Wholewheat Burger Buns

Burgers are my favorite. That paired with some coke is a blissful Friday night meal for me. This time when we thought of burger night I decided to make it homemade ~ homemade in the sense everything from scratch right from the patty to the burger buns. Well, then because its me and because its homemade, I thought of making it healthy and sneak in some wholewheat flour and then because I am too ambitious I decided to make whole wheat burger buns with just a tad bit of flour. The only thing that I would like to add add here is that flatten the balls to a disc so that the buns dont rise like a big football.

Adapted from KingArthurFlour Prep time: 15 mins; Bake time: 18 mins; Makes - 4 buns ~*What U Need*~ Water - 3/4 cup Olive oil - 1 tbsp Sugar - 3/4 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Instant yeast - 1 tsp Whole wheat flour - 1 cup Vital wheat gluten - 1 tbsp Bread flour - 1/2 cup Egg wash - to brush buns before baking Sesame seeds - to sprinkle How I Made it: Sprinkle yeast onto warm water with the sugar. Allow to become frothy for 10 mins. Add the remaining ingredients and form a dough. Knead for 5-10 mins. Allow to rise until doubled for 1 hour. Divide dough into 4 pieces and smoothen each into a ball. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and allow to double again for 45 mins. Brush with eggs or milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in a 375F preheated oven for 15 - 18 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Serve as desired!!!

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Cracked Wheat & Oats bread

Ever since the winter winds set in, I have been cranking up the oven every bit that I can. Like for baking our daily breads. These days whenever I bake breads for breakfast, I try to incorporate as much whole grains as I can. Take this bread for example, its got whole wheat, cracked wheat, oats and ground flaxseed. Its wholesomeness in a single loaf but it is no less in texture. Its soft, its moist and its homemade. The bread flour is important here cos thats what gives the bread structure and body. But if you donot have access to bread flour then you could replace it with all purpose flour with a tablespoon of vital gluten added to it.

~*What U Need*~ Bread flour - 1 cup Whole wheat flour - 1 cup Cracked wheat - 1/2 cup Oats - 1 cup Ground flaxseed - 1/4 cup Vital gluten - 1 tbsp Instant yeast - 1.5 tsp Sugar - 1 tsp Bread flour - 2 tbsp cooked in 1 cup water and cooled Egg - 1 Salt - 1 tsp How I Made it: Warm the water and add the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast, add the cracked wheat, mix and set aside for 20 mins. The mixture would have risen slightly after 20 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients and using the dough hook of your standing mixer, knead for 5-10 mins. Allow the dough to rise for 45 mins to 1 hour. Once doubled, deflate and form a loaf and place in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Brush top with milk and bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 10 min and then at 350F for 25 mins. Cool completely.

Slice and serve with jam or peanut butter or spread of choice.

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Whole wheat Breadsticks

I just can't stop talking about the weather here. It was snowing non stop last week and the temperature was so low the actual feel plummeted down to -21C. Well actually its better than yesterday. With the weather so cold, I had to take a a day off for pappu. I had to calm him down with some activity and so finally we ended up making straw necklaces. It was a great passtime and it really helped in hand and eye co-ordination for the kid.

Now lets talk winter food. We have been making a lot of soups lately and I make some sort of homemade whole wheat buns to go with it. I made these breadsticks for a change and it was a winner. Pappu totally loved it, he simply soaked it in some garlic butter and devoured it.

~*What U Need*~ Warm water - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Olive oil - 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp Sugar - 1 tsp Garlic powder - 1 1/2 tsp Salt - 3/4 tsp Dried basil - 1/4 tsp Bread flour - 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour - 1 cup Vital wheat gluten - 1 tbsp Instant yeast - 1 tsp Butter - to brush the sticks How I Made it: Sprinkle the yeast and sugar on the water and allow to activate for 10 mins. Take the flour, cheese, garlic powder, salt, basil and olive oil in a bowl, add the yeast water and knead or 10 mins. Cover and let rise for 45 mins to 1 hour. Once doubled, divide into 8-10 portions. Shape each into a ball; roll into a rope. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Brush warm breadsticks with butter.

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Ragi Almond Cookies | Ragi Biscuits and MERRY CHRISTMAS

Its not going to be a white Christmas for us here. Its going to be chilly but not white like last year. We have been blessed with a beautiful weather this time but we do miss that white blanket. It just doesn't feel Christmassy. I have been cranking up my oven every single day for the past one week and pounds of butter are disappearing into cookies and cakes. I am done with all of my work, fruitcake has been baked and soaked with few coatings of rum, presents are wrapped and set under the christmas tree, cookie has been laid out for Santa though we don't have a chimney and we are all set to enjoy tomorrow. WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS and let there be joy every day. Here is a simple and healthy cookie recipe for the day.

