Pesto Bread

I’m always thinking of what to serve for breakfasts during the weekdays. I try to make breads or snacks that we can eat by re-heating it in the mornings. I’ve had my eye on this bread for some time now and finally got a chance to make it. When it comes to making breads, I often refer to this website. If you’ve made breads before, this is no different but this one has such a dramatic look to it. I had a lot of fun making this. To save some time, I’ve used store bought Pesto Sauce and reduced the portion used because I was afraid it would be too salty.

Pesto Bread

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Dough Rising Time: 2 hours
Baking Time: 30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For Dough	For Filling
2 cups Warm Water 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 2 tablespoons Sugar 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast 1/2 cup Milk Powder 1 tablespoon Salt 5 -5 1/2 cups Bread Flour	4 heaped tablespoons Pesto 1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar

Directions:
For Dough

1. In a large bowl or bowl of your mixer, combine, water, oil, sugar and yeast; stir to combine and leave it aside for about 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add milk powder, salt and up to 4 cups of flour adding 1 cup at a time and stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition.
3. Turn out dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by adding remaining flour as required until it no longer sticks to your hands. (If using a stand mixer, knead the dough with dough hook for about 3 to 4 minutes adding flour as required.)
4. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
5. Cover with plastic and let rise in warm draft free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Filling and Shaping Dough

1. Punch dough down and divide into two equal portions. (Keep one covered while working with the other.)
2. Take one portion of dough and on lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, roll it into approximately 9 x 14 inch rectangle shape.
3. Spread 2 tbsp of pesto and 1/4 cup of cheese, evenly over the surface. Fold in the sides about 1/2 inch to create a border.
4. Starting at a short end, roll dough tightly, pinch dough to seal seam, and turn seam side under.
5. With a sharp knife, cut the rolled dough lengthwise and open up to expose the inside filling.
6. Take each of the cut piece and braid together with the cut side always facing up.
7. Place this into lightly greased (8 ½ x 4 ½ inch) loaf pan.
8. Repeat the same process with the other portion of dough.
9. Cover both pans loosely with plastic and let rise in warm draft free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 30 minutes or so before baking.
11. Top both the loaves with remaining cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Check 10 minutes before they are done to see if they need to be covered with aluminum foil if they are getting too brown.
12. Remove from loaf pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

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Pe Pyot (Boiled Peas)

Pe Pyot is commonly served as a breakfast item. If you're from Burma, you might not know how to make Pe Pyot from dry yellow peas but once you have the boiled Pe Pyot, you'll definitely know how to serve it. Back home, we usually do not prepare it from scratch. There are street vendors that sell these boiled Pe Pyots early in the morning. Every area has its own vendor selling freshly boiled and warm Pe Pyot. They only make a basket full each day so you have to go quite early or it will be all gone.

There are different ways to serve Pe Pyot and I love it all. Most popular ways of serving this is by adding to fried rice or cooking with fried onions and serve with Naan or Paratha. It is not difficult to make it but does require time for pre-soaking and sprouting. Since it is a long process, it is a good idea to make a large batch and freeze individual serving sizes in Ziploc bags. I got this recipe from my Aunt few years back. This recipe is only for preparing Pe Pyot from dried yellow peas. I'll post more recipes on how to serve them when I get a chance. For now, I've frozen mine for later use.

Most of the Indian grocery stores carry Yellow Peas and it is known as ‘Vanata’ in Gujarati.

Cooked Yellow Peas

Dry Yellow Peas

Sprouted Yellow Peas

Pe Pyot

Makes: Approximately 10 cups
Soaking Time: 8 hours
Sprouting Time: 36 hours or more
Cooking Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 cups Yellow Pea (Vatana)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Oil

Directions:

1. Soak peas in a large pot with plenty of water (at least 5 to 6 inches of on top) for at least 8 hours to overnight. They will expend for more than double of its size. (I got a little over 10 cups after soaking)
2. Drain water in a large colander, keep colander on a plate and cover the peas with wet towel. Leave it this way for about 36 hours or until it starts to sprout. (Wet the towel 2 to 3 times in between or whenever the towel dries out.)
3. Transfer to a large pot; add all ingredients along with 3 cups of water. Stir or toss to combine and bring it to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to as low as possible, cover the pot and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour until it is cooked through and all water has been evaporated. Toss or stir once or twice in between to check water level and doneness of the peas. If water dries out before peas are cooked through, sprinkle some warm water and continue cooking until soft.

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Basic White Bread with Jalapeno

We have been eating store bought breads for so long that I have forgotten how good homemade bread could taste. My sister used to bake a variety of breads and pastries for us back home. During that time, she made everything from scratch. We did not have a machine to knead the dough or a full size oven to bake. She made all her baked goodies using a small convention oven.

I love everything about homemade breads; fragrance while baking, warmth of a freshly baked bread, its delicate texture, and best of all, simple yet delicious taste of it. I’m still new to making breads but it is not as difficult as I initially thought it would be. It does require some time but most of the time it needs is for dough resting so you’re not actively involved during that process.

