Garlic Bread

 A healthy any time snack. 

Ingredients:

• Maida - ½ cup
• Wheat flour - ½ cup
• Dry yeast - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Butter - 4 tbsp (melted)
• Garlic cloves - 8 to 10 (peeled and grated)
• Oregano sprinkles
• Chilly flakes
• Warm water - 1 glass ±

Method:

Add dry yeast and sugar in quarter cup water in a bowl. Set it aside for 10 minutes to activate.

Making garlic sauce-

• Put butter in a small round bottom frying pan and heat on low flame until the butter melts. Turn off flume.
• Add grated garlic, chilly flakes and Oregano sprinkles to the melted butter. Mix this well.

Preparing the dough-

• A layer of white froth indicates that sugar-yeast solution is ready.
• Add maida, wheat flour, half of spiced melted butter and salt to sugar-yeast solution and knead it well. Add extra warm water if required and knead until it attains chapati-dough consistency.
• Smear olive oil over the dough surface and cover the bowl. Set aside for 2 hours.

Making the bread-

• Check the dough after 2 hours. It should have raised to double the original size. Knead the dough again.
• Take an aluminum high-sided rectangular or square baking tray. Dust it with corn flour.
• Place the dough into the tray and shape it.
• Brush the dough surface with beaten egg (or milk) and cover it. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes the dough would've risen. With a sharp straight edge knife and make shallow grooves on the top surface so that you get a checkered or diamond pattern.
• Place the tray in a preheated oven and bake at 180° C for 10 minutes and take it out.
• With the same knife deepen the grooves. Spread the remaining half spiced melted butter on the top surface including the grooves.
• To make garlic cheese bread, spread the remaining spiced melted butter and place grated cheese shreds into the grooves.
• Place the tray in the oven and bake at 180° C for 15 minutes.
• You will see a change in color and get the aroma of garlic.
• Switch off oven and remove the bread from the oven. Set aside for five minutes.
• Brush the bun surfaces with melted butter (this is optional).
• Garlic bread is ready.

This bread can be had hot, warm or cold. Remains good for a maximum of two days.

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Potato Stuffed Bun

A tasty and filling snack. Try this when you have some time to spare. For those who are new to baking, try this recipe after experimenting with plain or garlic buns.

Ingredients for bun:

• Maida - ½ cup
• Wheat flour - ½ cup
• Dry yeast - 1 tbsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Warm water - 1 glass ±
• Butter - 1 tbsp (melted)

Ingredients for stuffing:

• Potato - medium size 4 nos. (boiled and mashed)
• Onion - medium size 1 no. (finely chopped)
• Ginger - 2 inches
• Green chilly - 2 nos. (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves (finely chopped)
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• Mustard and Jeera - ½ tsp each
• Chat masala - ½ tsp (or ½ lemon)
• Asafetida - ¼ tsp
• Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Salt - as required
• Cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Add dry yeast and sugar in quarter cup water in a bowl. Set it aside for 10 minutes to activate.

Making the stuffing-

• Place a pan on medium flame. Once the pan is warm add 2 tbsp cooking oil.
• Add mustard & jeera and wait until they pop. Then add onion, green chilly, curry leaves, and ginger. Stir cook until the onions turn golden brown.
• Add asafetida and mix. Add turmeric and mix.
• Add potato and salt and mix well. Turn off flame.
• Add chat masala (or lemon juice) and coriander leaves. Mix well and set aside for cooling.

Preparing the dough-

• A layer of white froth indicates that sugar-yeast solution is ready.
• Add maida, wheat flour and salt to sugar-yeast solution and knead it well. Add extra warm water if required and knead until it attains chapati-dough consistency.
• Smear olive oil over the dough surface and cover the bowl. Set aside for 30 to 45 minutes.

Take the stuffing and divide it into equal sized balls. For the given quantity of potato, 5 to 6 balls could be made.

Check the dough after 30 to 45 minutes. It should have risen to double the original size.

Knead the dough again and divide it into equal sized balls. For given quantity of flour, 5 to 6 balls could be made.

Making the buns-

• Flatten a dough ball, place stuffing ball on it. Gently pull dough around the stuffing until it is fully covered. Roll the stuffed dough between your palms gently to get a spherical shape. Repeat the same for the remaining dough & stuffing.
• Take an aluminum baking tray. Dust it with maida flour (or corn flour if available).
• Arrange the stuffed balls on the tray. Brush the dough surface with fresh milk and cover them. Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Place the tray in a preheated oven and bake at 180° C for 15 to 20 minutes.
• You will see a change in color and get the aroma of hot buns.
• Remove the buns from the oven. Set aside for five minutes.
• Brush the bun surfaces with melted butter. Buns are ready to serve. 

Stuffed buns must be served hot or warm. Hot ones taste better than cold ones. Consume while they are fresh. Can be kept six hours at the most.

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