Cheddar Cornbread & Lentil Curry

Since I bought a bag of cornmeal to make the Orange Cornmeal Cake, I've been looking around for another cornmeal recipe so that it gets used up. If I don't, it may just be forgotten and I'd end up throwing it away when it expires which is such a waste. 

I came across this almost fat free (except for the cheese) corn bread recipe which turned out to be really delicious. I added a handful of basil which brought a special flavour to the bread. The combination of cornmeal, cheddar and basil was definitely a winning one. 

I also cooked a vegetarian lentil curry dish to go along with the bread. This is one of those recipes which I have made a few times because the cauliflower and sweet potato lends so much sweetness to the stew that not much seasoning is required. It was also a great way of getting more beans into my family diet. 

Cheddar Corn Bread (9 inch cast iron skillet or 8 inch square baking tray)

A Martha Stewart Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk (I combined half yoghurt and half milk and let it stand)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• A handful of basil (my own addition)

Method

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees (220 degrees C). In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper; make a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk and eggs to well, and whisk to loosen eggs. Gently incorporate dry ingredients, then mix in cheese.
• Place butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; bake until butter is melted. Remove from oven, and tilt to coat bottom and sides.
• Pour batter into prepared skillet; bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cornbread cool in skillet at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap completely cooled bread in plastic, and store at room temperature up to 1 day.

Lentil Curry

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 head cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds), stemmed and separated into florets
• 1 cup brown lentils, picked over, well rinsed, and drained
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
• Coarse salt
• Plain low-fat yogurt, for serving (optional)

Method

• In a nonstick Dutch oven (5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add curry powder; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and their juice, and 1 1/2 cups water; season with salt.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover, and cook until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately with yogurt, if desired.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Three Flavoured Focaccia

Jamie Oliver claims that this focaccia is not fussy as in its pretty easy and straight forward - and I'm pretty much inclined to believe him as I've tried several of his recipes to great success. . Like Jamie, I made this one lazy weekend afternoon for dinner that evening.

I didn't even bother with my breadmaker as I'm usually quite lazy and would prefer not to hand knead anything. Since this only need five minutes of arm power, I decided to do so. It wasn't too bad after all! Very soon the focaccia was ready to proof and I set about making the toppings. I didn't follow his recipe for the toppings exactly and I made some substitutions yet it was still great! The caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes and cheese toppings went very well with the soft, fluffy focaccia bread. 

The great thing about the this focaccia is that you actually get to eat three different flavours all at once. My family really enjoyed this recipe and I'd be sure to do it again soon. 

Three Flavour Focaccia (1 12 inch by 10 inch tray)

Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

          

For the dough

• 400 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100 g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour
• sea salt
• 1 sachet dried yeast (2 1/4 tsp of instant yeas)
• ½ tablespoon golden caster sugar
• 300 ml water, lukewarm
• olive oil

Onion topping

• 2 red onions, finely sliced (I used white)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Basil and cherry tomato topping

• 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
• 1 large handful ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

For the three-cheese and rosemary topping

• 30 g Taleggio cheese
• 1 small log goat's cheese
• 1 handful Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

Method

1. Dough

•  Place the flours and ½ tablespoon of sea salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, and mix with a fork. Leave this for a few minutes and, when it starts to foam, slowly pour it into the well, mixing with a fork as you go.
• As soon as all the ingredients come together, which may take a minute or so, knead vigorously for around 5 minutes until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
• Lightly oil a large bowl with some olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Dust with a little extra flour, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled in size.
• While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and prepare the toppings (I baked at 190°C).

2. Prepare the toppings -

• Onion Topping: For the balsamic onion topping, fry the sliced onions and thyme leaves in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, reduce for a minute or two, then leave to cool.
• Basil and cherry tomato topping: Roughly chop the basil leaves and pop them into a bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a tiny splash of white wine vinegar. Add the garlic and mix it all.

3.  Back to the dough

• To cook the focaccia, as soon as the dough has risen, pound it then place on a baking tray and spread it out to cover the tray. Push down roughly on top of the dough like a piano to make lots of rough dips and wells.
• Divide the onion and the tomato toppings over two thirds of the focaccia. 
• For the three-cheese and rosemary topping, break up the Taleggio and the goat's cheese over the remaining third of the focaccia. Sprinkle over the grated Parmesan and rosemary leaves and season with pepper. Finish with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. 
• Leave to prove for a further 20 minutes then bake for 20 minutes, until golden on top and soft in the middle.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Christmas Tree Buns

When I saw this beautiful Christmas-tree shaped pumpkin rolls made by Jeannie of The Baking Diary, I was drawn to it. Firstly because I love pumpkin rolls and secondly, I thought it was a fabulous idea to serve rolls this way for a Christmas dinner. 

It doesn't take a lot of extra effort to arrange the buns into shape of a Christmas tree and it can be beautifully decorated for your Christmas lunch or dinner. You can use any bread roll recipe but I particularly liked this pumpkin one because pumpkin imparts a sweetness to the bread without the need for additional sugar. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and have a great time with your loved ones!

