Eggless Carrot Cake

Eggless Carrot Cake 

I have been making Carrot Cake since a long time but somehow never tried making the eggless version. This was the first time I made this .It was quite easy to make. The results were pretty good...Made some quick and yummy frosting with butter & cheese spread...!! The pictures are not so good as they are mobile pics  taken at night.

Ingredients

Flour 3/4 cup
Grated carrots 1/2 cup
Condensed milk 1/2 cup 
Baking Powder 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda 1/2 tsp
Soft Butter 1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence 1 tsp
Walnuts & Raisins (optional)


Method

Soft Pretzels

Soft Pretzels 

(Launghenbrezel)

When I first saw the challenge for We Knead to Bake of this month by Aparna, I was sure that they are very difficult to make.. so I kept on sort of delaying them, but since I had not done last month's bread also and everybody's pretzels were looking so delicious and yummy I thought of tring them myself. Making the doiugh in a food processor is very easy (This I have learnt from Aparna). Keep the dough for rising ...shape them....dip them in soda bath...and bake them.....AND they R Ready..!!! Soft, Easy and delicious pretzels....!!

Ingredients 

2 1/2 tsp dried active yeast

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup warm milk

3 cups + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

(For Soda Bath)

6 cups water

2 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp cornmeal or semolina

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 tbsp chille flakes

Method

1. Take the yeast and sugar in a bowl and mix them with warm milk and allow that to stand for about 5 minutes.

2. Take the flour, salt and the yeast mixture in a food processor and make the dough by adding milk to it.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

4.Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. Cover and allow the dough to rise for about 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

5.Deflate the dough, cover and let it rest 5 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal portions.

6.Roll each portion into an 18-inch-long rope with tapered ends. Cross one end of rope over the other to form a circle, leaving about 4 inches at end of each rope. Twist the rope at the base of the circle. Fold the ends over the circle and into a traditional pretzel shape, pinching gently to seal. Place pretzels on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 10 minutes (pretzels will rise only slightly).

7. Put the 6 cups of water and baking soda in a non-aluminium pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer. Gently lower a pretzel into the simmering water. Cook on each side for about 15 seconds. The pretzel will swell/ puff up a bit. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a greased wire rack. This will prevent the pretzel from sticking to the rack. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.

8.Place the pretzels on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal or semolina. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 220C (425F) for 12 minutes or until pretzels are deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

9. Serve warm with a dip of your choice or just plain. They’re best eaten fresh, and on the same day. This recipe makes 12 Pretzels.

Eggless Baked Doughnuts

 We Knead to Bake #6

Baked Doughnuts..??????  This sounded interesting when I saw June's Month Challennge for We Knead to Bake hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen ...Though I had made doughnuts before but they were fried...& using eggs... I had to try these Baked Doughnuts....Though Last Month I was very busy with personal involvements, I tried these and they came out FANTASTIC......They were liked so much so that My son has already told his friends that his Mom would be making doughnuts for the whole class for his B'Day tom..and have been asking their favourite flavour.......!!

Eggless Baked Doughnuts

Ingredients:

1/4 cup castor sugar

1 cup warm milk 

3/4 tbsp instant yeast (or 1 tbsp active dry yeast)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup cake flour (or 1tbsp cornstarch + enough all-purpose flour to make up to 1 cup)

1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

100gm cold butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

For the topping:

about 1/2 cup melted butter for brushing

1 cup castor sugar + 2 tbsp cinnamon (more or less, depending on your taste), mixed together

OR

Glaze of your choice

(I used dark & white chocolate and some sugar sprinkles)

Method:

1. Put the sugar, milk, yeast, salt and vanilla in the processor bowl and pulse to mix well. 

2. Add the cake flour and 1 cup of all-purpose flour and process, adding a little more of the flour as necessary till the dough is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Now add the butter pieces one at a time and process till there no large chunks of butter are left in the bottom of the bowl. 

