Category: Baking

Corn bread

Corn bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

I love the corn muffins sold at Kenny Rogers restaurants and decided to try and make them at home. The same recipe I use to make corn bread that goes well with soups and chilli. You can use corn meal or corn flour or makki ka atta to make this bread.

Ingredients

Corn flour or makki ka atta 1 cup (136 g)

All-purpose flour or maida 1 cup (136 g)

Baking powder 1 tsp

Baking soda 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Butter 1/2 cup (113 g) melted

Brown sugar 1/3 cup (73g)

Honey 2 tbsps

Egg 1

Yoghurt 1/2 cup

Method

Mix the corn flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl.

In another bowl mix the butter with sugar and honey.

Add the egg and whisk well.

Add half a cup of water to the yoghurt and mix well. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and fold it in.

Grease a rectangular baking tray and pour in the batter.

Bake in a 200 degree C oven for 20 minutes till a toothpick poked into the centre comes out clean.

Let it cool and slice into squares. Serve with chilli or mushroom soup or tangy tomato basil soup.

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I was trying to come up with a way to use rice flour and remembered some lovely dishes I had in Japan. Thinking of some the sweets made from rice flour, I decided to make a banana cake. The chocolate chips added a delicious but subtle taste.

Ingredients

Bananas 3

Eggs 2

Sugar 3/4 cup (150 g)

Vegetable oil 4 tbsps

Milk 6 tbsps

Rice flour 1 cup (200 g)

Baking powder 2 tsps

Chocolate chips 1 tbsp

Method

Mash two of the bananas well in a wide bowl.

Add the eggs and mix well. I use an electrical whisk, my trusted hand-held blender Braun.

Add the sugar, oil and milk and whisk for two minutes.

Add the rice flour and baking powder and mix with a wooden or rubber spatula. Then whisk at high speed for a few minutes. In the case of rice flour there is no gluten and so you can whisk well to get in as much air as you can.

Line a round baking tray with greased butter paper and pour in the batter. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake the cake at 170 degrees C for 45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes and stop when a toothpick poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Orange Cake

Orange Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This citrus cake has a kick from the local oranges, kinnows, I used. Kinnows are available mid-January to mid-February in northern India and Pakistan. This year, the fruit is particularly juicy, maybe because of the pollution-free days that the region enjoyed for a long time due to the pandemic lockdowns. Use seedless kinnows for the best taste. Otherwise, ensure that you remove all the seeds or your cake will taste bitter.

Ingredients

(Serves 5; 10 slices)

Orange or Kinnow 1 large, seedless

Sugar 3/4 cup

Vegetable oil 1/2 cup

Eggs 3

Flour 1 3/4 cup

Baking powder 1 tbsp

Method

Chop the orange roughly. If it is not the seedless variety, ensure that you remove all the seeds.

Grind in a blender and keep aside.

Add oil and sugar to the pan of a stand mixer and mix for about two-three minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Take the pan off and add the flour in using the fold and mix method.

Pour into a greased baking loaf pan.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake at 170 degrees C for 40 minutes till a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool and slice.

Serve with a side of marmalade for those who want a more citrusy taste.

Bacon and Tomato Bread

Bacon and Tomato Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

This bread is a meal in itself. It does not need any butter or cheese, it is moist enough and the flavours of bacon, tomato and herbs blend in beautifully in every bite.

Ingredients

Water 1 1/3 cup

Olive oil 4 tsps

Bread flour 4 cups

Sun dried tomato in oil 1/2 cup, sliced

Bacon 1 cup, cooked

Italian herbs 1 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Sugar 4 tsp

Instant yeast 1 1/2 tbsps

Method

Add all the ingredients to the pan of the bread machine in the order given.

Use the Basic cycle.

Cool in the bread machine pan and slice. Serve with Tangy Tomato Basil Soup or Tomato Soup and a green salad.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a favourite recipe that I use to make in the bread machine. It is a slightly denser bread that goes well with soups and stews. The slight sweetness of the raisins cuts the spiciness of a stew.

Ingredients

(For 1 lb loaf)

Milk 3/4 cup

Bread flour 2 cups

Cinnamon 1 tbsp

Yeast 3 tsp

Brown sugar 2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Raisins 1/2 cup

Method

Add all the ingredients to the bread machine in the order given and use the Basic setting.

Cool the bread in the pan and slice when cool.

Bacon and Potato Pie

Bacon and Potato Pie

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This recipe was shared with me by a friend and I would make it very often for my son when he was a teenager. This is certain to be a hit with every hungry teenager and it is quick as easy to make. It makes a hearty meal because of the meat, potatoes and cheese, and it is easier to make than ordering takeout.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

Streaky bacon 200 g

Potatoes 3 medium, sliced

Mushrooms 1 cup, sliced

Oil 1 tbsp

Italian herbs 2 tbsps

Cheddar cheese 2 cups, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Snip the bacon roughly with a pair or scissors into 1” pieces and add it along with the mushrooms to heated oil in a frying pan. Fry till the mushrooms are brown and the bacon is cooked.

