Bread has been an important part of society’s survival. Fresh, toasted, crisp, unleavened, sandwiched, buttered, you name it, bread can go there and make a meal of it. The store bought bread lasts for a week, which is worrying, so baking your own bread makes you feel more satisfied. Baking bread is simple and easy, just like making rotis at home once you get the hang of it. One can also experiment with ragi, oats and edible seeds and a variety of flavours which make good old bread a bit different but delicious nonetheless. Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread being baked at home.
As told to Namrata Srivastava
Bread Delight Halwa
Method
Crush a few slices of sandwich or milk bread in chopper to make crumbs and set it aside. Heat the ghee in a pan or wok, add the crumbs and sauté on low-medium flame till it starts changing colour and the ghee starts separating.
Add the khowa and sauté till the aroma begins to spread. Add the chopped cashew nuts, almonds, pishtachios, raisins, cardamom powder, sugar and milk one after another (modify the quantity of sugar as per your taste). Keep stirring on low heat. Sauté till the milk evaporates and the ghee begins to separate from the halwa. Garnish with chopped nuts.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
¾ cup pure ghee
1 cup khowa, thickened whole milk
½ cup cashew nuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup almonds, roughly chopped
¼ cup raisins, halved
¼ cup pistachios, chopped
¼ tsp cardamom powder
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
Chopped mix of nuts for garnishing
Rajma Crispy Bites
Method
Heat oil in a pan/wok, add the chopped onions and sauté till they change colour. Add the garlic followed by chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are well done. Add a little water, if required, to avoid burning of the masala.
Add all the dry masalas, sugar, a little water, boiled rajma and cook, covered, for a few minutes. Stir in the tomato ketchup and the grated cheese. Mix well and remove from heat. Cut the bread slices into small bite size rounds/squares, toast them lightly, arrange a dollop of the Rajma mixture, garnish with cheese and serve.
Ingredients
2 cups rajma, soaked for 6-8 hours,and boiled
50 gms butter
½ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp. jeera powder
A pinch of garam masala
Salt to taste
1 cup processed grated cheese, plus a little more for garnish
Bread slices, toasted
Butter
Bread Stick Kebabs
Method
Boil the potatoes, peel and roughly crush them. In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, fresh bread crumbs, finely mashed garlic, chopped onion, green chili, coriander, and dry masalas, and mix well after adjusting the salt.
Divide the mixture into small equal sized balls, press each ball around one satay stick, spread to the shape of a long kebab and press slightly between your palms making it a flat long kebab stick. Repeat the process for the remaining mixture and keep to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Heat a little oil in a grill pan/griddle and shallow fry the sticks on medium flame until golden brown and crisp.
Important Tip: Do not leave the mixture for a very long as it tends to loosen. Also, you could make flat long sticks in case you do not have satay sticks.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 potatoes, big
2-3 garlic cloves, finely mashed
1 onions, large, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur powder)
½ tsp jeera powder
¼ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying
Satay sticks, soaked in water for an hour
Fruity Jammy Jaffle
Method
Trim the bread and remove the crust. Butter just one side of the bread. Mix the jam with the fruit and set aside for 10 minutes to marinate. Mix in the nuts. Take a bread slice, top it up with half the fruit mix. Place another bread slice over it. Toast the jaffle sandwich in a toaster or grill the sandwiches on a hot tava.
Ingredients
4 bread slices, big
3 cups of chopped fruits (You can take an individual fruit or a mix of fruits like apple, grapes, banana, strawberry, pineapple, pears, peaches)
4 tbsp jam, as per taste
¼ cup chopped lightly toasted mixed nuts — almonds, walnut and cashew nut
3 tbsp of butter
Pav Bhaji Bake
Method
Mix the boiled vegetables with the tomatoes, capsicum, onion, spring onion, coriander, ginger garlic paste, pav bhaji masala, lemon juice, tomato puree and the melted butter. Add in the salt to taste. On an oven proof serving glass dish, spread half the pav bhaji mix. Top with half the quantity of bread and spread one cup of grated cheese over it.
Spread another layer of bhaji mix, place another slice of the bread and finally the cheese on top. Bake on medium temperature at around 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase the temperature in the last few minutes so that the cheese melts on top.
Ingredients
8 bread slices, big
5 cups of boiled vegetables, finely chopped (mix of potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, beans, cauliflower, etc.)
2 tomatoes, chopped finely
1 capsicum, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
½ cup, spring onion
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
¼ cup coriander, chopped
1 cup tomato puree
4 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp melted butter
2 cups grated cheese
Salt to taste
