Cinnamon Chocolate Rolls

Cinnamon is my favourite spice. A recent trip to the wholesale spice markets of Thiruvananthapuram ensured that I have enough to last me quite a while. The plus point is that fresh ground cinnamon gets added to hot chocolate, coffee or oatmeal even!

These rolls aren't the first I've made (and unlikely to be the last!) are simple and quick enough to make for breakfast. Also, they make for awesome snack-box stuff!!!

Ingredients:

Dough:
All purpose flour - 3 cups
(2 cups of APF can be replaced with about 2 cups of whole wheat flour)
Instant yeast - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil (Sunflower) - 3 Tbsp
Water - as required

Filling:
Cinnamon - large 3-4" strip
Sugar - 4 Tbsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp (room temperature)
Chocolate chips - 1 cup (optional)

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and knead till you get a soft pliable non-sticky dough. Add oil and knead some more. Cover and keep in a warm place to rise.

Prepare filling by grinding the cinnamon and sugar in a spice blender or dry grinder. Once the dough has risen to twice its volume, deflate and transfer to a counter top. Roll it out roughly rectangular and apply butter. Sieve the cinnamon-sugar mixture and sprinkle the chocolate chips. Roll it up an cut using serrated knife.

Arrange the rolls on a baking dish and let rise till oven is pre-heated to 180C. Bake covered for about 10 minutes and uncovered for another 10 to 15minutes. Check for done-ness and remove from oven. Transfer to cooling rack and serve warm.

Stuffed Spicy Fenugreek Rolls for FFTO

Every time I visit my blog (I know, I should take up permanent residence sometime) I realize a month has gone by. This space seems to reserved for FFTO challenge displays. I assure you, that there's more stuff I attempt and make than just the challenge stuff. Soon, I hope, I'll post them just so that all the photos I've taken get used :)

I adapted my basic bread recipe and here it is.

Ingredients:

For the Stuffing: (Optional)

Mixed vegetables : 2 cups; potatoes, carrots, peas, sweet corn kernels, capsicum; cut in to small pieces - you leave the peas alone

Salt : 1.5 tsp

Garam masala : 1tsp

Oil : 1 tsp; sunflower

For tempering: Cumin seeds

Corriander leaves : a few sprigs; washed and chopped

For the Bread:
Yeast : 1.5 tsp rapid rise yeast

Honey : 1tsp

Milk :  about 1 to 1.5 cups; lukewarm

Butter : about 50g; melted

All Purpose Flour : 200 gms

Whole Whear Flour : 250 gms

Fenugreek leaves : 2 bunches

Green chillies : 2-3

Turmeric : 1/2 tsp

Asofetida : 1/2 tsp; powdered

Spices : Pepper, Cumin seeds; lightly roasted and coarsely ground - 1 tsp

Salt : 2.5 tsp

Sesame seeds : 1 Tbsp

The stuffing is optional. The bread is good as it is and can be accompanied by dips, soups, etc. Heat oil in a wok/ kadai, add the cumin seeds then add the vegetables, salt, masala and sprinkle some water. Toss and cover. Remove from flame when fully cooked and the corriander leaves. If you're using fresh peas, boil them in the microwave before adding to the kadai.  

The fenugreek/ Methi leaves need to be 'prepared' next. Hold the bunch together and chop off the rootlets first. Wash the leaves thoroughly. There two ways you can proceed here - roughly chop the leaves and their tender stalks or grind them to paste. I chose to do the latter, grinding the methi leaves with the green chillies.

Dissolve 1tsp of honey in 1 cup of lukewarm milk. Add the yeast and wait a few minutes to activate it.

Mix the flours, salt, turmeric and asofetida thoroughly. Make a well and add the yeast and

methi leaves. Knead adding additional milk/ water as necessary to form soft, springy but slightly tacky dough and then knead in the butter till completely absorbed. I've noticed that adding oil or butter to the dough in the beginning seems to 'interfere' with water absorption by the dough. Cover the dough with an oiled cling film or damp kitchen towel and wait for it to double in volume, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Punch down the risen dough and start forming the rolls. Flatten the dough, add the stuffing and roll to get a smooth ball of dough. Repeat till all the dough is used up. I was in a bit of a hurry and so pinched or more than the size appropriate for a roll and I had to adopt the 'one-roll-for-two' policy.... Keep the rolls covered with a damp cloth. Preheat oven to 180 C. Ones the rolls have risen (give them 30 minutes), brush the tops with some milk, sprinkle sesame seeds and pop them into the oven. When the bread browns a bit, try the knock test for the hollow sound. Remove from the oven, leave on wire rack to cool and reward your efforts by taking the first bite :D

                                  

These rolls were really good, the crust was chewy, the chillies and spices didn't make it too fiery. Made a complete meal with some cucumber raita/yogurt based dip to go with it....but they lost the cheery green colour after they were baked.

