Whole Wheat Focaccia: Black Olive and Garlic Focaccia Bread: Italian Bread

Life without bread would be so boring. How would you eat your pasta with no garlic bread on side? How would you make sandwiches? What would you serve soups with? All you need is bread to complete your meal.

Lately I have been in the baking sphere. I made Garlic Rolls a few days back and then Herbs Garlic Focaccia two weeks later. Focaccia is one such bread that every novice and beginner baker must try. No bread making can get simpler than this. It is rustic, it is soft and it can be paired with anything-dips, chutneys, lasagna, and pasta or just as it is.

Olive oil is a must when making focaccia and NO there is no substitute for olive oil. A good aromatic olive oil will bring out the best focaccia bread.  Focaccia is an Italian bread and there are hundreds variations for the recipe but the basic bread or dough recipe remains the same. You can change the toppings as per your taste and mood ;-). You can have tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, caramelized onions, nuts and even fruits as toppings.

For a healthier twist I crafted Whole Wheat Focaccia Bread with Garlic and Olives. Garlic, olives, some herbs all sitting on the top of rustic bread is something so enticing and inviting; plus is it guilt free-bonus! If you want to learn and know more about yeast and its process click here. Once you master the art of yeast then baking bread is very easy peasy.

Whole Wheat Garlic Olive Focaccia can be served with basically anything. My favourite way is to dip it in with some olive oil. If you fancy a focaccia sandwich, slit the bread in between and stuff in pesto sauce and some vegetables-grill and enjoy.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon rapid dry yeast

2 pinch sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon mixed dry herbs

4 cloves garlic roughly chopped

5 olives roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional but recommended)

1. Method:
2. Heat water in microwave for 20 seconds. Dip the finger and check water, it should we warm. Mix sugar and yeast in water. Stir and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes when you see bubbles on yeast mixture, add flour, salt and 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs. Mix and knead the dough.
4. Mix 1/4 cup of oil in the dough. Keep kneading the dough till it is soft and springy.
5. Grease one large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Put the dough in the bowl. Cover it with cling film and keep aside in warm surface for 45 minutes.
6. After 45 minutes the dough should have risen, beat the air out and knead the dough again. Flatten the dough on a grease pan in to any shape (I shaped in round in pizza pan). The thickness should be like a normal crust of pizza. Cover the dough with wet towel and keep in a warm place for 20 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes, poke holes (dimples) on the dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. Till then preheat your oven at 190C.
8. Arrange chopped garlic and olives on focaccia evenly.
9. Prepare the oil. Mix black pepper and remaining dry herbs. Keep aside.
10. Pour this oil mixture on dimples of the dough. Spread the oil mixture evenly without punching the air. Sprinkle the sea salt.
11. Bake for 15-18 minutes. The bread should be golden brown on top.
12. Let the bread cool down before you cut and serve.

Notes:

You can make it even without garlic. Or use whole olives. I used canned black olives.

Keep your dough in a warm place. I always keep it in the oven. A friend of mine who lives in the hills covers the bowl with a blanket and keep it dark place-for her this trick works.
You have to use a good quality olive oil for a nice texture. I recommend Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Use active rapid dry yeast or also called as instant yeast. I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast.

Mixed Italian herbs are easily available in any store. It is blend of oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil. I used McCormick Italian Seasoning. You can use any particular herb as well. Rosemary is the most popular one.

Cover the bread with cling film and store it a room temperature. It will be good for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with burnt garlic pasta, pasta in red wine sauce, simple basic pasta.

Pair as side with tomatoes chutney, chilli hummus or roasted fennel cherry tomatoes.

Serve with roasted garlic soup, roasted butternut squash soup or indian garlic lentil soup.

Bell Peppers, Sweet Corn and Tomato Cheese Thin Crust Pizza: Whole Wheat Dough: Vegetarian Pizza

Pizza, popcorn, beer and movie- ah the best combination-ever!

Have you ever met someone who doesn’t like pizza? Me neither. How about these interesting pizza facts then?

