Vanocka - Christmas special Bread

  Vanocka is a sweetened braided bread, with full of flavors from Czech Republic and Slovakia.  Apart from sugar, this bread also has loads of almonds and raisin to give a  sweet hint and has aroma  from nutmeg and lemon zest. 

This bread involves braiding in three batches, and stacking them all up.  They have to be pinned through toothpicks or grill sticks so that the layer don't collapse.  The real trick is to equally divide the dough into nine counterparts for braiding, which can be efficiently done through weighing machine. 

After baking this yeast-raised bread, there was an strong hint of aroma around my home, resembling the plum cake. Each slice was a bit dense yet sweetened with a lemony flavor.   We ended up devouring this beautiful braided bread.  Merry Christmas to all, and thanks to Swathi Iyer for suggesting such a exotic bake. 

Orange flavoured Brioche

   Brioche is an enriched bread with high amount of butter and eggs.  This pastry, of French origin, is served for Breakfast.  The butter and egg content, imparts them very tender and crumbly texture and they  can be served with jam, chocolate spread as well.

These Brioche were, as promised very tender and softer than commercial bread, we had them with chocolate ganache and an few sugar stars on top.  They were amazing and had an strong orange flavour.  I would like to make them again and again :)

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This orange flavoured Brioche was suggested by Swathi Iyer from the pastry chef Dominique Ansel.  All thanks to them for such an rich, unique Brioche

Empanada vegetariana - Galician stuffed bread

    Empanada gallega/ Galician empanada belongs to cuisine of Galicia, and is mainly had as an appetizer.  This, in general refers to an variety of stuffed bread - filling being fish or seafood or vegetables or an ultimate combo  of all three.  They are known to have sweet fillings as well.  They are prepared as an large savoury pie, and is sliced for serving purpose.

So, when Swathi and Marisa suggested us this bread, I was very delighted to bake them.  I choosed vegetarian version of Empanada with an touch of scrambled eggs, you can avoid eggs if you want. Empanadas vegetarian mixture are called as, 'zaragallada' and they have an strong hint of onions along with garlic, capsicum and tomatos. 

Empanada can be circle or rectangular, depending on baker's choice. Once out of the oven, they were mild, delecious and filling as well.   Since, they are mild, they would go great with tomato-chilly dip or chilly sauce.  We cherished them as an week-end tea-time snack and all thanks to  Swathi and Marisa  for suggesting such an delecious bread

New year Pretzels - NeujahrsPretzel

    As the name implies, this Pretzel is one of the special dishes in New years menu and is consumed across Europe, with Germany as special mention.  This Pretzel is unique, as it is not eaten as plain, but with an sugary glaze followed by nuts and cherries.  They are also believed to lead luck and prosperity throughout the year.

I made an eggless version of the suggested recipe, and glammed up with icing sugar glaze, followed by sprinklers.  They were very delecious, when had warm and kids friendly too.  All thanks to Swathi and Swetha for suggesting this wonderful recipe.  

You can also dust them with icing sugar instead of glaze and decorate with nuts/cherries.  So, let us now follow the recipe of this eggless new year pretzels.  

Chocolate babka muffins

Chocolate babka muffins are yeast-raised muffins, that have an delecious chocolate filling, topped by streusel (an mixture of butter-flour-sugar, topped over bread in order to get an 'crumbly' effect)

 The word, 'Babka' is derived from word, 'baba' also known as grandmother in Polish (from Poland).  The original derivative of this sweet yeast-raised bread were known to be stout and round, hence the name.  Lateron, these were twisted and baked on loaf pan with an filling of cinnamon flavoured chocolate.  Slowly, this muffins originated from traditional loafs.   Instead of baking them as loafs and slicing them,  an effective method of slicing the dough (before baking) and transferring into individual muffin trays was done.

The rich taste of flaky, buttery dough combined with delecious chocolate filling, did win many hearts back at home. To my surprise, my not-so-chocolate-lover hubby, loved them totally.  I couldn't have asked for more :)  All thanks to Tamy and Swathi Iyer for this wonderful challenge.  

Bread basket

I was completely amazed by these bread baskets when I first saw them at Homebakers guild.  Later, I went through an elaborate online search, and found  this  youtube video.  With my own dough recipe, I, finally made these gorgeous basket.  

When I placed them on my dinner table, they were quite deceiving and imitated a real basket carrying fruits.  You can surprise your guests at parties and your family too.  