~*What U Need*~ Sprouted ragi flour - 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour - 1/4 cup Almond powder - 1/4 cup Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup Icing sugar - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/8 tsp Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Milk - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Roast ragi flour on a low flame till the raw smell goes off. Let it cool. Beat butter and powdered sugar till light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and beat well. Sieve together ragi flour, whole wheat flour, almond powder and baking soda. Add it to the butter mixture. Knead well. Add 1 tbsp of milk to make the dough pliable. If it is quite dry add another tsp of milk and work. Once it is ready, take 1 heaping tbsp of the dough and press between the palms and shape it like a cookie. Arrange the cookie on a parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with tea or coffee.

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ABC Cake | Apple Banana Carrot Cake | Breakfast Cake

Well if you are looking for a bake which incorporates fruits, veggies, nuts and very little fat, then look no more, for I have a very simple breakfast cake for you today. Its filled with carrots, apple, banana and uses only quarter cup of sugar. Slice them up, toast 'em with some butter and serve it with some freshly squeezed orange juice or freshly brewed coffee and you have a delicious, kid-friendly breakfast to serve. So lets move on to the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 1 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup, packed Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon - 1 tsp Canola oil - 2 tbsp Egg - 1 Honey - 2 tbsp Sour cream - 2 tbsp Whole milk - 1/4 cup Vanilla - 1 tsp Carrots - 1 cup, shredded Apple - 1, shredded Bananas - 2, mashed Walnuts - 1/2 cup Cranberries - 1/4 cup, dried How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine carrot, apple, sour cream, oil, egg, milk and vanilla; stir well. Add the mashed bananas and mix gently. Add honey and mix well. In a large bowl, combine all purpose and whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir well with a whisk. Add the cranberries and walnuts and mix. Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into a bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

Slice and serve!!!

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Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

If you have been following my blog, then you now know that I love banana breads. They are a handy way to use those heavily speckled bananas without throwing them in the bin. Last week saw the men in the house down with severe cold attacks. Fruits too a backseat and there were no takers for the bananas. The bananas got spots, the spots turned brown and finally I left them undisturbed from another two days. And then they were perfect, perfect to make banana breads. I went a step ahead this time and topped it with a cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds.

Adapted from here Mashed Bananas - 1 cup EVOO - 1/3 cup Maple syrup - 1/4 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup Eggs - 2 Salt - a pinch Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Whole wheat flour - 1 3/4 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Hot Milk - 1/4 cup + 1 tsp vinegar Sliced almonds - 2 tbsp 1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1 tbsp sugar How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, beat oil and maple syrup and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in bananas and vanilla, then stir in the salt and cinnamon. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda. Whisk the flour into the wet ingredients and mix till combined. Add the milk and mix into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds. Bake for 50-60 mins. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with tea or coffee!!!

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Banana & Pecan Bread

Well, everything went fine over the weekend. Pappu is over the moon happy that he started school and looks forward to it every morning. We had a short vacation trip to Door county to enjoy fall colors and thanks be it the weather went from good to great over the weekend. So yeah, I am happy, happy that I could get some time off cooking, happy that my baby is not a cry baby when it comes to school and happy that we took some time off from regular life. Coming to this bread recipe, I made this one to be packed for our travel. The room that we booked had a kitchenette and so I packed this banana bread for the sudden hunger pangs. Moreover Pappu likes to munch on home baked goodies and having this bread on hand ensured that he had something to eat during our stay.

~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 1 cup Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Almond milk - 1/2 cup Chopped pecans - 1/2 cup Egg - 1 Mashed bananas - 1 1/2 cups Vanilla extract - 2 tsp Brown sugar - 1/2 cup Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup Butter - 5 tbsp Salt - a pinch How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Beat butter and sugars till light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat till combined. Add the mashed bananas and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and soda. Alternately add the flour mixture milk to the butter, ending with flour mixture. Pour into the greased pan and top with chopped pecans and bake for 60-70 mins. Cool and slice.

Serve with some butter and milk!!!