• The average pizzeria uses roughly 55 pizza boxes per day.
• 36 percent of all pizza orders want their pizza topping pepperoni
• 94 percent of Americans eat pizza regularly.
• Cheese wasn't added to pizza until the late 1800s.
• The largest pizza in the world was made in 1990 at Norwood Hypermarket in South Africa. For the pizza, they used 500 kg of flour, 800 kg of cheese and 900 kg of tomato puree. The pizza was measured 37.4 meters, enough to secure an entrance in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest pizza ever.

And making pizza is so easy peasy if you have crust or base ready. Now do you remember two weeks back I posted this 100% whole wheat pizza dough recipe? I saved half of the dough in the freezer and this Sunday turned into quick thin crust pizza. Bell Peppers, Sweet Corn and Tomato Cheese Thin Crust Pizza is the best vegetarian pizza you will ever have. Ofcourse you need to be fond of thin crust, we both are huge suckers of thin crust pizza, I have also made thin crust New York Pizza before. Honestly, thick crust or normal crust pizza tastes like cooked dough to us;-)

I used red chill pesto as pizza sauce but you can use roasted garlic bell peppers sauce, roasted tomato chutney or even ketchup. For toppings I threw in some chopped chunks of capsicum, frozen corn and roundels of tomatoes. You can use any other veggies like zucchini, aubergine, onions, olives, jalapeno, peppers or even green leaves like spinach, basil or arugula. I opted for mix of mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese, but that again depends on your choice. You can choose blue cheese, feta cheese or even parmesan cheese. That’s what I looove about pizza. You can add in anything that your mind and heart needs at that time.  Pizza doesn’t ask silly questions, it just understands.

Ingredients:

1/2 of whole wheat pizza dough

2 tablespoons red chilli pesto sauce

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

4 tablespoons sweet corn (I used frozen)

1 tomato chopped into rings

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon cornmeal (see notes)

Method:

Preheat the oven at 190C.

Sprinkle corn meal on the pizza pan or tray.

Roll out the dough into thin crust medium size. Transfer the rolled dough on the pan. Prick holes with fork.

Apply pizza sauce all over the base. I used chilli pesto sauce.

Arrange all the veggies on the base. Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano.

Top the veggies with cheese. Pinch or fold the sides such that it looks like crust.

Bake for 8 minutes at 190C. Reduce the temperature to 180C and bake again for 2 minutes. The cheese must have melted and turn bubbly.

Slice and serve.

Notes:

You can make normal thick crust pizza too. Bake it at 180C for 10 minutes and then 170C for 5 minutes.

Cornmeal is optional, it helps to give nice crispy texture to pizza crust. You can grease the baking pan with little olive oil and bake instead.

Serving suggestions:

Serve pizza with any drinks. See drinks menu for ideas.

Make a whole platter. Serve pizza with baked sweet potato wedges on the side with kiwi yogurt dip.

100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Thin Crust: Indian Atta

Happy June everyone!

Friday night was pizza night. Ever since I have learnt the way to work with yeast, I must admit I am little addicted to baking breads at home. Homemade pizza dough is a new feather in the hat. And moreover this is made with 100% whole wheat flour, indian atta-yeah Aashirwad or Pillsbury both will work perfectly fine for this recipe.

I know, as soon as you say pizza you think of calories, refined flour (maida) and lots of cheese; but I used whole wheat flour, very less cheese and good vegetable toppings which means lots of goodness without compromising the taste. You can use this basic whole wheat pizza dough recipe and make thin crust or thick crust; small medium or large pizza; decide your own toppings and have it piping hot, fresh right out of oven.

How much time does dominos, pizza hut or pizza express takes to deliver so called ‘hot’ pizza? 30 minutes? 40 minutes? Well if you have the dough ready, then this pizza will take only 12 minutes. Exciting? You don’t have to count the calories, or worry for you kids’ health- it will be like indian bread (roti or paratha) with tons of veggies and the amount to cheese you feel is right. Smiling? Happy?-I am sure you are.

