First of all, thankyou guys for the overwhelming response on my previous post. I am so glad many of you could relate, indulge and benefit from it. Since I am in the process of completing part 2 of the series, I thought of filling the recipe posts void with some amazing bakers around me who happen to be my friends also. (Secretly I want to get their best recipes out, LOL *evil laugh*) .
This person I am going to introduce to you today has started baking a couple of years back and has become such a pro. Very encouraging and so related to the series we are doing. What it takes to bake perfectly will be covered in the next part but for now let me introduce you to my first guest blogger, Shazia Hasan. A stay-at-home mom of two energetic boys, very enthusiastic baker and creator of many healthy recipes. I still remember when she made 2 minutes banana cake in microwave with glaze made with all natural ingredients. And the recipe she is going to make for you today has a very special ingredient – Finger Millet.
Say Hello to Shazia
Finger Millet also called Ragi cultivated mainly in Africa and Asia. A gluten-free grain rich in calcium, fiber, iron, protein and other minerals, excellent for kids, diabetic and weight conscious people because of low glycemic index. It is considered to be anti-microbial, anti cancer and helps in fighting cardiovascular diseases. Originally they are like red pearls but sold as grounded in the form of flour. Due to numerous benefits, I plan to add a couple of tablespoons in the regular wholewheat and all purpose flour recipes. Will keep you posted. Over to Shazia now.
I love food. I mean, who doesn’t ? And eating organic food is the best gift you can give your body to keep it healthy and strong. But you don’t always have to spend too much money on your organic stuff. There are a lot of alternative options to kick start a healthy lifestyle.
I am Shazia Hassan signing in for all you lovely readers to post on a blog for the very first time at bakefresh.net. And let me assure you that you don’t need to be a pro at baking to try this healthy recipe.
Well, it all began when my friends and I started meeting up often for coffee mornings and high teas. “Let’s have a party” I would tell my health conscious friend Nadia (creator of BakeFresh) and she would say “you know I am game, but let’s go light on food”. I started trying out new recipes to fulfill our food cravings but in a guilt free manner. Let me show you how.I am going to introduce you to one of the healthiest grains called FINGER MILLET (commonly known as RAGI in South India , the place where I come from ). It is a super food which is rich in iron, calcium, protein, fiber and other minerals. Above all, it aids in weight loss and is great for diabetics too. Doesn’t that sound fantabulously delicious already?You can find it in almost all Indian stores and shops which stock organic foods.
All you need are a few simple ingredients to get started which do not involve any refined products and TADAAA, you are on the healthy track before you even know it. The recipe I am making today has a delicious chicken and mushroom filling inside but you can also bake regular bread loaf with this recipe. It is the best substitute to a store bought processed white or brown bread.
- 1 cup finger millet flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 tbsps all purpose flour
- 3 tbsps dry yeast (instant or granulated)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 and ½ cups warm water
- 1 pod of garlic (peeled and chopped)
- 300 grams boneless chicken (boiled and shredded)
- 10 to 12 medium sized mushrooms (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon chilly flakes
- 1 teaspoon soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon wheat flour
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
- Salt to taste
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Take a large bowl and combine finger millet flour , wheat flour, all purpose flour and salt and keep aside.
- Mix yeast and honey in 4 tbsps of warm water and leave it for 5 to 10 mins to get fluffy. That’s when you know the yeast is active.
- Once the yeast as active, add the mixture to the flour bowl and mix it well. Then add oil. Now , pour in the remaining warm water and knead the door.
- You can use more water if the dough is dry or more finger millet flour if the dough is too wet and sticky.
- Place the dough in a greased air tight container and let it rest for a couple of hours until the size of the dough has doubled.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add chicken and mushrooms and saute for another minute.
- Add the spices and soya sauce. You can adjust the proportion of spices to suit your taste buds.
- Let the mixture cook for a while until the mushrooms shrink to half their size.
- Add wheat flour and milk and saute the mixture until you get a creamy consistency .
- Lastly add the grated cheese.
- Let it cool.
- Once your dough has risen, punch it a few times to release air bubbles.
- Roll your dough into a long cylindrical shaped tube about 3 inches thick and cut 20 pieces of equal size.
- Take one piece and a make ball out of it . now , press the ball in the center and spread it with your fingers to make it flat and fill about 1 tbsp of the filling.
- Seal the ball and keep aside.
- Repeat the process with the other parts of the dough.
- Arrange the stuffed dough in a greased baking pan in any shape of your choice. I have arranged them like concentric circles. Make sure to leave a little space in between to give room to expand. Check the pictures for reference.
- Brush on top with egg and sprinkle sesame seeds .
- Leave it covered for another 15 mins to let it rise.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven in 350 degrees for about 25 mins until the top of the bread looks firm.
- For making regular bread loaf, halve the bread recipe and bake it in a rectangular 9x4 inches loaf tin
A hearty thank you Shazia for chipping in and for this very special recipe. You can follow her instagram account here.
Wow.. sounds delicious and healthy… a very good option for teatime…especially kids… definite try…
Great,let us know 🙂
Do let us know how it turned out .
Great receipe ! Great effort and great gesture to share common interest. Am very proud of you Shazia !!!! All the very best for all your future endeavours :))) i am surly gonna try this in the near future as my kids snack all the time on bread ! Let’s try it the healthy way !!
Thanks for the encouragement Sowjanya, let us know how it turns out.