SANTA CLAUS BREAD - CHRISTMAS SPL

I had always wished to do creative baking.  Yes, my recent crush, being on fondant type designer cakes.  Though the difficult part in such bakes is to find right ingredients within your reach or within your budget :(  Nevertheless the creative part in breads sparked me, when I visited this santa claus bread in Vicky's post.  Thanks to her and here I am posting an similar version :) Atlast, this one makes me pat my own back, and yes ' I AM HAPPYYY' :) :)

 

Ingredients are quite simpler, the trick lies in shaping the dough.  Here, I have explained with step-by-step pics.  So, don't worry!!!  Just surprise your loved ones, for upcoming Christmas.

Pataqueta - Baking partner challenge November 2013

  When Swathi announced making of traditional Spanish bread named 'Pataqueta', I was thrilled.  According to Marisa, pataqueta is bread that inhabitants of Valencia's Orchard used to eat when they went to work.  This crescent moon shaped bread, is known since seventeeth century.  It was baked in Moorish oven, later on wood stoves.

 What differs Pataqueta from other bread is they are steam baked.  Yes, that nourishes them with even soft texture with firm crust outside.  I, really enjoyed baking them, along with them, I made pretzel rolls too.  Thanks to Swathi and Marisa.

Pumpkin flavoured bread - Baking partners challenge

   When Swathi Iyer announced Baking partner's challenge as ' Baking with Pumpkins', I was thrilled because I hadn't used pumpkins in my Baking session.  And to double it up, three awesone recipes for bread was suggested.  I followed  Yeast version of pumpkin bread from Kingarthur, result was amazing!  My entire home was filled with fresh aroma of yeast-raised bread and we all luved it on ur breakfast time.  Thanks to Swathi Iyer and Tamy for suggesting the same.

Out of the oven, I felt very proud as I sliced my loaf with an hungry daughter by my side :)  She was the first one to taste this aromatic bread with an dollop of jam, she just loved it!!   I realized that these were super moist, yet heavy on our stomach compared to store-brought one.  So, let us move to recipe!

Hyderabadi Vegetable Sandwich Recipe | Spicy Indian Vegetable Cheese Sandwich

Hyderabadi Vegetable Sandwich is a delicious Indian-style sandwich prepared with a spicy and flavorful mixed vegetable filling, aromatic spices, tomato puree and cheese. The vegetable mixture is cooked until completely dry and then layered between toasted bread slices for a crispy, satisfying snack. This easy vegetarian sandwich is perfect for breakfast, evening tea, school lunch boxes or a quick snack.

Ingredients

For Tempering

• 3 teaspoons oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies

For the Vegetable Filling

• 4 teaspoons finely chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons curd
• A pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon salt, or according to taste
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
• ½ cup tomato puree
• 1 cup boiled mixed vegetables, such as cauliflower, potato, carrot and beans
• 3 teaspoons grated cheese
• 4 slices milk bread

Method

Prepare the Vegetable Filling

1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
2. Add the finely chopped green chillies and sauté for a few seconds.
3. Add the chopped onions and cook until they become soft and slightly translucent.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears.
5. Add turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well.
6. Add the curd and stir continuously so that it blends well with the spices.
7. Pour in the tomato puree and mix everything together.
8. Add the boiled mixed vegetables and gently combine with the masala.
9. Cook the mixture until the vegetables are well coated with the spices and the excess moisture has completely evaporated.

Important tip: The vegetable filling should be thick and completely dry. If the filling is watery, continue cooking until all excess moisture evaporates. A wet filling can make the bread soggy and affect the texture and appearance of the sandwich.

Assemble the Sandwich

10. Heat a tawa or flat pan and lightly toast the bread slices on both sides.
11. Spread an even layer of the prepared vegetable filling over one toasted bread slice.
12. Sprinkle grated cheese generously over the vegetable filling.
13. Cover with another bread slice and gently press the sandwich together.
14. Toast the sandwich on the tawa until both sides are golden brown and crisp and the cheese has melted.
15. Remove from the pan, cut into halves or slices and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this Hyderabadi Vegetable Sandwich hot with tomato ketchup, green chutney or your favorite sandwich dip. You can also serve it alongside a cup of hot tea or coffee for a delicious evening snack.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure the boiled vegetables are well drained before adding them to the filling.
• Cook the vegetable mixture until it becomes dry to prevent soggy sandwiches.
• You can adjust the green chillies according to your preferred spice level.
• For a richer sandwich, add extra grated cheese before toasting.
• Brown or whole-wheat bread can be used instead of milk bread.
• The filling can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for quick sandwich preparation.