What more, I bring before you step by step pictures so that you understand well. Please please and please dont keep yourself away from having pizza- this is the Best Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Italian

Makes: 2 meduim size thin crust. Or 1 large thin crust.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used Indian Aashirwad brand)

1 teaspoon rapid instant yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon basil (optional)

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons water

Method:

Heat water in microwave for 20 seconds. Water should be warm. To it add yeast and sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes or till you see yeast bubbled and frothy. (pic 1)
Next, sieve flour and salt in the yeast bowl. Knead the dough and keep adding 1 tablespoons of water at a time. (pic 2 and 3)
To the dough at 1 tablespoon oil and basil. Knead the dough for good 8 minutes. The dough should come together, must be soft and springy. (pic 4 and 5)

In a clean bowl add 1 tablespoon oil. Take the dough and coat it with olive oil. Cover the dough with cling film and keep aside in a warm place for 40 minutes. (pic 6)
After 40 minutes, the dough will be doubled in size. (pic 7)
Divide the dough in 2 equal parts. Take a pizza pan or a baking sheet. Grease the pan with some olive oil.
Preheat the oven 190C. 
Start rolling one part of pizza dough. I rolled into very thin crust. Place the rolled dough on the pan. Pinch the sides so that you have risen crust. Poke holes with fork on the rolled dough. (pic 8)

Spread any pizza sauce, cheese, toppings. Bake for 8 minutes at 190C.  (Pic 9 and 10)

Reduce the temperature to 180C and bake again for 4 minutes. The cheese must have melted. Cut and serve. (pic 11)

Notes:

You can freeze this dough. Put the dough in ziploc bag and freeze. When you want to use it, defrost and roll it out.

I made 2 thin crust (medium) sized pizza. You can use to make any size and type crust pizza.

Keep your dough in a warm place. I always keep it in the oven. A friend of mine who lives in hills covers the bowl with blanket and keep it in the dark place-for her this trick works.

You have to use a good quality olive oil for a nice texture. I recommend Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Use active rapid yeast or also called as instant yeast. I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast.

Garlic And Mixed Herbs Focaccia: Italian Bread

Baking bread at home, hell yeah!

The madness of proofing the yeast, kneading the dough, letting it to rise and finally baking-oh that experience, that fresh aroma, that happiness of home baking-all blissful.

If you have tried baking bread at home you will know what I am talking about. The whole process is tedious (at times) and time consuming but when you break the homemade bread and bite into it, you know all your efforts are well paid off.

Looking for more homemade breads? Check these out:

Potatoes Stuffed Buns

Garlic Rolls

Red Wine Walnut Bread

Whole Wheat Buns

I made Garlic and Mixed Herb Focaccia last Friday and shared this pic on Instagram. Some have asked for the recipe and my friends are already demanding to bake one for them :-). Olive oil is a must when making focaccia and no there is no substitute for olive oil. A good aromatic olive oil will bring out the best focaccia bread.  Focaccia is an Italian bread and there are hundreds variations for the recipe but the basic bread or dough recipe remains the same but you can change the toppings as per your taste and mood ;-). You can have tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, caramelized onions, nuts and even fruits as toppings.

Little about yeast:

To have a nice soft bread texture you need to have good quality yeast and proof it properly. I used Allison rapid yeast and I like it because it doesn’t smell weird. To work with yeast you need something sweet like sugar or honey and warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast and cold water will not activate the yeast. If like me, you don’t have a fancy thermometer to measure the right degree of water, here is the test you can do. Dip your finger in hot water and you should be able to tolerate the heat, anything more or less will not work-just warm is what you are looking for. Next add in yeast and sugar, stir and keep aside for 10 minutes. If you see bubbles and forth in the yeast mixture you are good to go, else try again.

