Oats walnut Raisin bread

Oats Walnut Raisin bread

  The winters are late this year.I almost thought it was over when it seems that it just arrived today morning.We called it a night early on sunday and very weirdly I could not put myself to sleep after four in the morning.I sipped water , read my favourite book but sleep eluded me and I thought of making most of it. I decided to make this healthy and yummy bread for breakfast. After putting the dough aside to double, I stepped out in the balcony with my coffee. It was cold and very foggy.The very faint scent of fog triggered a flood of memories...Little me refusing to wear a scarf on a foggy morning ,teenager me cycling to school in the fog, the adult me spending a nightout in a tent and waiting for the sunrise, the very mature me walking hand in hand, in the wee hours of fog ,with my beloved after a party, the early days of motherhood when I would feed the baby and put him back to sleep and gaze the early morning mist from my window absorbing the change in my life.As I sipped my coffee ,stared and summed up my life in my head I could feel the beginning of a new day.It is mesmerizing to observe the mist dissolve in the golden light of sunrise
There is something about fog ...the mist, the confusion giving way to a glorious sunrise, a golden new beginning ..the sweet smell of dawn hinting at the new start of things. .So I closed my eyes and opened my heart to the new beginning..a new day..a new year and to new experiences...to the delicious aroma of a newly baked bread...

Back to the bread. Its very healthy and easy and coupled with a steaming cup of coffee,makes a complete meal in itself. The presences of oats makes it very filling and wholesome. You can put other nuts of your choice instead of  walnuts.
This recipe makes one 9x5 inch loaf. Make this delicious loaf and kickstart the year on a healthy note.

Ingredients

· 11/2 cup wholewheat flour
. 1 cup oats
. 1 cup All purpose flour

·  1/3 cup honey
. 1 tsp ghee
. 2 tsp active dry yeast
. 2 tsp cinnamon powder
. 3/4 tsp salt

. 1 cup lukewarm water
. 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
. 1/2 cup golden raisins

Instructions

1.Take a big mixing bowl. Put lukewarm water, one cup flour and two tsp yeast together. Give it a good mix and keep it aside.
2. After ten minutes the mixture will become foamy. Add honey, oats, salt , wholewheat flour, cinnamon.Continue stirring till everything comes together. Add walnuts and raisins and use a few drops of water if you feel the mixture is too dry.
3.Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on your work surface. Knead it for good ten minutes till it becomes smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a greased bowl and keep it covered for an hour or till the dough doubles in volume.

4. Take the dough out, gently deflate it with your hands and form a loaf.
    Put the loaf in a greased bread mould and wait for it to rise.
5. Bake the risen loaf at 180 degrees  for forty minutes or till the bread sounds hollow when tapped.When done immediately take it out of the oven and brush it ghee or melted butter.
6.Cool well before demoulding and slicing.

Wholewheat Strawberry topped Vanilla cake

Wholewheat Strawberry topped Vanilla cake

  The new year has begun and for me its mostly on a celebratory note.
Its the birthday month for half of my family, including me.If that is not enough reason to bake and celebrate every week..the month is interspersed with wedding anniversaries.
Unlike many past years where I promised my soul of many worldly achievements like 
I will quit this job and find a better one.
I will lose weight minimum 7 kgs
I will upgrade this to that
I will strive for new friendships and maintaining the existing ones
......   This year I just hope to spread happiness,  create love and find more joy in things I do. Intrestingly , there is short cut to achieve all the above in 

oneshot.Bake a cake.
I find baking very theraputic and find my nirvana in the oven at times.
When you start baking something, the eagerness and anticipation of your loved ones around, gets you going. When you realise their hopes with a delicious outcome...the cloud of happiness generally envelopes everyone.
Here is one such cake that I baked yesterday...that painted us with the emotion of happiness. I hope you create that happiness ,for yourself and everyone around, when you bake this simple cake. The tart strawberries create pools of jam on the cake surface and compliment the sweet vanilla cake very well...Go ahead..give a try.
 

Ingredients

· 1 cup wholewheat flour

·  3/4 cup powdered sugar
. 3/4 cup sour curd
. 1 tsp baking powder
. 1/4 tsp baking soda
. 4 tsp oil

. 2 egg 
. 1 tsp Vanilla extract
. 6 strawberries (cleaned ,hulled and halved)

Instructions

1.Sieve the wholewheat flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Keep aside.
2. Beat the eggs with oil. Add vanilla extract and mix.
3.Take a big bowl and mix the curd and sugar very well in it. Add half of the flour mix and egg mix. Combine very well. Again add the remaining flour mix and egg mix and combine.
4. Pour this mixture in a 6 inch greased and dusted cake pan and bake in a preheated oven for twenty minutes at 180 degrees.
5. Swiftly top the cake surface with strawberry halves and pop the cake back into the oven. Try not to give this a lot of time gap . Bake the cake for another twenty minutes or till the skewer comes out clean.