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Eggless Skinny Banana blueberry muffins

As much as I love baking cakes and cupcakes, I always love to add a touch of health factor to my bakes like making it whole wheat or butter-free or adding fruits and vegetables. It would be either some ultra-ripe bananas or some chopped apples or some shredded carrots or when zucchini are in season some shredded zucchini but when blueberries or in that case any berries are in season it has to be berry muffins for my pappu. A warm muffin with a dollop of melty melty butter is his favorite breakfast. Here is my go to recipe for muffins when I have some ripe bananas and blueberries on hand.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp Honey - 2 tbsp Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup Ripe banana - 1/2 cup, mashed Vanilla yogurt - 4 tbsp Milk - 6 tbsp Blueberries - 3/4 cup How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In another bowl, mix the honey and brown sugar together. Add the mashed banana and yogurt. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the milk slowly and continue to fold. Dust the blueberries with some flour. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Fill all the way to the top. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely.

Serve with milk!!!

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Banana Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting | Baked Version

Over-ripe bananas are meant to be used in baking for us. And mostly it ends up as a gorgeous loaf of banana bread for our breakfast. Even pappu who is a picky eater loves banana bread and eats his share happily. Every week our local grocery store sells over-ripe bananas for 99 cents. Its usually atleast 2 pounds by weight and its always the organic variety. It might be squished here and there but they are just perfect for smoothies and banana bread. I never fail to grab one whenever I find them on sale.

These donuts happened when I still had some bananas from the discount sale and when I wanted to make something not banana-bready. I dipped then in peanut butter frosting to jazz them up a bit because the kid goes bonkers for stuff like these.

~*What U Need*~ Prep time: 10 mins; Baking time: 12-15 mins; Yield: 6 Banana, mashed - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup Egg - 1 Yogurt - 1/4 cup Butter - 2 tbsp, melted All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Baking soda - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch For the frosting: Peanut butter - 4 tbsp Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup or more Milk - as needed, to thin the frosting How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly grease a 6 count donut pans with cooking spray. Combine bananas, sugar, yogurt, butter and egg in a large bowl. Mix till thoroughly combined. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix dry into wet mixture and fold gently. Divide into the donut pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Mix everything under the frosting list until desired consistency. Dip the donuts into the frosting and set aside till the frosting is set.

Serve with a glass of milk!!!

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Honey Wheat Oatmeal Bread

I am obsessed, well that happens most of the times~ lets talk about that later. Today its breads. I am totally obsessed with home baked breads. I know that its not a good season for baking but who cares when you get a good loaf of bread after all that sweat. I mostly like to include whole wheat flour in our daily breads but this time there is an additional health factor in the form of oats. The honey, the oats and the whole wheat flour gives a unique taste to this bread which makes it great for sandwiches. BTW, don't fret if you donot have quick cooking oats on hand. Give the rolled oats a quick pulse in the blender and there you have the quick cooking version.

~*What U Need*~ Instant yeast- 1 1/2 tsp Honey - 1/4 cup Olive oil - 2 tbsp Warm water - 1 1/8 cups Salt - 1/2 tbsp Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Whole wheat flour - 2 cups Quick cooking oats - 1/2 cup Vital wheat gluten - 2 1/2 tbsp Egg - half of an egg How I Made it: Add the yeast to the warm water and mix. Set aside till frothy for 10 mins. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the olive oil, honey and the yeast water. Add the 2 cups wheat flour, gluten and oats and salt to this mixture and mix well in low speed. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and one cup of all purpose flour. Blend on low until the egg is incorporated then beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Add flour by 1 tbsp and mix until it's smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and allow to rise for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch the dough down and turn onto a floured surface. Shape into a loaf. Place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pan covered with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Remove bread from pan and brush with melted butter, allow to completely cool on cooling rack.

Serve toasted with butter/jam!!!

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Whole Wheat Strawberry Bread

With the temperatures spiking every other day I am trying to include as much fruits in our diet as possible. And since strawberries are rich in Vitamins and antioxidants, I never forget to pick a box whenever I go grocery shopping. However last week was something different. The whole family was down with cold and the strawberry pack laid untouched. I had to make something before they were to rot and this bread was what happened. Perfect with some milk for breakfast. The bread comes out so soft and moist and you would never stop with one slice. Believe me when I say that, cos we finished the entire loaf in one sitting.

Adapted from here Prep Time: 15 mins; Cook time: 45 mins; Serves: 10 slices ~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 1+2/3 cups Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup White sugar - 1/4 cup Cinnamon - 1 tsp Salt - a pinch Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup Unsweetened applesauce - 1/3 cup Eggs - 2, room temperature Fresh strawberries - 1 cup, diced How I made it: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour a 9x5 bread pan. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, combine oil, applesauce, and eggs. Mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well and fold in strawberries. Pour finished batter into the prepared bread pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serve with milk!!!

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