Whole wheat bread with orange juice

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour – 425 grams or 3 ¾ cups
Active dry yeast or instant yeast – 2 1/2 teaspoons
Lukewarm water – 113 grams / ½ cup
Lukewarm milk – 113 grams / ½ cup
Orange juice – 113 grams / ½ cup
Orange Zest – 1 orange
Butter or olive oil – 55 grams / 4 tablespoons
Salt – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Sugar – 35 grams / 3 Tablespoons
Milk powder – 18 grams / ¼ cup
Mashed potato – 64 grams

Method:
Peel the potato, and slice it into small cubes. Add just enough water to cover the potato and cook till it is soft. Remove from heat, drain off the excess water (save the drained juices for the bread) and squash in though a large sieve, ensuring that there is no chunks. Set it aside to cool.
Take ¼ cup lukewarm water (from the water in the recipe), add 1 teaspoon sugar and the yeast, mix well and set aside to rise.
Once the potato mixture has cooled to lukewarm, combine it with the remaining ingredients, except salt and olive oil. Mix and knead by hand or a stand mixer, to form a smooth, sticky dough.
(I would advise to add half of the total water initially, and then little at a time, till you get the correct dough consistency.)
Cover with a wet cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes add olive oil and salt and continue kneading for 5 minutes.
Transfer this to a lightly floured work table, knead gently for 5 to 8 minutes (lift, spread and throw or stretch and pull), adding little flour at a time (if required only), till you get a very loose, but not sticky dough. (The dough may seem very sticky, but after the above kneading, it will automatically form smooth dough, do not add excess flour, and do not knead hard)
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Grease the dough also.
Cover it, with a wet cloth and let it rise at room temperature (preferably warm place) until it’s doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Gently deflate the risen dough, and shape the bread loaf, take the dough and just spread into a rectangular shape with a rolling pin. Roll up tightly into a log. Place the bread dough in lightly greased 9 X 5 Inches loaf pan with the seam area at bottom.
Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until its domed center is about 3/4″ over the lip of the pan.
15 Minutes before the bake, pre heat the oven at 200 C.
Just before baking, brush the loaf with little milk or melted butter or egg wash.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C for first 10 minutes, for 35 to 45 minutes at 180 C for the bread loaf. (Cover the top of the loaf with a baking sheet or aluminum foil after 15 minutes baking, to avoid too much browning.)
Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.
When completely cooled, cover in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature. Slice the loaf only after cooling.

Notes to remember:
1) The dough would be very sticky initially, keep kneading with a scrape, adding little flour at a time.
2) I have noted big changes in the water requirement, with different batches/brands of wheat, so adjust accordingly. I would advise to add half of the total water initially, and then little at a time, till you get the correct dough consistency.
3) The potato weight 64 grams is before cooking, it will absorb water during cooking, so adjust the total water content accordingly

Apple Walnut Muffins

Apple Walnut Muffins - Egg Free Morning Glory Muffins

1 cup maida
1 cup atta
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup butter milk
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 shredded apple
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup golden raisins

3 tbsp coarse sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together buttermilk and brown sugar until smooth.
Mix in melted butter, vanilla extract and shredded apple.
Add in flour mixture and fold the ingredients together until only a few streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Fold in walnuts and raisins until equally distributed.
Divide batter evenly into prepared pan, filling each cup until just about full.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.

When hot, brush the muffins with butter and dip them in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

This week's plan

Tuesday:

Edited to add:

This recipe did not work well for me.  It sank a lot.  Could be because I used more apples than specified.

So the fluid content increased.  Could also be that rising agent is not sufficient.

Anyway I am not going to use this recipe anymore.

Apple Muffins from Raks kitchen carrot muffins:

Eggless carrot muffins recipe - makes 12 mini muffins

Wheat flour / Atta 1 & 1/4 cup
Curd / plain yogurt 1 cup
Grated apple - 1 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Oil 1/4 cup + 2tblsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp
cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
Salt A pinch

Grate the apple (Could be 1 or 2)
Sift flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl
Beat the sugar and curd together until well the sugar dissolves.
Add the oil and vanilla extract and whisk it in
Add the sifted flour mixture adn mix until just incorporated.
Fill in 12 mini muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes till you see a slightly firm cracked top.

For a sugary cinnamon topping

Melted unsalted butter 1/4 cup

white granulated sugar 1/4 cup

ground cinnamom 1/4 tsp

Grind together the sugar and the cinnamon

Melt the butter and the sugar cinnamon mixture and keep them seperate

Take a hot muffin and dip into the melted butter

Dip into the sugar mixture

Lattice Apple Pie

http://www.joyofbaking.com/printpages/ApplePieprint.html

Wednesday - make 2 loaves

http://sumodtomzcuisines.com/bread-rolls-buns/

Thursday nankhatai

http://www.tarikasingh.com/2014/10/diwali-baking-recipe-for-nankhatai.html

Friday
Filter coffee pannacotta

Filter coffee pannacotta

1 table spoon veg gelatin
1/4 cup of water
500 ml cream
125 gm castor sugar
120 ml strong filter coffee of strong expresso
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put a quarter cup of water in a shallow bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside.
This might need more water in case of veg gelatin - try it and decide.  YOu can add up to another 1/4 cup of water.