Since I was pairing it with pasta in chilli pesto sauce, I chose to have Garlic, olive oil and lot of herb on top it. And I was so right, the garlic herb focaccia bread and spicy pasta is a pair made in heaven-period! This bread can be served with basically anything. You can serve it with pasta, lasagne or just dip in some olive oil. If you fancy a focaccia sandwich, slit the bread in between and stuff in pesto sauce and some vegetables-grill and enjoy.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida

1 teaspoon rapid yeast

2 pinch sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon mixed dry herbs

5 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional but recommended)

Method:

1. Heat water in microwave for 20 seconds. Dip the finger and check water, it should we warm. Mix sugar and yeast in water. Stir and keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes when you see bubbles on yeast mixture, add all purpose flour, salt and 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs. Mix and knead the dough.
3. Mix 1/4 cup of oil in the dough. Keep kneading the dough till it is soft and springy.
4. Grease one large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Put the dough in the bowl. Cover it with cling film and keep aside in warm surface for 45 minutes.
5. After 45 minutes the dough should have risen, beat the air out and knead the dough again. Flatten the dough on a grease pan in to any shape (I shaped in oval). The thickness should be like of a pizza. Cover the dough with wet towel and keep in a warm place for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, poke holes (dimples) on the dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. Till then preheat your oven at 190C.
7. Prepare the oil. Peel the garlic cloves and chop it roughly. Mix black pepper and remaining dry herbs. Keep aside.
8. Pour this oil mixture on dimples of the dough. Spread the oil mixture evenly without punching the air. Sprinkle the sea salt.
9. Bake for 14 -15 minutes. The bread should be golden brown on top.
10. Let the bread cool down before you cut. Enjoy.

Notes:

Keep your dough in a warm place. I always keep it in the oven. A friend of mine who lives in hills cover the bowl with blanket and keep it dark place-for her this trick works.
You have to use a good quality olive oil for a nice texture. I recommend Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  

Use active rapid yeast or also called as instant yeast. I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast.

Mixed Italian herbs are easily available in any store. It is blend of oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil. I used McCormick Italian Seasoning.

You can use any particular herb as well. Rosemary is the most popular one.

Cover the bread with cling film and store it a room temperature. It will be good for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with burnt garlic pasta, pasta in red wine sauce, simple basic pasta.

Pair as side with tomatoes chutney, chilli hummus or roasted fennel cherry tomatoes.

Serve with roasted garlic soup, roasted butternut squash soup or indian garlic lentil soup.

Tagliatelle Pasta With Basic Spices: Simplest Italian Pasta Recipe: No Sauce Needed

One thing that fantasises you most about pasta is probably its shapes. By the way did you know that there are 600 shapes of pasta, out of which penne, spaghetti and fusilli are most known? Pasta is easy, quick and healthy - after all it is one huge source of carbohydrates and if you combine goodness of vegetables, you will end up having complete meal. That’s why for the days when I have less time in hand or just feeling lazy I think of preparing pasta.

Pasta is a weekly affair in my kitchen and I have experimented a lot with pasta sauces. Penne in red wine sauce is for adults-it’s boozy and spicy. Burnt garlic pasta is for anyone who loves garlicky flavour (like me)-it’s pungent and aromatic. People who prefers smoked taste, must try roasted bell pepper pasta, its- burnt, tangy and sweet. For spice enthusiasts I have red chilli pesto pasta-fiery hot.

Today, it is Simplest Italian Pasta. No fuss and no sauce-some handful of Italian spices mixed together. I guess the ease and simplicity is what makes this pasta extraordinary. I tossed along some chopped spring onions,carrots and bell peppers, but feel free to add in any vegetable, like zucchini, onions or tomatoes. I used my new favorite Napolina Tagliatelle Pasta, its more like flat noodles, but the same recipe can be followed for penne, spaghetti or any pasta.

Ingredients:

10 circles of pasta

2 garlic cloves grated

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper/capsicum

1/4 cup chopped spring onions

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta as per packet instructions. Do add 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the water. You know pasta is done when it starts to stick on the pan. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add grated garlic and cook till garlic is golden in colour.
3. Add in chopped carrots, bell peppers and white portion of spring onions. Saute on high heat till the vegetables are half done.
4. Next, add in boiled pasta and all the other ingredients. Toss well, such that spices are coated over pasta. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Mix and serve.

Notes:

Never add oil while boiling pasta. The pasta becomes slippery and the sauce doesn’t coat on it.