4. Now add a little more flour until your have a soft, pliable and elastic dough that is most but not overly sticky.

 5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. 

6. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large mixing bowl., turning it to coat well. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise till double in volume. This should take about an hour.

7. Punch down the dough and roll out to a thickness of 1/2" thickness. Cut out doughnuts using a doughnut cutter or whatever you have on hand to cut out 3” diameter with 1” diameter holes. 

8. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more doughnuts. 

9. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or till almost double in size and then bake them at 200C (400F) for about 5 to 10 minutes till they’re done and golden brown. Do not over bake them.

10. Take them out of the oven and immediately brush them with the melted butter and then dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

11.  If glazing your doughnuts, let them cool completely and then dip one side of the doughnut in the glaze of your choice and let it set.

P.S. This recipe makes about 12 to 14 doughnuts and holes.

Mango & Yoghurt Popsicles

Mango & Yoghurt Popsicles

Its Summer time !! Mangoes are so much in season and I don't think theres anybody who doesn't love mangoes. This recipe is Super easy, Super Tasty and Fast Vanishing............ !!

Ingredients

2 cup chopped mangoes ( fully ripe & chopped into small pieces)

1 cup thick yoghurt

1/2 cup fine sugar ( U an add more if  required)

3 tbsp light corn syrup

1 tsp lime juice

a few drops of mango essence ( enhances the flavour)

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a mixer and blend till smooth .

2. Put into paper cups or kulfi molds.

3. Put and icecream stick.

4. Put them in the freezer for atleast 5-6 hours.

5. Take them out, rub your hands a little on the paper cups so that they come out easily and see them vanishing.........

Corn and Onion Pizza with Tomato Pizza Sauce

                                                            

Corn and Onion Pizza with Tomato Pizza Sauce

It was a delight to be a part of the Home Baker's Challenge Group started by Priya of . This months challenge was hosted by Divya  . It was a home made pizza with a choice of home made tomato pizza sauce or pesto sauce . I chose tomato sauce. This was the first time I made any pizza sauce at home and believe me it was more yummier and affordable than the ready made.

I was not able to take good pics as my pizza vanished before I could take the final shots.....(so you can well imagine how tasty it was) , But next time I will definetly try and take pics before I serve it ......!!

Ingredients
 Recipe source Martha Stewart

For the Dough

3 cups Flour/ Maida 

7 gms Dry  instant yeast (1 pkt.)

1 tsp Salt 

2 tsp Sugar 

2 ½ tbsp Olive oil 

1 tsp Mixed herbs 

½ tsp Chili flakes 

1/2 cup coarse cornmeal for dusting the base

 For the Tomato Pizza Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

500 gms red & ripe tomatoes (roughly chopped)

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Pour olive oil into a large skillet, and place over medium heat. 
2. Using your hands, squeeze tomatoes to crush them. Add to the warm olive oil, along with the remaining ingredients. 
3. Cook over medium-low heat, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is thick, 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Pass sauce through a food mill, discard the seeds, and let cool.

Method for Making Pizza Base

1.    Mix dry yeast with a little warm water and sugar. Keep it for 5 - 10 mins.
2.    Mix  flour, salt, mixed herbs and chilli flakes. Keep them aside.
3.    Make a soft dough using all the ingredients and using little water as required..
4.    Keep the dough covered with a cling wrap for about ½ an hour.
5.    Divide the dough into four balls and dust some cornmeal and roll them keeping ¼ “ thickness.
6.     Prick them with a toothpick.
7.    Keep it for about 15- 20 mins for proofing.
8.    Apply pizza sauce and chopped vegetables according to  taste.
9.     Put pizza cheese on top and bake for about 15 – 20 mins at 220 o C.
10. Cut into wedges and serve.

** You can make the pizza base in advance and store them for a day. Just roll them and bake for about 10 mins. Take them out and cool them properly. cling wrap them and they can be stored for a day at room temp. and for about 2 days if refrigerated.