finally got to bake it last week. I didn’t have enough flour in hand so halved the below recipe and made just two Sheermal’s.

Sheermal or Shirmal is a saffron based traditional flatbread which is a rare Lucknow and Hyderabadi delicacy. They are also made in Bangladesh,Iran and Pakistan. This mildly sweet bread is made with simple ingredients – Flour, Sugar, Egg, Milk, Ghee(clarified butter) and not to forget the key ingredient “Saffron”.

According to Aparna - incorporating the ghee into the dough slowly by adding a little at a time ensures that the fat is dispersed evenly through the dough, and gives a better texture to the Sheermal. Make sure your dough is 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 the dough a little extra richness, texture and flavour, but you can leave it out if you don’t use eggs.

Traditionally these are cooked in a Tandoor, but oven is a good choice too. Some recipes call for leavening agent but this version uses yeast. I did not have “Kewra” ( screw pine extract) so used rose water. But to be honest I couldn’t feel the rose water flavour in the bread. You can also try using cardamom instead of Kewra/ Rose Water. You can garnish it with raisins, poppy seeds, slivered almonds etc.

This video is a film showing how Sheermal is made in smaller commercial bakeries - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-6gZYWUrEo

This video gives a good demonstartiuon on how to make/ shape Sheermal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD_74g36bJI

Sheermal / Shirmal ( Saffron Flavored Flatbread)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4

A traditional Saffron Flavored Flatbread!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon active dried yeast
2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 cup milk (or more, as required for kneading)
1 teaspoon kewra water (screw pine essence) or rose water
A few strands saffron soaked in 2 tablespoon warm milk
Melted butter, for brushing

Instructions

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, but I found it quite easy to do with my 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 makes 4 Sheermals of approximately 4” diameter.

http://www.thefoodielovers.com/2014/12/sheermal-shirmal-saffron-flavored-flatbread/

Serve them warm with any spicy curry,vegetables,jams or pickles. My little one loved it with some Nutella Spread.

Enjoy!