Tag: bread

Spongy Challah Bread
Cakes / Pastries / Cookies/ Bread/Muffins. · Kid Friendly Recipes.

Spongy Challah Bread

ShobaLeave a comment
Soft , warm Challah Bread topped with sesame seeds

 

Challah is a Jewish plaited bread that is eaten with the first course on the sabbath eve. It’s also eaten the next day at breakfast and lunch. When we saw all social media grids flooded with all kinds of freshly baked bread, we knew that this was something I wanted to try. All the staying at home during the pandemic made us excited to lay our hands on yeast baking. We loved the soft soft pillowy texture and this could stay perfect for almost 5 days…that is if you manage to not eat it for that long!

Ingredients:

3.5 cups (500g) Flour

1 tbsp (10g) instant dry yeast

3.5 tbsp (42g) white sugar

1 Egg for Baking

1 Egg for brushing

¼ cup (50g) canola oil

1 cup – 2 tbsp (200ml) warm water

1 tsp (6g) salt

Directions:

1.In a large mixing bowl sift all-purpose flour, add yeast, sugar and mix. Add 1 egg, warm water and oil.

2.With a dough hook attachment, knead the dough on low speed for 2 minutes, then add the salt and knead 5-6 minutes more.

3.Shape a ball from the dough and place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise about an hour (until double in size) in a warm place. (This is Rise 1)

4.Cut the dough into 3 pieces (if you want 1 large challah).

5.Roll each piece of dough into a long rope roughly 1-inch thick and start braiding the dough

6.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully life and put the loaf on top, cover with towel and let rise about an hour. (This is Rise 2)

7.Preheat oven to 360F / 180c .

After Rise 2.

8.Brush with beaten egg or warm milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

9.Bake 20-30 minutes until the top browns to a rich golden color (depends on loaf size/ Oven Capabiliy/ Humidity).

10.Let cool at least 30 minutes.

Notes:

Please document rising times/ baking times in your location as there are various small factors that might cause differences.

I used king Arthur unbleached All Purpose Flour. Please try recipe as is and make modifications and substitutions.

 

Brisk Breakfast · Easy LunchBox Series. · Kid Friendly Recipes. · Snacks & Tiffin Items

5 Minute Tomato Cilantro Cheese Sandwich!!!

Shoba8 Comments

Onion Tomato Cheese Sandwich
Onion Tomato Cheese Sandwich

I distinctly remember the first time ever I made a sandwich using a sandwich maker. My aunt had got us a Rowenta Sandwich Maker from the US some fifteen years ago…when it was still unheard of in India. My mom was not too keen to switch to alternate ways of making bread. In her mind, it was pretty satisfactory to toast the bread on a tawa and have it with butter once in a blue moon. My sister was way too young. The others could simply not muster enough time to sit through the ardous task of getting a pin converter and reading the instructions to even start operating it. I had rememberd seeing litttle gadgets in the Home Life Exhibitions, where they had a little bread shaped steel thing, where you could place the bread with the filling and manually toast it over the flame, holding it with the handles provided. It was a novel way of presenting the mundane bread. So I set aside a sunday morning to experiment…and my cousins were only too happy to sample the results of my venture!!!

The first time, I greased the electric plates, placed the bread slices on both sides and wondered what to fill in? I simply pulled out an onion and a tomato and sliced them in to very thin pieces and gingerly placed them on the bread. Sprinkled salt and pepper and some cilantro and covered the filling with the second slice of bread. We all waited with bated breath and were rewarded with the sweet smell of the onions and tomatoes and cilantro roasting in the little apparatus. Three minutes later, the red indicator light switched off and I used a pair of tongs and retrieved the sandwich pieces which were already sliced in to two by now. Crisp on the sides, yet cooked on the inside, it was a tasty treat that morning. From then on it was my own little piece of work as I would find creative fillngs for sandwiches. Bread now had a new intonation in our home….The sandwich had finally arrived!!!

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices of bread.

1 tomato sliced very thin.

1/2 onion sliced thin.

Salt.

Pepper.

Cilantro chopped fine.

A handful of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

Sandwich Maker.

