Buttery Croissants - We Knead to Bake # 2

Croissants - well that word itself takes you on a beautiful buttery, flaky, aroma filled tasty journey into France. Well, atleast thats what it does for me and for my better half too.
We love croissants - but, then who doesn't???
I had never baked croissants before. You can say that the amount of butter thats goes into the preparation and then the consumption was what had scared me the most. Infact after getting to know how croissants are made, we had avoided these yummy treats - yup, its been over 5 years, we have savored these yummm treats only about twice a year, every year.
Ofcorse when Aparna mentioned in the facebook group that the bread we will be baking for the month of Feb is a buttery indulgence - somehow we all knew it was going to be a croissant. And yes indeed croissants it was.
After reading the recipe she posted and watching the amazing informative video - I was a bit intimidated with regards to the length of time needed to get the final crescent shaped pastry. She did mention we could give this month a pass if we did not want to use butter for health or any other reasons. I actually thought of letting it go this month. But, then the posts started pouring in and after looking at all the buttery and yummy goodness - I was tempted to make them too.
I am so glad I got over my fear of cooking with butter and making a pastry and flaky dough and made these beautiful looking treats. My almost 3 year old kiddo loved them the most - and thats like the most amazing appreciation anyone could ever ask for.

I adapted the recipe from girl vs dough. I just halved the recipe, as I was just trying it for the first time and was really not sure how it would turn out. Well, no complaints there - it turned out great. Do visit the site for all the steps - she has done a fabulous job.
I am taking the liberty to write the recipe kinda just like how Stephanie has written on her blog. However, the measurements are half as I used half of everything she mentioned.

Ingredients

3/4 cup warm whole or 2 percent milk (about 105-110 degrees F)
1/8 cup sugar
1 and 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled in the fridge
1 tablespoon milk for the wash over the croissants

Method

In the bowl whisk together warm milk, sugar and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes untill it becomes nice and foamy. This shows that the yeast is working and its now ready.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups flour and salt to this yeasty mixture and mix well till it forms a nice and sticky dough. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes to get there.
You can do this by hand or use your stand mixer with the dough attachment to do it for you.
Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand for 2-3 minutes, adding more of the remaining flour as needed just until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. Shape dough into a 1 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cover it lightly with flour, so that it does not stick to the plastic wrap you are going to wrap it in. Place in fridge 1 hour to chill.
While the dough is chilling, make the butter packet. Place sticks of butter together on a sheet of plastic wrap. Top with another sheet of plastic wrap - using a rolling pin and your hands, thwack, beat, roll out and press the butter into an even, flat, 4-by-2 and 1/2-inch rectangle (be as precise as possible). Wrap the butter up in the plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill.
Remove dough from fridge and from plastic wrap. Place on a lightly floured surface and press the dough into a 8-by-5-inch rectangle (be sure the edges and the corners are as well-shaped as possible) - Do this with a rolling pin and shape it with your fingers. Remove butter packet from fridge and from plastic wrap and place in center of dough, short ends of butter packet parallel to long ends of dough. Fold top half of dough over butter packet, then fold bottom half of dough over it like a business letter. Rotate dough so the short end faces you.
With the short end facing you, flatten the dough evenly by pressing the rolling pin onto the surface (try not to roll it out right away). When the dough has flattened, roll it out to a precise 7-by-5-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again like a business letter, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Repeat the above step (“With the short end facing you… chill for 1 hour”) three more times, chilling the dough for 1 hour between each fold, for a total of four folds. After the fourth fold, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight, or 8-12 hours.
The next morning, unwrap the dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 10-by-16-inches. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 triangles. Cut a small slit at the bottom of each triangle and roll up like a crescent roll. For chocolate croissants, place 1/2 to 1 ounce of dark chocolate in the bottom center of the triangle before rolling up.
Place croissants about 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover with tea towels and let rise until puffy, about 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush each croissant with milkwash and bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely on baking sheets before consuming.

Note: Croissants will keep fresh in a plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. For longer life, keep them in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. (These were notes from Stephanie)

I baked about 6 of those croissants. The balance I froze immediately after getting them into a crescent shape. When I want to bake them - I will just thaw them in the fridge for about 8 hours and then line them on a baking sheet and let them proof at room temperature for about 3 to 4 hours or till they get fluffed up. Bake them at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes and savor them with jam, butter, tea or make a nice sandwich out of them.

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken - yummmmmmmm

I am sure everyone who is a lover of paneer and chicken would have never missed out on the butter paneer or the butter chicken meal with paratha.
It is a dish that you will find in every Indian restaurant menu. Its buttery, tangy, spicy and just yummy.

I have enjoyed amazing butter chicken at 'Urban Tadka' in Andheri in Mumbai, India - ofcorse this was almost seven years ago.