 

Also, they're heading to Susan of Wild Yeast to be yeastspotted!

The Lost Symbols - Hot Cross(??) Buns for FFTO

I've been neglecting my blog. But both me and my laptop are back on our feet and will be more attentive.
This month's FFTO challenge, hosted by Sarah of Simply Cooked, was baking Hot Cross Buns, all in the spirit of Easter. Most of us know the popular rhyme with the same name, but I really didn't know that this sweet-spicy bread was associated with Easter and that's why it had a cross.
I made the bread as soon as the challenge was posted and just couldn't not tweak it. I made it eggless for one,  substituted half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and didn't add any raisins or candied citrus peels (not too fond of raisins in my bread).
Oh! And the crosses I piped on the buns disappeared......

Sarah's recipe for Hot Cross Buns:

Flour: 3 1/2 - 4 cup (440 - 500 g)
Milk: 3/4 cup (190 ml)
Water: 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Yeast: 1 package (2 1/2 t)
Sugar: 1 Tbsp
Sugar: 1/4 cup (65 g)
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 1/4 cup (55 g), melted
Allspice: 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg: 1/4 tsp
Eggs: 2
Currants: 2/3 cup (100 g)
Diced Citron: 1/4 cup (40 g)

egg glaze:
1 egg

lemon glaze:
Sugar: 1 cup; powdered
Lemon zest: 1 tsp 
Milk: 1 1/2 Tbsp

"In a mixer bowl, combine 1 c (125 g) flour, milk, water, yeast, and 1 T sugar. Beat well. Set in a warm place until frothy. melt butter; cool. To the yeast sponge, add remaining sugar, salt, melted butter and spices; beat in eggs, one at a time. Add 1 c (125 g) flour and beat 5 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add remaining flour, currants, and citron. Turn out onto floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with kitchen towel and set in warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for 2 minutes. Divide dough into 24 equal parts and shape into buns. Place well apart on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

Make a cross (X) on each bun with a razor blade or sharp knife. Brush with egg yolk beaten with 1 T water. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden in colour. Cool on wire rack.

Make the glaze by mising the ingredients. Drizzle over buns in the cross design.

Some English recipes add strips of pastry dough over the cross before baking, instead of the icing." 


My tweaks:
Flour: 2 cups All purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour
Flaxseed meal: 1tbsp in 3 tbsp of hot water (egg replacer)
Spices: 1/tsp each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, pepper
Sugar: 1/3 cup
While kneading I went by feel, and used about 1 1/4  cup of milk and 1/4 (+) of water to get an elastic but slightly sticky dough.
I didn't use currants/ raisins/ citron.
Omitted the lemon in the glaze.
Also, I piped pastry strips (1 Tbsp Cornstarch + 2 Tbsp APF + water = piping consistency)to make the crosses.
All done, and I set the buns off to bake and kept peeking to check for browning. Everything was going fine, but when the timer struck, pulled the baking tray and the crosses were as brown as my crust :(
I added the glaze mournfully.....I went the pastry strip route since the pictIures I;d seen were soooooooo nice.

I waited till it cooled down a bit and took a bite.....yummy in the tummy! (That's what my daughter says to something she likes!!)

Till I took that bite, I wasn't really sure how it would taste. It tasted good :D

The Challah Experiment for Fresh From the Oven

It's been a month since my last post and I am back with another post for the FFTO February challenge. I've never seen or even heard about the Challah and was glad for the opportunity to acquaint myself with this delightful loaf. The Challah is a traditional Jewish bread and this challenge was hosted by Dom of Belleau Kitchen and to quote Dom:

"For those who don't know, Challah is the sweet, light and eggy bread traditionally served on the Friday night Sabbath..." . For those interested in more details please to check this link.

Ingredients: 

(Dom's Recipe)

Yeast : 1 sachet easy blend dried yeast (about 1 1/2 tsp)

Honey : 1tsp 

Milk : 8fl oz (about 1 cup); lukewarm

Butter : 50g; melted

Flour : 16oz (about 450 gms; I used all purpose flour/ maida)

Salt : 1 tsp

Eggs :2 lightly beaten - in separate bowls - one for the mix and one for glazing (I used only one and in later versions omitted it)

Poppy seed or sesame seeds (optional)

Quoting Dom again  .....

"Combine the yeast, honey, milk and butter, stir and leave for 15mins to dissolve

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and one of the beaten eggs.  Stir to make a dough. (It will be very sticky and will definitely need extra flour for kneading)

Knead till smooth and elastic (a good 15 mins) then transfer to a clean bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a baking sheet. Knock back the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces.  Roll to shape each piece into a long strip for plaiting.

Brush with egg and bake in a hot oven at 190 for 35 - 40 mins or until golden and sounds hollow if you tap it."