Feel free to add chopped veggies like onions, zucchini, beans or mushrooms.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with any toasted bread.

For a complete posh meal, serve with red wine walnut bread, baked potato wedges and bloody mary. 

Pair this pasta with any refreshing drinks such as- roasted orange lemonade, mint cucumber cooler or rose ice tea.

Red Chilli Pesto Sauce

Cooking is love made visible- you agree? I was not always interested in cooking, neither do boredom nor passing my time led me to the kitchen- it’s the colours, the spices, the taste and the aroma that attracted me towards the kitchen. Like all the kids, I too had curious mind loaded with questions and imagination. A little girl sitting on kitchen platform would add mustard seeds in the hot oil and notice how it splutters all over. How when you add little water at a time to a dry flour  would turn it into thick smooth dough. All these little genius things and ideas made me hooked in the kitchen. Bombarding questions to maa- why you add garam massala in the end, why you garnish every subji with coriander leaves, why you add cumin in some dishes while mustard in some....with a smile she would patiently answer all my questions...and that’s how I got my basics right and strong.

That was a recap...a recap to the kitchen where I grew up helping my mom! Today I love my kitchen-I feel it is the heart of every home. Cooking is creating something new, something delicious but for someone else and cooking from scratch is an achievement. Buying preservatives loaded canned food or sauces is not my idea. Pasta sauce cooked in red wine, roasted bell pepper sauce, hummus, pani puri are some of the best things that I prepared from scratch.

Pasta is once a weekly affair for us and trying out different flavours is always welcomed. We tried pesto sandwich a week before and even though I loved the taste of basil in pesto sauce I still wanted to give it some Indian touch. It was then when Red Chilli Pesto Sauce was discovered. In simple words it is the blend of red chilli chutney and the regular pesto.

Handful of dry red chillies are soaked overnight, the other day it is grinded with the bunch of fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Little parmesan cheese, oregano, black pepper and lemon juice are used to give the perfect climax to this sauce.

Ingredients’:

1 and 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

12 dry red chillies

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/4 olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:

Remove the seeds and soak red chillies in half a cup of water overnight.

On a slow flame dry roast the pine nuts.

In the grinder or a food processor grind everything together to a fine paste.

Notes:

You can also use almonds in place of pine nuts. I have tried it taste good.

I have used black pepper powder, red chilli powder and dried red chillies thus this pesto sauce is very spicy and hot. Adjust the heat as per your taste; feel free to remove any chillies.

You can also add vegetables like bellpeppers, onions in the final pasta dish.

Serving suggestions:

Just boil any pasta of your choice and add in dollops of this sauce on it.

This goes well as a spread for your sandwiches, toastier, Frankie or rolls.

Try it as a dip for crackers, chips or nachos.

You can also use this as a marinate for tandori dishes- be it paneer, potatoes or meat.

Burnt Garlic Pasta, Because I Love Garlic

There are days when you are lazy, mood less and without energy. What do you cook on such days? I always tend to make pasta. Pasta that is available in different shapes, size and ingredients always tends to attract me.  By the way did you know that there are 600 shapes of pasta, out of which penne, spaghetti and fusilli are most known? Pasta is easy, quick and healthy - after all it is one huge source of carbohydrates and if prepared properly it can be one satisfying and filling meal.

When choosing pasta I like to pick that is not made with refined flour-who wants to indulge in bad carbs-do you?? Recently I picked up fusilli-the twisty ones which were made with wheat germs. Wheat germ is the heart of the wheat grain, rich in flavor and is a nourishing active ingredient. When this wheat germ pasta was boiling up in the pot of hot water, it released intense wheat aroma which was amazing and beyond words.

Pasta is once a week affair for us, I always keep roasted bell pepper pasta sauce ready to mix with pasta. Sometimes I make spaghetti in arbiata sauce from scratch and recently I prepared penne in red wine sauce. But this pasta recipe is innovation, the one that I created. So the case was that I was out of veggies, I had 2 ingredients available-garlic and onions. What to do? Well necessity is the mother of invention, so Burnt Garlic Pasta was born.