In a baking tray, pour a tablespoon of bacon grease. Arrange a layer of potato slices. Add a layer of the bacon and mushroom mixture. Add a layer of overlapping potato slices. Sprinkle a layer of cheese and Italian herbs. Add another layer of potatoes.

Repeat the layers again. Finish with a thick layer of cheese.

Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and herbs.

Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20 minutes till the cheese is bubbling.

Rest for 10 minutes and serve with a green salad.

Eggless Carrot Cake

Eggless Carrot Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I love carrot cake, but hesitate to have it often because of the amount of butter, eggs and sugar that go into its making. So I decided to experiment with a healthier version. This has no eggs or butter. Only four tablespoonfuls of oil goes into the cake. This is a moist cake that melts in your mouth.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 1 cup (136 g)
Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil 4 tbsps
Apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Carrots 1 cup, grated

Method

Mix all the liquid ingredients together. Add the sugar and whisk till the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mix.

Mix till blended well. Add the carrots, folding it into the batter.

Pour into a greased cake tin and bake at 170 degrees C for 30-40 minutes till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Cool and cut.

Käsestange

Käsestange

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I fell in love with the German bread Käsestange almost three decades ago while on a research fellowship in the beautiful Bavarian city of Munich. Once I bought it from a bakery close to the train station on my way back home, a flat at the Schloss Blutenburg, built in the 15th century. After eating the Käsestange, I wanted more and I went back all the way to the train station, taking a bus, and bought another, returned home and ate it all by myself. It was extremely satisfying. I felt like eating it again and experimented till I got the same exact taste.

Ingredients

(Makes 12 pieces)
All-purpose flour 4 cups (600 g)
Instant yeast 4 tsps
Warm water 1 1/2 cups (350 ml)
Sugar 1 1/2 tbsps
Salt 1 1/2 tsp
Olive oil 3 tbsps
Baking soda 2 tsps
Mozzarella 200 g, grated

Method

I use the bread-maker to make the dough. Add all the ingredients except the baking soda to the bread-maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I add all the liquid ingredients first.

Once the dough cycle is over, take the dough out and knead it for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Make 12 dough balls.

Work each ball of dough into a 3″ thick roll.

Boil water in a deep vessel and add the baking soda. Cook each dough roll in the water for 30 seconds, turning it once.

Lay them out on a greased tray lined with butter paper and slit it in the centre and separate a bit and flatten them.

Add the shredded cheese on top of each flattened roll.

Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20-25 minutes till the cheese is bubbling and the bread turns brown.

Let cool for five minutes and serve warm.

Baked Chicken Tenders

Baked Chicken Tenders

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

For years, I bought frozen chicken tenders and loved them. Till I saw Sandi Richard’s Fixing Dinner. She suggested an easy way to make chicken fingers. I tried it as a way to feed my son who was a fussy 8-year-old. And found it was a hit with him and his little friends. Over the years, I have developed my own recipe for chicken tenders that are more suitable for adult tastes. I have also given the bread crumbs a miss for a healthier and succulent version of chicken tenders.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)
Boneless chicken breasts 500 g, cut into 1″ strips
Paprika powder 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Pepper powder 2 tbsps
Turmeric 1 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsps

Method

Wash the chicken and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

Add all the spices and rub them all over the chicken pieces. Let them rest in the refrigerator for an hour.

Lay the chicken pieces on an oiled baking tray and brush them with oil. Bake in a 230 degree C oven for 20 minutes. Turn the pieces after 10 minutes.

Serve hot with a salad.

Fail-safe Focaccia Bread

Fail-safe Focaccia Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a recipe I have honed to perfection over the years. If you follow the steps, I can guarantee perfect focaccia bread every time. This is a simple recipe using just rosemary, olives and sundried tomatoes. It goes well with soups, stews and pasta. The spaced out puffy texture makes it good to scoop up liquids on the plate.

Ingredients

Warm water 1 1/2 cups

Olive oil 1 tbsp

Bread flour 3 cups

Instant yeast 3 tsps

Salt 1 tsp

Sugar 1 tbsp

Dried rosemary 1 tbsp

Dried oregano 1 tbsp

Olives 10, sliced

Sun dried tomatoes 5, sliced thin

Himalayan salt 1 tbsp

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Virgin olive oil 1/3 cup

Method

Add the first eight ingredients to the bread machine and use the dough cycle.

Punch down the dough and spread on a rectangular baking tray greased with olive oil. Leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes.

Poke the dough using two fingers and add a generous splash of olive oil.

Add the sliced olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

For a variation, you can add olives and jalapeño peppers.

Sprinkle Himalayan salt and tuck in fresh rosemary sprigs in the grooves.

Bake in a 230 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes till the crust is golden brown.

Let it cool for about five minutes and cut into squares.

Serve with stew and a salad.