This is a basic loaf of bread with an addition of Jalapeno peppers. This recipe came with my KitchenAid mixer and original recipe is for 2 loaves of bread. I usually make one loaf at a time so below is the one loaf version. If you don’t have a machine, you can just knead the dough with hands.

Basic White Bread with Jalapeno

Click on the image to enlarge

Makes: 1 loaf
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Dough Rising Time: 2 hours
Baking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
3/4 cup Water
1 packet Active Dry Yeast (1/4 ounce packet or 2 1/4 teaspoons from bulk)
2 1/2 to 3 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
Oil Spray
1 Jalapeno – finely chopped

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, heat milk, sugar and butter over medium heat just until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Pour it into a stand mixer bowl or a large bowl, if kneading by hand.
2. Add room temperature water to the bowl and stir. This will bring down the liquid temperature to lukewarm. The temperature should be around 105 to 110 degree F.
3. Add yeast to the liquid mixture, stir and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
4. In a separate clean bowl, sift 2 cups of flour and salt together. Add flour to the liquid mixture and attach bowl and dough hook. Turn on to speed 2 and mix for about 1 minute. (If kneading by hand, use a wooden spatula and stir to combine)
5. Meanwhile, sift the remaining 1 cup of flour in a separate bowl. You might not need to use all of the flour while kneading.
6. Continuing the machine on speed 2, add the remaining flour 1/3 cup at a time until the dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead on speed 2 for 2 more minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch. (If kneading by hand, pour dough out to lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as required until dough is smooth and elastic, for about 10 minutes)
7. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
8. Cover with plastic and let rise in warm draft free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
9. Punch dough down, add jalapeno and knead to combine. On lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, roll into approximately 8 x 14 inch rectangle shape.
10. Starting at a short end, roll dough tightly, pinch dough to seal seam, pinch ends and turn under. Place the shaped dough seam side down in a lightly greased (8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½) inch loaf pan.
11. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise in warm draft free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
12. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 30 minutes or so before baking.
13. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from loaf pan immediately and cool on wire rack. 

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Triple Onion Cheese Buns

I like homemade breads and this is one of my favorites. I came across this recipe a while back and have made it few times. I replaced shallots and chives with red onion and green onions, mainly because I don't have it handy. Since I don't eat bacon, I've made without it and it still taste pretty good. For this batch, I've used Turkey Bacon.

For cheese, I like to use Habanero Cheddar. I came across this cheese in Costco while they were selling special flavor cheeses. They don't carry it all the time but I was lucky to have found it twice. I love cheddar cheese and I love spicy food. This cheese was a perfect combination. It was not too spicy but has a good kick. The last time I bought, I freeze it and I'm using it for this batch of bread. You can still make it with Gruyere Swiss Cheese as mentioned in original recipe or any of your favorite cheese.

If you're new to making breads at home as I am, make dough as per recipe and be creative with filling and topping.

Triple Onion Cheese Buns

Makes: 16 to 18 buns
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Dough Resting Time: 2 hours
Cooking and Baking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For Dough	For Filling
3/4 cup Water 1/2 cup Milk 1/4 cup Butter 1/4 cup Honey 3 1/2 to 4 cups Bread Flour 1 Large Egg - lightly beaten 4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons Salt	3 tablespoons Butter 1 tablespoon Garlic - crushed or finely chopped 1/2 cup Chives or Green Onions - thinly sliced 1/2 cup Shallots or Red Onion - finely chopped 1/2 cup Onions - finely chopped 4 slices Turkey Bacon - cooked and crumbled 2 to 2 1/2 cups Habanero Cheddar Cheese or Gruyere Swiss Cheese

Directions:
For Dough

1. In a small saucepan, combine water, milk, butter and heat until butter is melted without bringing it to a boil. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool until lukewarm or 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add honey, 1 1/2 cups of flour and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth.
3. Add egg, yeast and mix well till smooth. Keep this aside for 15 minutes.
4. Add salt along with 1 cup of flour and mix again.
5. Pour out to a clean surface and knead dough by adding remaining flour until it no longer sticks to the counter. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand. (If using stand mixer, knead for 5 to 6 minutes by adding flour just until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl)
6. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic and let rise in warm draft free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

For Filling

1. While dough is resting, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for few seconds till fragrant.
2. Add all three types of onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Turn off the heat, add bacon, mix well and keep aside to cool.

Making Buns

1. Punch dough down and on lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, roll into approximately 12 x 24 rectangle shape.
2. Evenly spread onion bacon mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Staring from the long end, roll dough tightly and pinch to seal seam and turn under.
3. Cut the dough log into 16 to 18 equal pieces and place each in a lightly greased muffin tin. Cover loosely with plastic and let it rise in warm draft free place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Top the buns with remaining cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely browned.
6. Allow to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and let cool on wire rack.

