Have you ever baked your own bread? I insist that you give it a try if you want to sense the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread. You may be reluctant in following the several steps involved in baking the bread when you can get one right from your supermarket shelf. But, if you try this, I am sure you would love it not only for the experience but also for the large choices of flours and herbs you can opt in your recipe. You can get ideas for more bread recipes from here.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour – 1 ¾ cups
- Bread flour - ¼ cup
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Dry active yeast - I packet
- Walnuts - ¼ cup
- Dried basil – ½ tsp
- Dried oregano – ½ tsp
Directions
1. Lightly spray a 9×5x3 inch pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour and bread flour with salt. Set the bowl in warm oven. (set the oven to the lowest setting)
3. In a small bowl, mix sugar into 1/4 cup of water. Sprinkle yeast over liquid. Set it aside until yeast is dissolved and foamy, for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove warmed bowl of flour from oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Stir in walnuts, basil, oregano and thyme into the warm flour. Pour yeast mixture and remaining 3/4 cup water into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, mix the flour until sticky dough forms. Don’t worry if the mixture seems dry first, it will get moisture as you stir. Keep mixing it until it pulls away from sides of bowl partially.
6. Turn dough into the prepared pan. Cover pan with a slightly wet dish towel. Set it in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume (for about 15 minutes).
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, and then reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake 20 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped in center of the top and bottom. Crust will be dark brown and hard. (If the loaf is very dark but still moist in center, turn off the oven and let the bread sit in oven for 5 minutes). Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
This recipe is good for three servings. If you want more, scale up the ingredients accordingly.
Lentil soup
Lentil soup is a good complement for the bread (Lentil is a good source of protein. You can opt for some other protein rich recipes such as split pea soup).
Ingredients
- Onion – 1 (chopped).
- Carrots – 2 (medium sized – chopped)
- Celery stalks – 2 (chopped)
- Spinach – 1 cup (chopped greens firmly packed)
- Tomato – 2 (finely chopped)
- Vegetable broth – 1 can
- Lentils – 1 cup ( for this recipe, I used the canned beans. If you want to use dried ones, please see note under “variation”)
- Ground coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Ground cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Dried oregano – 1 tsp
- Dried basil – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil – 2 tsps.
Directions
1. Heat a large pan and add oil. Add garlic , onions, celery and carrot. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes. Add chopped spinach and fry them till they wilt.
2. Add tomatoes and cook till they become mushy. Add vegetable broth along with coriander powder, cumin powder and dried oregano and basil. Increase heat and bring it to rolling boil.
3.Stir in lentil and simmer the stove . Let it cook for 20 mts on low heat. Switch off the stove. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
Variation: If you are using dried lentils, stir in the lentils along with the vegetable broth and cook in low heat for 45 – 50 minutes or until the lentil is cooked but not mushy.
It is a perfect combo – a duo delight!!
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