Whole Wheat Ruby Bread - Beetroot Bread

Whole Wheat Ruby Bread

Why I decided to call this humble beetroot studded bread ,the most noble of  the jewels is no mystery  ...the lovely pink color is self explanatory.  But there is another reason to it and a very valid one too.I am not taking this too far and believe you me, this bread was made for a little girl who is lovingly called Ruby at home and loves all things pink. Not only pink dresses and tiff ins and bottles..the love extends to pink tooth brush to hair brush to strawberries and to the frustrating 'I will only eat pink things today.' 
After her exasperated mother confided in me about this picky eater, we hit upon this grand idea of beetroot bread...After ten days and three loaves of beetroot bread, I was told about how wonderful mealtimes have been all this while.
Beetroot toast with garlic butter and milk
Beetroot bread sandwich with paneer stuffing
Beetroot Bread pakoras
Beetroot Bread with cucumber
and...what not...

It is a baker's delight to discover a loyal customer...the humble baker ,in turn can at least show the love back by naming the invention after that cute customer..
Here goes my Ruby Bread  

Ingredients

· 3 cup wholewheat flour
. 4 tsp sugar
. 1 tsp salt
. 1/4 tsp baking powder

·  1 cup grated beetroot
. 2tsp ghee
. 2 tsp active dry yeast
. 1 cup luke warm milk

Instructions

1. Take a big bowl,put sugar ,flour ,baking powder,and yeast together and give a good stir. Add the grated beetroot and mix. I was aiming for a nice pink color and did not squeeze the juice out. Also I feel the good nutrition would come down if you remove the juice.However if you are looking for a bread with regular color and studded with ruby flakes of beetroot, go ahead and squeeze out the juice,before adding to the flour.

2. Add the milk in batches and give everything a good mix. Place the dough on your working platform and knead for ten minutes.

3. Towards the end of kneading, mix the ghee and salt and knead it into the dough. You can use any shortening of your choice..butter, oil..anything.

4.Cover the dough and leave in a warm spot to prove. Once the dough has doubled in volume(generally forty minutes to an hour) ,gently deflate with your hands and form a loaf by folding the sides like an envelope.

5. Grease a tin loaf(I use 8 x 4 inch) and place the loaf in the tin with seam side down. Keep aside for half an hour to rise till the edge of the tin.

6.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Now this is optional but worth trying - Just before you place the bread in the oven, gently spray some water on the top of the loaf. Do not use force to apply water ,otherwise the loaf will deflate. This is done to have a moist loaf.

7.Bake for 30-35 minutes..The bread is done when you get a hollow sound on knocking the top of the loaf. 

8.Once you remove the bread from the oven, Immediately brush it with  butter and remove it from the tin. If you leave it in the tin, the steam gets trapped making the bottom of the bread all soggy.

9.Cool completely before you slice the bread.