The bread that you get today in any grocery store is pre-packed and sliced..But my memories of bread is of a long time ago when we used to get fresh bread from the bakery round the corner. The way they used to slice each loaf and then put it in a cover and give it. You could still feel the warmth in the loaf and the smell was hmm..very good..
One day I just thought why not give it a try..After a few attempts I am here to tell you my triump in baking the perfect loaf which my family enjoyed...
Recipe Source: Angies Place
I have tweaked the original recipe to suit my taste. So here goes the ingredients. Please note that 1 cup is the normal chai cup that we use in india.
To start with take:
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter
Warm the milk just so that the you can add all the above ingredients and they get blended into the milk easily.
Microwave 1 cup of water for about 30-40 sec on medium heat to get the temperature warm enough for the yeast to activate. This is more then lukewarm and less then hot. A couple of tries and you will get there. Now once the temperature is just right add about 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast and mix it well. I add a few drizzles of honey in this mixture since honey acts as a catalyst in activating the yeast faster. Set it aside for a few minutes. You will notice that froth starts forming on the top of this mixture.
Now take:
- 1 cup - WholeWheat Flour or Atta
- 2 cups - Maida or All Purpose Flour
Mix both these well and now add the yeast mixture along with the milk and knead into a smooth dough. This dough should be a little more stickier then the one that you make for your regular phulkas.
Now let the dough rest in a well oiled vessel covered with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour's time. This is achieved by keeping the dough in a warm place.
After an hour take the dough out and knead it again. Now flatten the dough to remove air pockets by using a rolling pin and get it into a rectangular shape. Now starting from one end of the rectangle roll the dough slowly. At the very end pinch the ends and also the sides securely. Put this into a oiled baking dish, cover it and let it rise again for about an hour's time.
After an hour take the loaf out and pop it into a pre-heated oven at 180 Deg c for about 15- 20 minutes. You may need to adjust the temperature and time depending upon the oven size.
After about 20 minutes remove the laof from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Your bread is now ready to be sliced. Enjoy your bread with some butter and jam.