Note: Since I only have one muffin tin that fits 12 pieces, I kept the remaining pieces on a lightly greased tray.

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Bhakri

Bhakri is a type of Indian flat bread that is thicker and crispier than other flat breads. My mother-in-law taught me how to prepare these since my husband loves to eat them in breakfast. It is really not difficult to make and we like to make it on weekends and serve as brunch. If serving as breakfast/brunch, it is best to be served with Gur Kari (Gujarati Sweet Mango Pickle), some fried or grilled fresh chili, or chili garlic chutney and Chai. It can also be served as lunch or dinner if paired with daal and some vegetable dish.

Bhakri

Makes: 4
Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup atta flour
 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon water (more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon ghee

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, cumin seeds and oil. Mix with hands until oil is incorporated into flour. When you take a handful of flour and form a fist, the mixture should hold its shape.
2. Add water, little at a time until the dough almost comes together. Knead the dough for a minute or two until everything comes together and can form into a dough ball, adding more water if required. This is not soft dough so it won't be very smooth but should be in one piece without falling apart.
3. Preheat a skillet or clay pan over medium heat.
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Take each portion and with clasped hands, squeeze the dough between your two palms, pressuring on the edges while rotating the dough to form a smooth disk-like shape. Shape all four pieces.
5. Take one shaped piece and with rolling pin, roll into a circle about 6 inches in diameter and approximately 1/8 inch thickness. It is normal if the edges are not very smooth. 
6. Place the rolled out dough on the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side until some brown spots appear.
7. If using gas stove, take the cooked Bhakri with a kitchen tong and place it over direct fire over medium heat. Rotate and flip few times and cook over direct fire for 20 to 30 seconds to get more color. If not using gas stove, just continue cooking on the skillet till it is cooked through.
8. Place it in a plate and with a sharp edge kitchen tong or spoon poke some areas of Bhakri so that ghee can penetrate. Coat the back of a small spoon with ghee and spread it over the Bhakri evenly.
9. Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the remaining dough and serve either warm or at room temperature with chili garlic chutney (recipe below), Gur Kari(Gujarati Sweet Mango Pickle) and Chai.

Note: To save time, while you’re cooking one Bhakri work on rolling the other.

Chili Garlic Chutney
1 big Jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Process jalapeno and garlic in food processor until fine or chop it up with knife very finely. Transfer to a small bowl, add oil and salt. Mix it up and serve.

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Lasan Puri (Garlic Puri)

The garlic flavored Puri is a great dish for breakfast and brunch. The procedure of making the Lasan Puri is same as making regular Puris except this is flavored with spices and garlic. It can be a meal on its own without any gravy or curries accompanying it. I believe it is a common Gujarati (eastern state in India) dish and I was introduced to this dish by my husband’s family, and learnt how to make them from my mother-in-law.

I love to eat Puris but we don’t make or eat as much because they are deep fried. I have to admit, I have difficulty in making the Puri’s puff 100% of the time but with a little practice, I’m getting a hang of it. Even if some of them don’t puffed up, the taste is still great. Fry the Puris with enough oil and maintain the temperature for successful Puris.

Lasan Puri (Garlic Puri)

Makes: 22 puris
Preparation Time: 30- 40 minutes
Frying Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups atta flour
1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoon garlic – crushed or finely chopped
2 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup water (more if required)
Oil for deep frying

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix first 6 ingredients together. Add oil and mix with hand until oil is incorporated into flour. It will look like wet flour or coarse bread crumbs and when you pressed flour in your fist, it should partially hold the shape.
2. Add water little at a time until the dough comes together. The dough should be little tight and not very soft, so be careful not to add too much water.
3. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth. Divide the dough into 22 equal portions and shape them into smooth balls.
4. Heat deep frying pan with few inches of oil over medium heat, to 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Take each dough ball and roll out into thin circles about 4 inches in diameter. You should be able to roll out without dusting any flour if the dough is at right consistency. However, if the dough has more water than needed and it is sticking to the surface, you can dust some flour while rolling.
6. Roll few and keep in a plate in one layer while the oil is heating. (Keep the unrolled dough balls covered with a plate or towel.)
7. Once the oil is hot slide one puri at a time in hot oil. It will initially sink to the bottom of the pan but within few seconds, it should rise up. With a slotted spoon, lightly press the puris so that it puffs up. Once puffed, turn over and fry the other side for few more seconds until very lightly golden in color on both sides. Remove from oil and place it on a large plate or pot lined with paper napkins for oil to drain.
8.  Fry all the puris and serve hot with Gur Kari (Gujarati Sweet Mango Pickle), Chai and fried Jalapeno peppers (see note below).

Note: To make fried Jalapeno; cut 1 to 2 big Jalapeno peppers into 1 inch chunks. Deep-fry in the same oil for few seconds until lightly golden in color. Remove from oil, drain on paper napkins and season with some salt, and coriander powder to taste.

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