Like me, if you love garlic and olive oil you are going to get under the influence of the flavors pretty soon. Forever.  Oh yes you need to actually burn or let me say over fry garlic in olive oil which will provide richness and amazing depth of flavour to finished dish. So let’s see the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cup of pasta

6 garlic cloves/lehsun

2 onion/pyaz

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder/kali mirch

1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon dried herbs (oregano+basil+thyme)

Method:

Place big pot of water to boil. When you see the steam, add in pasta with little salt. Cook pasta till it is soft yet crunchy. Strain and keep aside.

Grate garlic and chop onions length wise.

Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add in garlic and keep mixing till garlic is golden brown in colour.

Mix in onions and stir. When onions are half done add in boiled pasta and all the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Serve with bread and a glass of red wine.

Notes:

You can use any pasta. Please do not add oil when pasta is boiling, it will make your pasta slippery and the spices and sauce will not coat on it. When pasta starts touching the wall of pot- it means it is done.

I was out of veggies, but please free to add any vegetables like carrots, bell pepper etc.

Red Wine Walnut Bread, No Knead Bread

How was the weekend ladies? What did you do? We had friends at our place and so it was lot of fun. Lot of chit chats, games, football match and yes food. How do you decide what to serve your guest? For me it always depends on the weather. When it is raining I would probably go for some mixed daal pakoras (mixed lentils fried balls) or spicy pav bhaji (spicy vegetable mashed curry served with bread). This weekend sun was crisp and shining without a little haze of rain, so the menu had to be simple, cold and not fried. After lot of discussion with Mr. Husband I decided to serve orange lemonade in drinks, spinach muthiya with green chutney as mains and chocolate brownies with ice creams in desserts. For starters I decided to bake bread. 

Who will not like the recipes that is not elaborate, doesn't have tons of steps to follow? Well I am that kind of a person who tries to stay far from complicated recipes. Bread is one such product that needs lot of preparation, too many ingredients and an expensive kitchen aid. So no knead bread is what I am always looking to bake at home. I looked for recipes depending on the ingredients available in the kitchen and then I discovered one amazing RED WINE WALNUT BREAD recipe. My world stopped-my heart, tummy and soul just wanted to make it. I did make lot of changes to the original recipes and it turned out to be absolutely fine, if you want original recipe, click here.

Now, imagine- soft bread with hard crust, crunchy walnut bits and hint of red wine-sounds exciting right?? Oh yes red wine walnut bread is beautifully pink inside and brown outside and those of you who don’t like red wine don’t worry the final taste is so mild and subtle that you won’t even notice.  We were left with crumbs, the bread finished in one go. I served it with fennel roasted cherry tomatoes like bruschetta and everyone loved it. You go ahead serve with roasted tomatoes chutney, chocolate spread or as a side with tomato garlic soup. Who said making bread is technical and complex-try this may be you change your mind (like me)

Ingredients:

200g all purpose flour and little to dust
100g strong whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 sachet active yeast
1 glass red wine (125ml), plus water to make total 200ml
50g whole walnuts, plus 100g coarsely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Lightly mix the flours, salt and yeast in a bowl.

In a blender, blend wine, water and the whole walnuts and the oil until smooth, then pour into the flour. Add the chopped walnuts and stir briskly to make a soft, sticky dough. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.

Rub a spoonful of oil on the work surface and a bit on your hands. Remove the dough and knead on the oiled surface for 10-15 seconds. Return to the bowl, cover again, and leave for another 10 minutes. Finally, repeat the light knead, put the dough back in the bowl and leave for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in height.

Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough to desired shape.  I made into triangle with some walnut bits in the centre.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour and. And Bake for 40 minutes until the bread pulls away from the baking tray. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a rack.

Notes:

Make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature.

You can use any red wine. I used Codici Negroamaro Puglia, italian red wine from waitrose

Use pecan, pine nuts or almonds instead of walnuts if you wish.

Serving ideas:

Serve with butter, nuttella, hummus or chutney of your choice.

Make a sandwich with any filling using the slices.

Serve as a side with soup.

Sending this to Made With Love Mondays