After moving to the US - we never liked the butter chicken served at the restaurants here. It seemed to be only a creamy curry with red color in it and with dry pieces of tandoori chicken which seemed bland.
Alas - had to try and make this stuff at home to enjoy the flavors.
This has been a regular at our home with paneer, chicken and even with mix veggies.

Ingredients

Marinade for chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup sour cream OR hung curd
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1 teaspo0n salt

For Gravy
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
2 cloves
5 peppercorns
small piece of mace
3 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
7 ti 8 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger - juilined
1/4 cup buter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (crushed)
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnishing

Method

For tandoori chicken/chicken tikka
In a big bowl add tandoori masala, curry powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, sour cream and salt and mix well. Massage this mixtures onto the chicken pieces with your hands so that all the chicken is evenly covered in the tandoori masala. Cover and put aside for at least an hour (overnight is ideal).
Put them on a skewer and cook them in an oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. you get nice cooked chicken tikka. Take them out of the skewer and let them sit covered.

For the Gravy
In a karahi add 1/8 cup of butter. When it melts add the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, mace and let it saute and emit a nice fragrance - be careful not to burn the spices. Take them out in a plate. In the same oil, add chopped garlic and chopped onions and fry/saute till they get a nice golden brown color. Add the kasuri methi and mix well till all the onion pieces are coated with kasuri methi. Now add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes till the tomatoes get all mushy. Now add tandoori masala and salt to taste and let this mixture cool.
Once the masala mixture has cooled down - add the sauted spices and this mixture into a blender and mix to form a smooth paste. No need to add water as the tomatoes will be liquidy enough.
In the same karahi, add the balance 1/8 cup butter. When it gets hot, add the juliened ginger and saute for about 20 seconds. Now add the tomato and spice paste and mix well. Cover and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Now add the cooked chicken and mix well. Add the heavy cream and check salt. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot nans, rotis or rice.

Gatte ki Sabzi (gram flour dumplings in a yogurt sauce)

I still remember the first time I had seen this dish - it was on a TV documentary about a decade ago about 'Palace on Wheels' - yup, the luxury train launched by Indian Railways for tourism in Rajasthan. This dish was prepared to be served to passengers on the train - and the chef was kind enough to show us the preparation of this dish. The besan dumplings in the yogurt sauce looked yummy.

Well, I had forgotten all about this dish after that TV show - untill, my birthday lunch at 'Rajdhani' the restaurant at 'Inorbit Mall'. Had this stuff there and remembered 'Palace on wheels'.......... that reminds me............. Gotta take a trip on 'Palace on Wheels' - its one of the things on my bucket list 

My husband is not a huge fan of yogurt based curries. However, I do force him to eat this stuff by bribing him with a nice chicken or fish dish for the next meal - evil me!!! However, he did like this dish and enjoyed the gatte more then the curry.

Tried to recollect the recipe that I saw on the TV documentary and recreate it in my kitchen. 

Ingredients

For the Gatte

1 cup of Besan /Gram Flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh methi leaves OR 2 teaspoons kasuri methi
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 spoon Dhania Jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1/2 teaspoon ajwain/carom seeds
1 tablespoon oil
water to knead

For the Curry
2 cups yogurt
4 tablespoons besan/gram flour
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
2 tablespoons kasuri methi
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 dried red chilis
2 tablespoons oil
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

For Gatte

Combine all the ingredients for the gatte - except the water. Mix well allowing the oil to mix evenly, it will look like a crumpled mixture. Now add water 1 teaspoon at a time to knead into a stiff dough which can be handled easily (it should not be sticky).

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and make into ½ inch diameter smooth rolls. Heat a saucepan with enough water and let it boil. Add the rolls to the boiling water and let it cook. You know the gatte are done when they float to the top of the water.

Strain the water from the gatte and cut it into 1/2 inch pieces.
You can then fry them to a golden brown or spray some oil and put them in an oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 minutes to get a nice golden crust. Let them sit aside.

For Curry

Add the besan, turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania jeera powder, asafoetida and kasuri methi to the curd and whisk well so that there are no lumps. In a karahi add oil. When it gets hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter, then add the cumin and the fennel seeds and the red chillis and let it fry for about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of water and let it boil well till you can smell the cumin and fennel. Get the heat to a medium and add the yogurt mixture to the tempered water. Let it boil and cook till the gravy leaves oil. If the gravy seems too thick, you can add some water. Add the gatte to this gravy and salt to taste and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Let the gravy sit for about half hour before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with hot rice or rotis.