PREPARATION:

  • Grease the 4 electric plates with cooking spray and allow to preheat for a few minutes.
  • Place the bread slices and arrange the tomato and onion slices alternately.
  • Sprinkle salt and crushed pepper and then generous helping of Mozzarella Cheese.
  • Sprinkle the cilantro and then place the second slice of bread and close.
  • After about 3 minutes, take out golden brown, crusty on the sides, Tomato Cilantro Cheese Sandwich.
  • Serve HOT with yummy tomato ketchup.

HINT:

Serves as an excellent breakfast and quick snack for kids when they come back from school.

Great for packing for short trips and Picnic Lunches, as they are easily eatable with no fuss.

Variations in the filling give an almost completely different taste to the sandwich.

Use peanut butter, apple butter, Alu Masal, Cheese, fruit slices, grilled veggies etc for fillings.

Packing away some, for the Cooking for Kids Event hosted by Divya of Dil Se and brainchild of Sharmi of Neivedyam.


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Easy LunchBox Series. · Kid Friendly Recipes.

Instant Healthy Bread Pizza & Masala Bread Chat

Shoba6 Comments

My daughter has always been a poor eater all the way. And like any another kid, getting her to have her daily dose of vegetables is a pretty herculean task. I some times wonder how big chunks of pasta and pizza can get past her oesophagus in a matter of seconds, but rasam sadam and keerai always seems to get stuck some where midway!!! But, as is the dilemma of other moms, I have to invent creative little dinners for her to eat, on the other hand, make sure that she does not lose her veggie spread . Yesterday I had to create a quick fix one for daughter and one for the dear dad for a Valentine Day Pre Party snack!!! They both enjoyed it and I did too…

INSTANT BREAD PIZZA:

 

Instant Bread Pizza

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup The prepared Vegetable Topping.

Tomato Ketchup.

Salt to sprinkle.

1/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese grated.

Bhujiya to sprinkle

ASSEMBLY:

  • Take a single slice of bread either slightly toasted or plain. Start by smearing a single layer of tomato ketchup. Alternatively you could use Marinara sauce, but the ketchup does not make the bread soggy and allows whatever is placed about it to stay in place.
  • Scoop a big chunk of the prepared topping and flatten it over the layer of ketchup.
  • Add a small dash of the bhujiya and top over that with mozzarella cheese.
  • Pop it for just 30 seconds in the microwave and serve it to your child and enjoy the smiles and praises you get right there!!!
  • Mine said “Mommy, you are the best”!!!…and my day was made!!!

Flagging off this post to The Bread Mania – by Bayleaf.

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QUICK BREAD CHAT:

 

Quick Bread Chat

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of prepared vegetable topping.

Tomato Ketchup.

Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Pudina Chutney.

Salt to sprinkle.

A spoon of chopped onions to sprinkle.

Corriander to garnish.

ASSEMBLY:

  • Take a single slice of lightly toasted or plain bread. Spread over it, a thin layer of tomato ketchup.
  • Scoop the vegetable filling and flatten. Add a dash of sweet tamarind chutney and pudina chutney.
  • Add a garnish of bhujiya, raw onions and chopped corriander.
  • Serve as it is – Almost felt to me like a quick chat snack!!!..and smelt like one too…

The chunky topping is a combination of the following:

3 Medium Potatoes  cooked and mashes.

1/2 Onion chopped.

1/4 cup Peas

1/4 cup beans

1/4 cup carrots.

1 spoon of salt

1/4 spoon of amchur.

1/4 spoon of dhania powder.

1/4 spoon of red chilli powder.

Corriander to garnish.

Pinch of turmeric.

Jeera to season.

PREPARATION:

  • In a kadai, add oil and when warm add a pinch of jeera and the onions. Saute till they turn pinkish brown.
  • Add the carrots, mashed potatoes, peas and beans and stir in turmeric and salt.
  • Drop in the powders – amchur, red chilli powder, dhania powder and incorporate them in to the mixture.
  • When nicely cooked, switch off and allow to cool. Garnish with chopped corriander.
  • This cold be a base for any filling – Stuffed Capsicum, Stuffed Tomatoes, Vegetable Puffs, sandwiches etc.