Heat the cream and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan set on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Once the cream starts to bubble on the edges pour in the coffee. Stir well and heat through. Do not boil.
Taste and add more coffee or sugar, if needed. Turn off the heat.

Microwave the gelatin briefly to melt it. Pour the gelatin into the hot cream and stir well. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Filter the cream mixture through a sieve into a jug. Pour into lightly greased cups or a big serving bowl, as desired. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight.

Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream frosting

Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream frosting

For 18 cupcakes:

170 gm (1 1/4 cups) plain flour

65 gm (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) cornstarch or cornflour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup orange juice (instead of vinegar)

220 gm (1 cup) granulated sugar*

125 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil (preferably rice bran)

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove+cardamom+cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups shredded carrot

1 tbsp water

Cream cheese BC frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
4 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place butter in mixing bowl, beat until smooth (about 3 to 5 minutes)
Add cream cheese and blend until combined and smooth (about 30 seconds)
Add vanilla extract and icing sugar, one cup at a time and blend on low speed until all sugar is in and then on medium for about 4 - 5 minutes

Pipe small orange carrots with green leaves on top of the white frosting.  This can be regular buttercream.

Orange melting moments with blueberry buttercream

INGREDIENTS
300g unsalted butter
120g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g custard powder
280g maida
2 teaspoons orange zest

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C
2. Beat the butter until creamy
3. Add icing sugar and beat until fluffy
4. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest and beat to combine
5. Sift together the maida, custard powder
6. Add the flour to the butter mixture and beat to combine.  Once it comes together, knead to combine.
7. Shape into little smooth balls and press down with a fork onto a baking sheet.
8. Keep in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and then bake in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes until it seems done.!

Once biscuits are cool, sandwich them with the blueberry buttercream.
Pipe a large circle of the cream within the biscuits.

Make a double batch and take some to work.

Donuts for the kids - fond.bites recipe

to take from home to amma's
yeast
sprinkles
vanilla extract
weighing machine
whisk
bowl
jelly roll pan
wire rack

to buy
curd
milk
maida
icing sugar
butter
oil

glazed doughnuts and sugar doughnuts

first make the doughnut dough

Dough:

Instant dry yeast - 2½ teaspoons
Milk – 2/3 cups, Luke warm
All-purpose flour - 3½ cups, sifted
Granulated sugar – 1/3 cup
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Curd - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter – 100 gms, at room temperature

heat milk until lukewarm
add sugar and salt, stir quickly to dissolve
Add yeast and mix well, set aside for 10 minutes

Measure and sift the flour
Add the curd to the yeast mixture and whisk well
Add the sifted flour 1/2 cup at a time and keep mixing well until incorporated
oil a bowl and transfer the dough to oiled bowl and coat on all sides with oil
cover the bowl with damp cloth
Add the butter to the sticky dough, knead well for 10 minutes till the dough becomes smooth
transfer to an oiled bowl and coat on all sides
cover with a damp cloth and set aside to double in size.  may take 30 to 45 minutes in this weather.
punch the air to let it escape, transfer back to counter and knead for one more minute.
Flour the counter and roll the dough out to 1/2 cm thickness
Using 2 appropriately sized round cutters, cut doughnuts out of the rolled dough.
transfer them to the jelly roll pan and cover with the same damp cloth
allow to prove again - for may be 1/2 an hour
Heat the frying pan up with oil
Once heated, pick up donuts gently and drop them in oil
Add as many donuts as your pan can take
Fry for only about 30 seconds on each side until golden brown.
Place them over wire rack to cool.

While the dough is rising, make the glaze,

Vanilla Glaze:

Butter – 1/4 cup
Icing Sugar – 3/4 cup
Pure vanilla extract – 1/2 teaspoon
Hot water – 2 tablespoons or as needed
Sprinkles - different shapes and colours

Add butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat it up on stove top. Once it has melted completely, add the icing sugar and mix it well. It will seem to solidify in the beginning but the sugar will melt. Now add pure vanilla extract and mix it constantly for 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium low flame and remove from stove. Add the hot water a tablespoon at a time and mix well without any lumps. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Keep small plates with sprinkles to dip your donuts in once they are glazed

Also keep a small plate with castor sugar for a sugar glazed donut

To glaze: Check your glaze again, if it has hardened up, add another tablespoon of hot water and mix it up again. Now dip one side of the doughnut into the glaze and immediately touch it onto a plate of sprinkles and invert it back on a wire rack or plate to set.

Bring extra donuts to work after keeping few for the kids