Whole wheat Honey & Oats Bread

Few time back I came across honey and oats bread, I was amazed to see the result when i read the recipe, the bread I saw was so nicely baked with so beautiful crust, and texture. The only mistake I did, I forgot to bookmark the link where I read that..phew!!

After shifting here in Hong Kong, I rarely buy breads from outside, mostly I bake whole wheat sandwich bread once or sometimes twice a week..I'll soon post the recipe for the same. But for now let me come back to my honey and oats bread. Well after not marking the link, I was looking for similar recipe.  And after lots of reads I came up with my own healthier version by using equal qty of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I have kept 50:50 ratio of each. May be next time I'll change a bit of this ratio, 60:40. 

Aaahhhh the aroma in my kitchen, it will surely lift up the bakers mood. So aromatic, am happie happy..!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup rolled 5 grain cereal oats (semi grinded) (you can use instant oats too) 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup Honey

1/2 cup warm milk

3/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

4 tbsp melted butter or margarine 

Light olive oil for greasing the kneaded dough

For brushing bread top : 2 tbsp of melted warm honey ( not boiling hot)

And about 2 tbsp of oats to sprinkle on top

Method

In a large bowl, mix all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, semi grind oats and salt. Mix the mixture well.

In a small measuring container or cup, stir warm milk, warm water, melted butter or margarine, honey and yeast together, until yeast dissolves. Keep it aside for 2-3 minutes, until mixture turns frothy. (By mistake I added butter to the flour)

Mix the liquid yeast mixture in the flour mixture bowl.

Bring all the ingredients together to form a sticky dough.

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface.

Bring the sticky dough on to that surface, knead it for 10-15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes of kneading it should be soft smooth and non sticky.

Pop the dough into the oil greased bowl, cover it with tea towel or plastic cling film.

Allow it to rest in warm and dark place for 1 to 2 hrs, until it doubles in volume.

Once it has doubled up, bring the dough to the work surface and punch it down to release the gas inside.

Shape the dough in to a loaf and pop it inside your loaf tin lined with parchment paper.

Again cover it with a tea towel and allow it to rise second time for 35-40 minutes, or until it has risen well an doubled in volume. 

When the dough is nearly doubled, preheat oven at 180 degree Celsius with 2-3 cup of water in a bowl placed in lower rack of the oven for good steam inside.

While the oven is preheating, warm the honey a little. 

Brush the warm honey on to the risen loaf and sprinkle the oats on it.

Once the preheating is done, bake the loaf at 180 degree Celsius for 40-50 minutes in preheated oven, until it gets deep golden brown crust on top. Sit back and enjoy the aroma of the bread in your house. 

Once done, bring it out carefully and allow it to cool on wire rack.

And the star is here...beautifulllllll 

Apricot And Walnut Delight Step-by-Step

Apricot And Walnut Delight

Ingredients:

Dough:

250 gms Maida

2 tbsp of Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2 1/2  tbsp  Melted Butter

1 large egg

11 gms of Active dry yeast

1 tsp of Sugar

100 ml Warm milk

Filling:

1 Cup Dried Apricot

1/2 cup Roughly small chopped walnut

3 tbsp Roughly chopped Pistachios

3 tbsp Roughly chopped Cashews

3 tbsp Roughly chopped almonds

50 gms Butter

50 gms Dark Brown Sugar (If you don't have Brown sugar than you can use caster sugar as well)

1/2 tsp grounded Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder

Recipe:

For dough:

In a bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk. Let it Stand for 5-10 minutes or until frothy.

Now in a large bowl mix flour with pinch of salt, sugar, butter and beaten large egg. Mix all. Add that Frothy Yeast Mixture in to it. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, but not sticky. For a minute.

Cover dough with a plastic cling film. Allow it to prove for about 1 hr or until doubles in volume. 

For Filling:

In a pan, melt butter with dark brown sugar. Now add small and finely chopped dry apricot, walnut, cashews, pistachios, almonds, grounded nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Keep stirring for about 3-4 minutes on medium-low flame.

Allow it to cool completely at room temperature.

Uncover and Punch down the Raised Dough and knead only for few seconds. Dust the work surface with little flour. Roll Dough into a 15 x 30 cms rectangle shape.

Spread Apricot and walnut filling on top of rolled dough.

 Start folding from its sides till end as shown in the picture below.

Once rolled till end, shape and give a desire shape you like and place the dough on a baking tray. Cover it with a tea towel, allow it to rest for about half an hour or until it rises again. Check the shape below that i gave and made a criss cross pattern on top.

Mean while Preheat your oven at 220 degree Celsius. Once bread rises, uncover and bake it in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until done (till upper crust turns nice light golden brown and crisp, tapping gives hollow sound).

And here it is ready.

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.