Monday 28 September 2009

Stuffed Bun's - Fresh from the Oven

Over the last year or so I have been really getting into breadmaking and recently read online about a baking blog called Fresh From the Oven
and signed up for this months challenge - Stuffed Buns, certainly a very new and different side of breads for me! They are soft, fluffy little buns and make a good snack or as part of a meal.

The recipe comes from Ria's Collection I have put in brackets some ingredient amendments for UK based bloggers, as this recipe originates from India.

This is a great recipe for a lazy afternoon of baking.

♥Stuffed Bun♥
Yields 12 buns (I made 15, lost count whilst seperating!)


For the dough:

Ingredients:

Dry yeast-1 tbsp (I used 1/2 tbsp of Allinsons Dried active yeast)
Warm water 2 tbsp
Milk 1/2 cup (150ml)
Salt to taste
Oil 1/2 cup
All purpose flour 2 cups (275g, I used strong bread flour)
Sugar 1/4 cup (looks a lot but honestly works!)
Egg 1, beaten
Egg white 1, for egg wash
White sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method

Dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1/2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tbsp of all purpose flour. Leave aside for 10 minutes.

Boil the milk and allow to cool down till it is warm to touch. Add sugar, oil and salt.

Mix well with a wooden spoon till the sugar dissolves and add 1 cup flour and mix to a smooth paste. Add the beaten egg, yeast and mix. Add the remaining flour and mix well till it forms a smooth dough.

Knead well for 10 mins.[We knead it using our hands]

Let it rest till it doubles in volume. (mine didn't double, just a gentle increase but think may have been too cold in the kitchen)

Punch down the dough lightly using your palm and divide them equally.
Flatten them into small discs and fill them with 1 tbsp of the filling. Re-shape them into a ball.

Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.



Let it prove for another 20 mins.

Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 10 mins.(fan 175o) When it starts to brown, give them an egg wash using 1 slightly beaten egg white. (Keep an eye on them as catch quickly!)

♥Spicy Indian chicken filling♥

Ingredients
Boneless chicken-200g, boiled and shredded
Onions 4 big, finely chopped (I used 2 giant ones)
Ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp (I cheated with jarred version)
Chilli powder-1/2 -1tbsp [depending on your spice level]
Coriander powder-1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil-3 tbsp

Method

Heat oil, add the ginger garlic paste and saute till it gives out a nice aroma.
Add the onions. Saute them till soft and transparent.
Reduce the heat and add the powders and mix well for 2 mins.
Add the shredded chicken and mix well.

Keep it off the fire and let it cool.

Use it for filling the dough.

*Veggie filling: You can substitute chicken for paneer/cottage cheese, potatoes , mushrooms etc

Sunday 20 September 2009

Barbecue Sausage Pasta

We seem to have had a pasta heavy week for some reason, two pasta dishes at home and one at the in-law's house. The first was this Barbecue sausage pasta, and the 2nd a tuna tortellini one-pot dish, I really liked both! I will post the tuna one another time as its a great speedy worknight supper.

This dish can be easily made and served inisde an hour, its also good the next day cold for lunch. Its also quite economical and becoming a regular in our household! It can also be easily doubled etc. Great man food and good for us ladies too :)

Serves 4

6-8 good quality sausages of your liking - cumberland or pork and apple are also very good in this
500ml sieved tomatoes (also known as passatta)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or 2 tsp garlic powder
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp molasses sugar
1/2 tbsp golden caster sugar
1/2 tbsp honey (1 squirt!)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp dried italian herb mix
550g fusilli or penne pasta


Firstly, squeeze the sausage meat out of their skins and split into 4-5 pieces, roll into balls, heat a deep pan (I use a casserole for this) heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil (will depend how fatty the sausages are!) fry the meatballs until golden all over for about 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, add the onions and brown, stir in the sugar, spices and herbs, all of the sieved tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes and add the meatballs, cover and gently simmer for a further 25 minutes.

Cook the pasta as per packet, drain well and add to the sauce, mix well and adjust seasoning if needed, a splash of l&p is always a good booster . Serve with grated cheese if desired

Sunday 13 September 2009

Bacon and pea Fridge-tata

In hindsight I should have measured the ingredients for this, rather than throw together bits from the fridge and hope that it worked...for some odd reason I didn't think this dish would be that great and the fact I was primarily making this to feed the boyfriend....I was very wrong and found myself trying to sneak forkfuls of the beloved's plate, much to his horror!! (think that Friends episode where Joey's date tries to eat his chips...)

I also decided to name it fridge-tata instead of frittata as its not very authentic but certainly very tasty :)



Make sure you have a pan that is suitable for going under the grill - I couldn't find the instructions for mine but somewhere in the back of my mind I thought it was okay, and luckily my lovely Meyer pan survived!

Makes 4-6 wedges

Loose instructions due to lack of measuring were:

6 medium eggs
2 handfuls grated mature cheddar
1 tbsp approx grated parmesan
1 heaped tbsp low-fat soft cheese (or whatever is in fridge!)
aprox 1/2 cup of milk
handful frozen peas
8 cooked or raw new potatoes
1/2 chopped white onion
small pack bacon/ pancetta bits
1/2 tsp dried italian herbs
S&P

I started off with raw potatoes, which I then quartered, microwaved with a splash of water for 8 minutes, added the peas and cooked for 2 more minutes

Mix together the eggs, 2/3 the cheddar, other cheeses, milk, and seasoning

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high. Heat a large pan (as above check its grill friendly!), gently fry the onion and bacon bits together - you want them opaque but not too browned, stir in the cooked potatoes and peas and fry for a couple of minutes, pour over the eggy mixture and mix well, stir occasionally until the bottom is setting, now place under the grill and cook until golden brown all over and cooked through, allow to stand for a couple of minutes before serving.

I'm guessing it would be nice cold too for a picnic etc but it didn't survive that long...

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