and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”
– James Beard And then if there is garlic and olive oil in the bread and and horror of horrors..pistachio nuts... Nuts? Nuts! Yes,nuts! In bread. So thank God for all ye faithful... Who have returned and reread my posts... I am not dead and decapitated like those zombies of the scary movies... I am just a teacher prepping for the end of term exams.The baking and the dough making and the olive oil and garlic and ground sugar are all the sanity I seem to have. My hands are much stained with red. Red of the pen with corrections after the murder of the written word.Red after the paper cuts and staple pin wounds... Yes baby... Education is a difficult job. So you need nuts.
The nuts and the nuttiest idea of making a bread that had ragi flour and garlic... Sort of like a pre made garlic bread already dipped in extra virgin olive oil. Super! The aroma was awesome and the bread stayed fresh for two days. That is how long it lasted. There was no need for any butter or any sandwich spread or any more olive oil to dunk it into. Just some great gossip and some spicy chit chat and lots of laughter...
That was Dunkin Donuts... The paper...New to Jalandhar, but missing in action was the yummy coffee that is needed to dunk the donuts into...The donuts were small and nothing that yours truly could not make in her own kitchen-so could you. they were egg less and cakey...not very donut like and were filled with cheap chocolate and synthetic fruit flavours and sugars. But the Heaven Can wait Burger was worth its name-in Gold! My favorite donuts are the ones that are available at the Oberoi Patisserie -Sugar and Spice in Khan Market in Delhi. I also tried the stuff at Choko la in Pacific Mall,Delhi...The chocolate certainly did not taste cheap. So the nuts and the Ragi bread. This bread is Low GI too.Tastier than the Bajra Ragi Low GI bread. Rich in all essential anti oxidants and calcium and fiber and what ever it needs to qualify as HEALTHY! The pictures of the making process were ruined thanks to the water on my phone... The new one is underway-just as soon as I make up my mind!
for the
Ragi Bread-Low GI once more with Pistachios,Garlic and Olive oil...
you need
2 cups plain flour 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup ragi flour 2 tsp yeast 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 100 gms shelled pistachios/walnuts or whatever is available when you start the dough 3-4 tbsp smashed/pounded/minced garlic 1 1/2 tsp or a little more salt 1 teeny weeny tsp sugar -to feed the yeast warm water to knead
Start with 50 mils of warm water and add in the yeast with the sugar. Mix about 200 mils with 2 tbsp of olive oil and add in the three flours and the 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Knead till the dough is elastic and smooth. Cover and set aside till it almost doubles. In the mean while chop/don't chop the pistachios,they will get toasted in the bread and will slice so beautifully you will cry with happiness. To the remaining oil( and more if you so wish) add the garlic. Roll up your sleeves and punch the dough. cut it into two equal halves and then lightly pat out each half into a flat oblong. Place half the garlic and half the pistachios on the oblong and fold over three times.Pat out and fold over at least 3-4 more times,much easier than kneading them in. Now shape the dough into two oblongs and place over a parchment sheet . Cover and set aside to double. Preheat the oven now to 200C/390F,once the beeper goes off,lower the temp to 190C/375F and pop in the loaves for about 35-40 minutes. You'll know they are done when the aromas of the garlic and the toasting pistachios and the Olive oil and the baking bread start floating out of your kitchen. Out and brush with a little more Extra Virgin Olive oil and slice or break off and enjoy.
The bread tastes awesome fresh and keeps well. Toasts well too,only the slices pistachios fell off and burnt to cinders in my toaster.
Worth the effort and totally worth the calories-good calories.
Great for breakfast and instant energy for over burdened school teachers like me....
I'll be back with more...
Till then think of...
Sunflower bread...
So what are you baking today???
