Homemade Easy Digestive Biscuits/ Crackers

Early Morning tea is an therapy to me. It rejuvenates and prepares me to start my day, so early morning bed tea is important and a must sip to me. And how I wont make that first sip even more special by adding that personal touch. 

Usually me and my husband prefer having rusk with our first tea, dip dip and in to the mouth with hot cuppa. Aaahhh this awakens us.!!

So to be even more awakened with our sip, I thought to try something on my own and this is what came to my mind, whole wheat and oats digestive biscuits.., healthy start, Isn't it!!

Perfect crunch and crisp, and on top it's a home made, awakens us freshly and happily...!!

Mine got little dark after 10 minutes of baking, I didn't keep a check. May be next time I shall cover it with a foil as soon before it starts darkening. But it doesn't taste burnt at all. Infact the texture, crumb and crispness seems perfect to me...only the darkening is to be taken care next time.!! So let's start.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Five grain cereal rolled oats coarse grinded or oats flour (you can use instant oats or any rolled oats, mine is mix of five grains oats made with flax seeds)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup light and soft brown sugar

3 tbsp white caster sugar 

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

65 grams or half stick of butter 

3 tbsp of milk to form a biscuit dough

Method:

In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, coarse grinded oats, salt, light soft brown sugar, caster sugar and baking soda. Mix all well.

Now add butter (doesn't matter if it is cold than)

Mix butter well with your both hand by rubbing the flour between your palms. At the end when butter is mixed in, it should give you a bread crumb like sight.

Now add milk, bring all the ingredients together to form a dough. Dough will be soft due to butter but will not be sticky at all. 

Transfer the dough in to plastic cling film, wrap it tightly by spreading a little with your fingers and put it in to the refrigerator for minimum 1 hr. (This will help to roll the dough perfectly, else it will stick )

After 1 hrs, bring it out. 

Open the cling wrap, and let the dough on the film.

To roll it easily, cover the top with another cling film. This will be easy to roll without dusting flour on surface..

Meanwhile preheat your oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Sides will crack, but not a problem, keep going by pinching the crack a little.

Roll it in to a large square with rolling pin, it should not be thin, but atleast minimum of 1/8-1 inch thickness..

Cut it with a round cookie cutter or any shape of your choice.

Place all the cut cookies on a baking tray lined with a parchment paper.

Again, Gather the sides of the dough, re roll it and cut.

Bake the biscuits at 180 degree Celsius in preheated oven for 18 minutes. (Mine got lil dark after ten minutes of baking so I covered the top with a foil and baked further. I insist you to keep a check)

After baking, bring it out of the oven, let the biscuits be in tray for 2-3minutes. 

Later transfer it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely and store in an air tight container.

HomeMade Oats Ice-Cream (Eggless)

With left over rolled oats packet i made this. I was wondering to make muffins, later i thought no muffins, will make cake, will make cookies, will make bread loaf....so on and many thoughts came one by one. But do not wanted to bake this time. So thought for some chilled dessert out of it, and  ice cream with it was the best thought i guess. Heard very little? An oats ice cream? But believe me it was good,,, very creamy, thick and soft in texture. And with oats, it is healthy as always....:)

Mostly kids love ice creams but don't like oats and every mother wants their kid to eat oats, why not to give in form of ice creams than...fun for them and happy mommies.....
This can be garnished in different ways. Below i have shared some garnishing ideas, do have a look to it as well.......

This Ice cream can be made with different flavors using mango pulp, chocolate, strawberry or any other flavour..

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup finely powdered rolled oats (Use mixer grinder)

2 cups low fat milk
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp Raisins/sultanas
3 tbsp sliced Pistachios
3 tbsp sliced roasted almonds
4 tbsp Dark choco chips (can use semi sweet also)

Recipe:

• In a large bowl, Mix (Cold or room temperature) milk, powdered sugar and water. 
• Meanwhile in mixer grinder jar, grind rolled oats into very thin fine powder. (you'll see some oat chunks, so sieve it and use or can still use as it is)
• Add this grind oats slowly in milk mixture (Keep mixing continuously or else it will start forming lumps, you can even use hand blender to break lumps if any).
• Mixture should be, smooth and lump free. Now mix vanilla extract, Raisins/sultanas, sliced pistachios roasted sliced almonds and dark choco chips to it. Pour this mixture in freezer safe container cover and allowed it to freeze overnight without disturbing. After 2-3 hrs scrap in between (do this twice).
• Scoop and serve..

Garnishing Ideas:
1) Garnish it with toasted muesli and Dust cinnamon powder
2) Garnish it with with sliced pistachios, sliced almonds and with choco chips..
3) Or simply drizzle strawberry or chocolate syrup by adding dried fruits and choco chips...
4) Or scoop ice cream between two chocolate biscuits or any flavor of biscuits that you like and sandwich it. Serve the same with berries that you are have at home..

Note: For a perfect soft scoop add 1 tbsp of vodka to your ice cream mixture and Beat  for about a 2-3 minute. Than freeze your ice cream. This gives nice soft texture to ice cream and not the firm one. (But its optional and totally up to your choice)

Too much of alcohol in ice cream will not allow it to freeze so make sure you use little qty of it.

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Ingredients:

For Dough:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp garlic chunks or paste (i used chunks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
20-25 gms olive oil
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
3/4 cup milk at room temperature

For Filling:
15-20 gms olive oil (for brushing rolled dough)
2 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red chilly flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

Recipe:

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm milk. Keep aside for 5 minutes till it dissolves and yeast mixture bubbles up. Mean time in a large bowl, mix maida / all purpose flour with salt, olive oil, and garlic chunks or paste (I used garlic chunks). 

Once yeast mixture dissolved in 1/2 cup warm milk bubbles up, add the same into the flour mixture. Now start gathering flour and use 3/4 cup milk more to form a non-sticky, soft and elastic dough. If its sticky take extra flour but only as per the requirement. Now cover the dough with tea towel or plastic cling film. Now allow it to prove for 1 to 1 1/2 hour or until it doubles in volume. Once doubles in size, punch down.

On your working surface sprinkle some dry flour for further workout. Place dough here and start rolling in to large rectangle shape that is about 12' by 12'.

Brush rolled dough with olive oil, sprinkle mixed herb, cumin powder, red chilly flakes, oregano flakes all over. Now spread finely grated cheddar cheese on top. And roll slightly again to lightly press all the toppings.

Cut the Dough in to 6 long strips by pizza cutter or with a knife. And lift all strips and lay all over other, with topping facing upwards. 

Now start cutting those layered strips  into 7-8 square stacks unevenly and not neatly. Out of this stacks you can cut some of them diagonally in to two parts. Now grease a baking tray or any loaf pan with olive oil. And start placing and layering all stacks of the strips as shown in the picture below, in a baking tray or loaf pan that you are using. (That shouldn't be much even). Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 1 hour or more.

Once rises, brush the dough with little olive oil. Bake the dough in an 180 degree Celsius preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until it forms light golden brown crust on top with a hollow sound on tapping.