Pumpkin Rolls
Recipe from The Baking Diary

Ingredients:

Water Roux
15 g bread flour
75 g water

Main Dough
150 g pumpkin puree
2½ cup bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon dry milk
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dry yeast
¼ cup water
1½ tablespoon butter (softened or use 1.5 tbsp of oil)

Method:

Water Roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

• In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.
• Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough, slightly sticky. Add more water of flour as needed since the content of water will vary between different pumpkin puree. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough.
• Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.
• Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.
• Knock back the dough and weigh 35 g each and roll into a smooth roll and shape your tree on the baking sheet. You will need a total of 19 balls.  
• Let it proof for another 30-45 mins. Brush some melted butter on top of the buns, sprinkle/scatter the chopped rosemary and then add some sea salt on top. 
• Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350 F (175 C) for approximately 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.

I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event here.

Lebanese Flatbread with Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto

The French have their baguette and the Labanese have their man'ooshe - a flatbread that is shaped like a round pizza and eaten for breakfast with various toppings. 

This flatbread is widely available in every street bakery in Lebanon. It is commonly served with a spread  called Za'tar made from a special fruit called Sumac, sesame seeds and salt and topped with tomatoes , onions and salads of choice wrapped up and enjoyed.The man'ooshe can also be used  as a pizza base and topped with your favourite cheese and toppings. Since I won't be able to make authentic Za'tar, I've improvised with a sun-dried tomato basil version which was delicious served freshly baked from the oven. 

The bread is crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. It's really easy to make and seriously addictive. It's important to eat it fresh though, as it turned slightly hard when kept overnight. 

Lebanese Flatbread with Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto (6 pieces)

Adapted from Bill Granger

Ingredients

For the bread

• 300g strong white flour 

• 150g strong wholemeal flour 

• 1½ tsp instant yeast 

• 1 tsp caster sugar 

• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

For the paste

• A handful of basil leaves (about 20)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 tbsp of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes or olive oil

To serve

• Greek yoghurt
• Extra basil leaves

Method

• For the bread, place the flours, yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl, and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre then pour in 250ml of tepid water (slightly warm) and stir to form a soft dough. Tip out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 minute. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth, then set aside for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• In a blender, blend the basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes and oil till it forms a paste.
• Preheat the oven to 250C/480F/Gas8. Divide the dough into 6 rounds and use a rolling pin to roll them out into flatbreads. Dust an oven tray with flour. Transfer the breads to the tray and spread with topping. Bake for 5 minutes until light-golden and lightly crisp like a pizza. 
• Serve with basil leaves sprinkled over it and Greek yoghurt.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

These Cinnamon Rolls could possibly be the Pioneer Woman's most famous recipe? Possibly and I think one of her very best. 

The best thing about these addictive Cinnamon Rolls is that its a no knead recipe - you don't get to work out your biceps in order to get the bread dough together.  Yet, it produces a soft, pillow-y bread bursting with the flavours of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. 

I would highly advise that you keep this dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling and shaping because of the humid and hot weather here which makes it difficult to work with if its not chilled. I've tried to work on it without chilling and I could barely get it to hold its shape. 

Of all the recipes I've tried, this goes to the top of the list as a must try!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls (15 rolls)
Adapted from Pig Pig's Corner

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 2 2/3 cups plain flour (+ 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 100 g unsalted butter - melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Cinnamon powder
• Sultanas (optional)

Frosting (optional): I mixed 3 tbsp of maple syrup with about 1/2 cup of icing sugar and drizzled over the rolls. You can add more syrup or icing sugar depending on the consistency you like. 

Directions:

• Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan.
• Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool for about 30 mins.
• When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in dry yeast. Let this sit for a min.
• Add 2 2/3 cups of flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
• Add 1/3 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point the dough will be quite sticky, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two. This will give you a firmer dough. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
• When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Form a rough rectangle with the dough. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon powder and sultanas.
• Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
• Cut the roll to approximately 1 inch thick and lay them in a greased baking tray. Leave a little space in between the rolls for them to rise.
• Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 mins or until they look bloated (I left it to rise for about 1 hr), then bake at a 180℃ pre-heated oven until light golden brown, about 20-25 mins.
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This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. 

Gruyere Brioche Braid

The Gruyere Brioche Braid from the book Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet and Savory by Lou Seibert Pappas is the next bake for the members of The Home Bakers. The Home Bakers  is hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours. If you are keen to join us, please contact Joyce. 

I have never had Gruyère  cheese before and found it to be creamy, nutty and flavourful. Named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland - it is sweet but slightly salty and has a flavor that varies widely with age. With age, the cheese will become more assertive, earthy and complex. 

Gruyère is the cheese used in this recipe and it made a very delicious eggy brioche. The texture is soft and fluffy and it's one of those breads that is lovely on its own or perfect served with a bowl of savoury soup. Although the recipe did not call for it, I sprinkled some of the cheese on top of the bread before baking to give it a more "chees-y" look. 

This recipe was chosen by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake. Please go to her blog for the full recipe.