Pull Apart Bread - flavored with long hot peppers and cilantro spread - We Knead to Bake # 1

Bread Baking is fun and addictive. Its therapeutic for me. And the beauty is husband and kiddo love the bread baked at home and we cannot seem to get enough of it. We rarely buy bread from the store. Store bought bread means there is something wrong with the oven at home or maybe the baker is sick :)
The aromas, the yeast, the waiting in anticipation for the dough to rise.......... all of these are what make baking bread fun. I have learnt and experimented various breads over the past couple of years. And I am still learning and experimenting.

Today morning I wake up and check Facebook and what do I see.......... loaves and loaves of pull apart breads. I was wondering how is it that everyone I know is baking a pull-apart bread. Well, the answer was in all the blog posts.......... it was for a project We Knead to Bake. I instantly wanted to be a part of this group and joined in the fun.
Aparna who authors at My Diverse Kitchen is the brains behind this project. Each month, Aparna chooses a bread recipe for the group to bake within that month and on the 24th the breads are posted on the various blogs and a link added to her post. I for one have never participated in any blog event or project ever. However, this is one project I would love to be part of and would love to participate.

Ingredients

For the Dough
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 3/4 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter, soft at room temperature
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary - crushed
3/4 cup milk (+ a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread)

For the Filling
1 tablespoon melted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons of long hot pepper and cilantro spread
       recipe for the spread is here
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

You may use a food processor or a stand mixer - but you must knead the dough by hand to enjoy the aroma and to get some therapy too ;)
In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm milk. Keep aside for about 5 minutes till the yeast mixture bubbles up. This is called proofing of yeast.
Put 2 3/4 cup of flour, salt, softened butter, crushed rosemary and garlic powder in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to mix. Remove this into a large bowl and add the yeast mixture and the 3/4 cup of warmed milk and knead till you have a soft, smooth and elastic/ pliable dough which is not sticky. Add a little extra flour if your dough is sticking - 1 tablespoon at a time to get the right pliable feel.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in volume.
Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Deflate the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger square that is about 12’ by 12”. Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter. Evenly spread the hot pepper and cilantro spread and sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese on top. Use a rolling pin to very lightly press the topping into the dough to ensure the topping doesn’t fall off when you are stacking the strips.
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips – they do not have to be perfect. Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips. You can put the 2 strips cut from the sides in the middle of the stack so it looks neater. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).
Grease and lightly flour a 9” by 5" loaf tin. Layer the square slices, cut sides down into the loaf tin
Cover the loaf tin dough with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an hour. Lightly brush some milk over the top of the loaf. Bake the dough at 180C (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown.

The steps for cutting the dough and layering them is very well illustrated here

Click to see a collection the various pull-apart breads
created for this project

This bread has also been submitted to YeastSpotting!

Sweet Pongal - with rice, quinoa and moong daal

I love sweet pongal - also called sakkarai pongal or chakkari pongal. The velvety mixture sweetened with jaggery and smelling so yumm of ghee (clarified butter), powdered cardamom and nutmeg. 

I visit the local Balaji Temple near home - they have a canteen inside the temple and the pongal there is just divine. I love the pongal and the boondi laddoos they serve there. 

I had made pongal last year during sankranti and it was a little seet for my liking - I guess the jaggery used was a bit too much.

This year I tried my hand at this sweet treat again during Sankranti. I used rice, moong dal and quinoa along with jaggery and ghee to make this. Turned out pretty well.

Ingredients


1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup of rice ( I used a mix of surti kolam and ambemohur)
1 cup moong dhal
1 cup jaggery
1/2 cup milk
41/2 cups water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup broken cashews
1/4 cup raisins
a pinch of edible camphor (optional)

Method

Add 1 teaspoon ghee in a frying pan and to this add the moong dal. Roast it on medium flame till the dal turns a golden color and becomes fragrant. Get it off the flame and add this dal to a pressure cooker/pan. Wash the rice and quinoa together. Drain all the water and add this to the moong dal in the pressure cooker/pan. Add 4 cups of water and let it cook for upto 3 whistles. After the pressure is released mash this mixture with the back of a spoon and let it sit aside.
In a saucepan add the jaggery and 1/2 cup water and let the jaggery completely dissolve. To this add the cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and if you are using edible camphor, add that as well. Sieve this mixture and add it to the rice quinoa and dal mixture in the cooker/pan
In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and roast cashews to golden and add raisins to it and let them puff up. Add this mixture to the rice, quinoa and dal mixture in the pressure cooker/pan.
Add the milk and the remaining ghee and mix well on medium low heat. Keep stirring all the while. Once the pongal gets a velvety texture and it starts to release steam (kinda like boiling), get it off the heat. Pour it into a serving bowl and serve hot, warm or at room temperature

you can make this pongal by replacing the quinoa with broken wheat, brown rice or rolled oats. You can even skip the white rice and replace it with either quinoa, broken wheat, rolled oats or brown rice altogether.