Flavorsome, Soft Garlic Bread at Home. ❤

This very soft, garlic-y, buttery and chewy garlic bread is my healthier, fresher answer to the fast-food chain product.

How would you feel if I tell you that this recipe makes twice the quantity for the price you pay in the market? You also know what goes in, no crappy ingredients! There's no preservative inside. It doesn't come out of cold storage. You don't have to wait 30 minutes for the delivery.

Amazing right?
Okay. I'll take an extra dollop of butter on mine because there's scope. Ha!

Are you listening home cooks? Bakers? Food lovers?

I made a trial batch last month that I posted on my Instagram account. It was... Surprise Surprise... a hit with the family. And so was the second one I made yesterday.

The process is as easy as it can get, no artisan bread making here. No special tools and techniques, fun for the beginners and home bakers. Overnight dough rising is the secret to a chewy and easy-to-digest crust. Lots of flavor from the seasoning, the butter and the slow fermentation. Am I losing you?

Let's get on the process brief straight.
Take the flour, salt and oil in a bowl. Proof the yeast with sugar. Mix both. Knead. Let rise. Punch down. Let rise again. Punch punch *gently please*. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature. Roll. Stuff. Bake. Taddaa. Taste heaven.

So far, so good.

A few things that you should take care of-
1. Knead well, about 10 minutes, to develop the gluten, that gives your bread structure. Use lukewarm water to knead. Very important. Do not knead after this first exercise. Be very gentle with the dough subsequently.

2. If the weather in your city is anything like Delhi, that's hot and humid, punch the dough down, soon after it doubles, about 1.5 hours. Letting it ferment for too long can make it taste sour. Also, handle the dough with delicate hands. You're not angry at it! When you handle it roughly, it loses all the trapped air bubbles that make it fluffy as it bakes.

3. Let the dough come to room temperature after you pull it out of the refrigerator.

4. Please use corn meal/ makki ka atta, coarse variety.

Got it? Get it. Good. Let's get to the recipe straight (some visuals at the end of the post.) and bake the world a better place, one recipe at a time! ❤

GARLIC BREAD AT HOME

Ingredients-

For the dough-
450gm all purpose flour, about 4 cups.
1 tsp salt
11-12 medium sized garlic cloves, finely chopped
Dried oregano leaves, handful, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried active yeast
2 tsp sugar
Lukewarm water, 1/2 a cup to proof yeast, extra to knead

For the bread-
Italian seasoning, homemade or store-brought- salt, pepper, oregano, chilli flakes, garlic powder
50gm salted butter, I used Amul
1/4 cup Corn meal, to sprinkle on the tray

To stuff the bread, optional-
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Handful olives
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels

Oil for greasing the tray
Flour for dusting the work surface

 

Method-
1. In a cup, put the 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. It should be just hot to touch. Dissolve in the sugar and add the yeast. Stir gently to break the lumps. Keep undisturbed for 10 minutes, let froth. If it doesn't froth, discard and start afresh.
2.For the dough- In a big bowl, mix the flour, salt, dried oregano leaves, chopped garlic and oil. Make a well in the center and add the frothed yeast mixture. Stir into the flour with a big wooden spoon.
3. Add lukewarm water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until all the flour comes together.
4. Knead the dough on a dusted surface, about 10 minutes. Use minimal water. The dough should be soft and pliable, yet firm. Form into a ball.
5. Grease a bowl with oil and keep the dough inside. Grease the exposed surface of the dough with oil to avoid dry patches.
6. Cover bowl with a wet tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours till it doubles in size.
7. When risen, gently punch down the dough and fold the thirds vertically. Form into a ball. Let rise again for half an hour.
8. After this rise, you can punch down the dough, wrap in cling film and freeze for later use. Thaw and let come to room temperature before using. OR punch it down, put back into the bowl and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight, for use the next day.
9. Take the dough out and let come to room temperature, about 40-45 minutes.
10. For the bread- Divide dough into 3 portions.
11. Melt the butter and add the seasoning to it. Mix well.
12. Flour the surface. With your hands, gently flatten the balls into round discs, about 1cm thick.
13. Pre heat oven to 200 degress Celsius.
14. Grease a baking tray with oil and sprinkle corn meal generously. Put the rolled out dough into it.
15. Brush half of the disc with the melted butter-seasoning mixture. Add the cheese, corn kernels and olives.
14. Fold the other half over and pinch to seal the edges.
15. Brush top with the melted butter mixture. It helps in browning. Using a pizza cutter, cut roughly into breadsticks. Do not cut all the way through.
16. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until top is golden brown. You could move it to the top rack for a minute or so, to brown nicely.
17. Cut through and serve hot.

Here are some step-by-step pictures for aid and guidance.

Finely chopped garlic. You could use more for an deeper flavour.

Frothy yeast mixture. Make sure yours looks like this.

Dough after rise one. Doubled up.

Dough after overnight fermentation.

All stuffed, buttered and ready to bake.

 

Enjoy! ❤❤

Back from hiatus, with the Best Ever Double Chocolate Muffins!

These fluffy, sky high, chocolate chip speckled double chocolate muffins are all that you'd want for those low calorie sweet cravings.

In the past 7 (Yes,seven!) months when I didn't blog, I have made these cute little things probably 5 times. A full batch of 12 muffins that is, once at one in the night, when my best friend was at mine for a sleepover. (hello, Nupur!)

What was I doing all this while? I was traveling, planning life in general (ha!), interning, reading and cooking for leisure. Being 22 is different you see. Also, I wanted to feel motivated enough to blog. *sigh, c'est la vie*

Here's a post-ful of pictures to treat your eyes.

Potato CHEESEEE croquettes,

DIY luggage tags,

Favourite flowers *ahh*
and Birthday Chocolate cake (dreams are made of such beautiful things...)

Soooooo, coming back to what finally excited me enough to write a post, this soon-to-be-made-by-you batch of chocolate, sorry, double chocolate, muffins! These muffins are a snap to make, so much so that you can start baking them at 12 in the night and devour them an hour later.
As I took the tray out of the oven at 12.30 in the night, I had a strange feeling of doing something wrong. Seriously, this recipe is I-Must've-Done-Something-Wrong Easy. (!!)

Most of the ingredients are already there in your pantry, and are mixed in one big bowl. No dirtying too many dishes here! We do not like it, we like being resource friendly.
You'd want to make many batches and carry to school/ college/ workplace for your friends, and garner some appreciation and love.

Chocolate loving, calorie conscious people, I got you covered. *happy dance holding this jar of homemade chocolate chips*

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients-
1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour (220g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
1/2 tsp salt
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
100g chocolate chips, optional
2 eggs
180g yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (65g)
1/2 cup milk
handful chocolate chips, for topping the muffins

Method-
1. Line a 12-count muffin tray with liners. Keep aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
3. In a large bowl, preferably glass, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda.
4. In a different bowl, crack the eggs. Add in the yogurt, oil and milk. Whisk together to form an emulsion.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mix, folding gently. The mixture will be thick and a bit lumpy.
6. Fold in the 100g chocolate chips, if using.
7. Spoon the batter into the liners and top each with a few chocolate chips.
8. Gently tap the tray on the counter, 3-4 times.
9. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, and then bring down the temperature to 170 degrees Celsius while the tray is still inside.
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes more, checking at the center for doneness with a toothpick.
11. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then on a wire rack for 15 additional minutes.

Enjoy as a late night sweet treat, or a mid-afternoon craving, or whichever way you like! :)