My Experiments in Challah Baking:

Challah 1: Used the recipe provided by Dom. Made only one slight modification, I brushed the loaf with a table spoon of milk and a wee bit beaten egg left in the bowl. The bread was super soft and toasted well. It disappeared so soon, i just had to make it again.... :)

Challah 2: Same ingredients except replaced egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed powder dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water. The dough needed a bit more milk while kneading. This bread turned out just as good except wasn't as soft. The flaxseed gave a nice nutty flavour.

Challah 3: Made two more changes - used half whole wheat flour and vegetable oil (1/4 cup) instead of butter. This dough needed more fluid for kneading and I used milk initially and then water. I went by feel and waited for the springy-smooth stage before leaving it to rise. I also made the strands a bit longer, which needed a shorter baking time and was more the pull apart variety than slice-and-eat :) The bread was obviously denser but enjoyable just the same. And this will probably be the Challh recipe I'll be keeping.

I braided all three Challah using Dom's instructions (you can look it up here), but I found many versions and am especially fascinated by the six strand variant and hope to try it sometime.

I'm sending my Challah to Susan of Wild Yeast to have them yeastspotted!

5 Minute Bread Re-visited - 'Holey' Bread!

This is probably 'Part 2' of the 'Saga of Bread Baking at The Black Ladle' or maybe 'The Chronicles in Bread Baking at The Black Ladle' or even better 'Holey Bread - Bread Baking Cycle (Part 2) in the Canticles of The Black Ladle' ...... Yes! Yes! Sounds impressively long and provides sufficient leeway for introducing more 'cycles' :).... After all, there's more than just bread being served here.

I adore the genre of fantasy literature/ fiction and am especially partial to ones with dragon in them or ones with interesting titles.... If they have them both, I'm doubly overjoyed.  

About the titles though - you  should check them out sometime.

This post is a tad late and continues the bread trail/ tale from the earlier post - Whole Wheat Bread – only 5 minutes away! Boule and Baguette. So I left the dough in the refrigerator and then one day I made a couple of pita breads (disappeared before I could shoot them) and then I made bread again, with what was left of the dough.

I removed the dough from the fridge and let it rest in a lightly greased small loaf tin. And baked as usual.

This bread was the best of the batch. It was super soft inside, and nice chewy crust and it was 'holey'!!!!

Not large ones, but small polymorphic, well dispersed holes!!

So will be making bread at home again :D

Whole Wheat Bread – only 5 minutes away! Boule and Baguette

Baking – the idea and process, has always held me in thrall. I don’t know when I actually had my first cake, but the first home baked and the first ever baked at my home coincided with Asian games at Seoul, (N.Korea) 1986. It was my mother’s first baking venture and I remember watching with fascination as she separated the eggs, created white foam out of egg whites (total magic, I say) and incorporated it ever so carefully into the other batter. I remember tasting the batter and doubting, but politely kept the doubts to myself….batter was sweet, but nothing ‘cakey’ about it. And then the heady aroma the permeated our home………Ooooh! I get transported in time - every time, I use vanilla in my baking. ‘Twas a good thing, I kept those doubts to myself….the cake was heavenly, and even had a smattering of butter-cream frosting! Also, the stand mixer, egg separator and weighing scales, having served my mother faithfully are, I’m happy to say, serving me just as well!!

But I digress; this post isn’t about cake at all, but about bread. got carried away with reminiscences. I went book hopping – virtually. And started looking at books on baking, and I saw a book titled ‘Artisan Bread in Five Minutes’ by Zoe Francois and Jeff Herzberg.……Now, I know that impossible so looked round for reviews of the book and finally found one with a ‘spoiler’! The spoiler sent me here for the recipe. The idea is to make a large batch of dough and refrigerate after the initial rise. And use required amount of dough at each installment to bake bread. Apparently no kneading is needed. Just shape, rest the dough and pop into the oven. The five minutes is the shaping part, does not include the baking time…..

I used ‘atta’ flour (whole wheat flour). I mixed a batch the previous night and used some to bake a boule the next day. I also used the dough to make a small baguette. The recipe calls for 1.5 Tbsp for salt, I reduced it to 1.5 tsp based on the reviews I’d read.

The yeasty aroma of baking bread is incomparable. It’s cheerful and heartening and an appetizer in itself.

I made a boule (French for ball) and a mini baguette. The crust was thick and chewy and the crumb was moist and a bit dense – as expected in whole wheat breads, but not gummy. The dough was a bit wet and I was worried that I was going to land up with a gummy crumb.

We had the boule with a bit of honey (me) and peanut butter (the Mr.) for a late breakfast and have hidden away the baguette for later. It was very filling and a little seemed to go a long way!

The process was simple. The initial mixing of a large batch of dough, store in refrigerator and use as needed. The dough apparently takes on sourdough characteristics as it ages in the fridge. I’ll repost once I’ve verified this.

Sending this to Wholesome Wholegrain Cooking (WWC) event initiated and hosted by Sanjeeta of Lite Bite.

Source: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

I think, I’ll get this book!!