Bread making - practice makes perfect?

Who else has attempted making their own bread? I was brought up on homemade roti which is a mixed white and wholemeal flour flat bread made on a flat tawa, similar to a frying pan. I learnt to make this as a young child and remember rolling out the dough into all kinds of funny shapes as I just couldn't roll the roti in to a perfect circle. This is how my love of making bread started, helping my mum make rotis for us all. 

Once I mastered the roti, I moved onto parathas (slightly fried flat breads which can have a number of fillings), then deep fried puris and putooras. Yes, very healthy I know but we only had the fried versions on a special occasion. Honest. 

I have tried making varieties of breads including loaves and cobs, or as they call them up north, barmcakes. My first few attempts were poor, the whole process is so different to making rotis which have no yeast and do not need to prove or rise. I am getting better, slowly but surely and now the bread rises and is no longer dense!

One of my favourite breads is focaccia. Here is an image of my black pepper and rosemary focaccia bread.

• 225g strong white flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 sachet dried yeast
• 185ml water at room temperature
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Topping - sea salt, black pepper, rosemary and olive oil

1. Add the salt and yeast to the flour with 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add enough of the water to make a soft dough.
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes. The dough will get stiffer the more you knead it. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Leave the dough in a warm place for 30-60 minutes until it has doubled in size.
3. Brush a baking sheet with oil. Knock back the dough to release the air.
4. Place the dough on the baking sheet and use your hands to stretch out the dough until it is around 5mm thick.
5. Press your fingers into the dough to create the classic focaccia dimples. Then brush with olive oil, and scatter the rosemary, salt and pepper.
6. Cover and leave to prove for 10-30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 220c/gas mark 7.
8. Once the dough has proved, bake it for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 190c/gas mark 5 and back for a further 15-20 minutes until golden.

Cheese and beans on toast, you're having a laugh right?

Move over fine dining and molecular gastronomy, the question is can you ever get bored of cheese and beans on toast? My boyfriend dislikes cheese so I am sure he would say yes but it's one of my favourite weekend brunch dishes and a staple when I am after a super fast evening meal following a tough day at work.

• It is simple, easy and quick to make.
• It includes one portion of fruit/veg.
• It is extremely filling.
• It can be eaten at any time of the day.
• It can be adapted to include additional toppings.
• And of course, its very tasty.

Grilled cheese on toast with a topping of baked beans just rocks!

Photo: Paul

 

Sweet sweet Punjabi tea

What is a day off, without having a mug of sweet and spicy Punjabi tea to start the day? I love long relaxing weekends which give me the opportunity to make this tea like my mum taught me, and yes it is made in a saucepan!

I use an adapted Punjabi spice mixture which seems to last for ages. It consists of four teaspoons fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons carom seeds/ajwain, and 2 teaspoons cardamom pods (green and black) which were grounded in a pestle and mortar.

To make the tea I add a teaspoon of this mixture and a cup of cold water to a saucepan and bring it all to the boil. I boil the water and spices for five minutes then add lots of sugar, milk and tea leaves. I bring the concoction to the boil again and simmer it for a couple of minutes, and the tea is then ready to enjoy. It tastes amazing with a couple of mathia

A day in the kitchen

When I talk about my 'kitchen' it is really one and a half counter tops and three cupboard units. Its a tiny space but my love of food is great and I could cook all day, every day.

Today, I attempted some veggie kebabs. I adapted a recipe from a book based on kebabs and tandoori food and used boiled potatoes, grated carrots, finely chopped green beans, sweetcorn kernels and some haricot beans. After adding a touch of cornflour, some spices (ginger, garam masala, cumin seeds), coriander and seasoning I combined the mixture, formed the kebabs and put them onto the skewers.

They were cooked pretty healthily under the grill and tasted great or as Michel Roux Jr calls it, they were unctuous! Even my 'I only eat meat' boyfriend happily ate them.