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EASY HOMEMADE BRAIDED BRIOCHE BREAD



    Braided Brioche Bread anyone? There is nothing more satisfying than baking your own bread. Freshly home baked breads are a perfect way to win the hearts of your loved ones.


    This brioche bread is ultra soft, rich, and buttery! Not only it’s delicious to eat, but easy to make too! Perfect for sandwiches, French toast or just to eat on its own.


    Now here’s the funny bit… I baked this bread and never got to eat it!! Spent the whole morning preparing the bread, and. In the afternoon I baked it and took all the shots, and as soon as I finished clicking the photos I took a pause and started chatting with my kiddos completely forgetting I left the bread in studio unattended…and to my utter dismay, Pesto (my furry baby) ate the whole bread!! 😧 I made another bread from scratch the next day for us to taste but at least one member of the our family enjoyed that first loaf 😅


    PREP TIME: 20 minutes

    BAKE TIME: 40 minutes

    PASSIVE TIME: 2 hours

    MAKES: 1 large loaf


    INGREDIENTS

    For Dough

    • 1/4 cup warm water

    • 1 1/4 cup full cream milk, warm

    • 2 tsp dry active yeast

    • 175g butter unsalted, softened

    • 1 whole egg + 3 egg yolks, room temperature

    • 2 tbsp white granulated sugar

    • 4 cups plain flour + 2 tbsp extra for dusting

    • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

    For basting:

    • 1 tbsp butter, melted

    • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    • 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

    Equipment needed:

    • 12x5x4 inch Loaf pan


    METHOD

    1. In a small bowl, pour warm water, yeast and sugar. Mix and let it stand for 10 minutes until it’s foamy on the top.

    2. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with hook attachment, add sifted flour and salt.

    3. In a small jug, pour milk and eggs and give it a quick whisk to combine. Pour the yeast water in milk mixture and stir to mix.

    4. Keeping the stand mixer on low speed (speed 4) and while the stand mixer is still running, slowly pour the yeast and milk mixture and keep mixing for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and a ball is formed. The dough shouldn’t stick on the sides of the bowl, if your dough is bit sticky add flour if need be, adding only a tablespoon at a time. Alternatively if your dough is bit tight add a tablespoon or 2 of milk and mix to make a pliable soft dough.

    5. While mixer is running, add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time and let it it incorporate completely in the dough.

    6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape it into a smooth ball of dough. Since the dough will be really soft and slightly sticky, make sure your hands are lightly floured too. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with cling wrap and keep it in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough is double in size. Time may vary depending on room temperature and weather conditions. It might take 1 hour if it’s too warm outside or upto 2.5 hours if the weather is slightly cooler.

    7. Once the dough is ready, remove from the bowl and divide it into four equal parts. Lightly dust the kitchen top, roll each dough piece into a 12” long fat rope.

    8. Pinch the ends of the four ropes together from one end, interlace them into a tight four strand braid without stretching too much. Gently pinch the other ends together and tuck slightly underneath. Carefully lift the shaped dough with both hands from smaller ends and place it in the loaf pan. Lightly grease the cling wrap and cover the tin keeping the greased side down. Let stand for another hour for the second proving.

    9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 190° C.

    10. Once the dough proves and rises double in size, brush the dough lightly with melted butter. Whisk the egg and brush on top. Place the loaf pan in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown. If the crust is weak in colour bake for another 5 minutes.

    11. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Unmould it on the cooling rack and cool slightly (10-15 minutes). Brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle flake salt on top. Let stand for another 15 minutes, slice and serve warm slithered with butter or clotted cream and jam of your choice.



    COCONUT WALNUT BANANA LOAF CAKE (GLUTEN-FREE)


      Coconut Banana Loaf Cake as the name suggest is a perfect blend of tropical flavours. Using the coconut flour and coconut sugar adds that extra depth of flavours and keeping it away from those refined sugars and glutinous flours. Whether you are gluten intolerant or not this loaf cake is a winner for all.


      It's such an easy to make one bowl recipe which requires no fancy equipments to make. Its those quintessential cakes which is made in minutes and just perfect for that holiday trips to take along while traveling miles driving down for your getaway. It's easily kept and stored without refrigeration for upto 2 days.


      Do give this yummiest and healthy cake a try and I'm sure you're gonna love it and wont go back to your usual banana bread recipes.



      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      BAKE TIME: 45 minutes

      SERVES: 12 slices



      INGREDIENTS

      • 2 ripe bananas

      • 2 eggs

      • 3/4 cup coconut sugar

      • 100g unsalted butter, melted

      • 75ml sunflower oil

      • 1 tsp vanilla essence

      • 1/2 cup coconut flour

      • 1/2 cup almond powder

      • 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Mill brand)

      • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

      • 1/2 tsp baking soda

      • 1/2 tsp salt

      • 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

      Equipment needed

      • 8 X 4 inch loaf pan


      METHOD

      1. Line 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 180°C.

      2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with the back of a fork, add eggs and vanilla. Lightly beat them with fork to mix with bananas.

      3. Add sugar, butter and oil to the banana mixture. Mix them all together until combined.

      4. Sift flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda together, add it to the wet mixture and fold in gently with the spatula until combined. Drop in the chopped walnuts and fold them in.

      5. Pour the batter in prepared pan, top with some extra walnuts if you desire and bake for 40-45 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

      COOK'S NOTES

      • Ripe bananas work best for this recipe and is a perfect use of them in a cake.

      • Coconut sugar adds the depth of flavour to the cake but if you can't get hold of that, you can replace it with soft brown sugar or jaggery powder (shakkar).

      • Please note I used coconut flour not powder as many people think its the same but these two are entirely different. Coconut powder is also sometimes called or known as dessicated coconut.

      • For the gluten-free all purpose flour I used the brand named Bob's Mill. If you are using another brand or a variant of gluten-free flour, the texture and taste of the cake might vary.

      • All oven temperatures are different, keep an eye on the cake and check on it about 5 minutes before the completion of timer. Keep more or less time according to your oven temperatures. Mine was done in 45 minutes.

      • Walnuts can be skipped or replaced with pecan nuts or dried fruits like apricots.


      MEDITERRANEAN CHEESE FATAYER



        The other day I asked my hubby to pick up some yeast from the grocers, and he picked up enough to last us years, I’ve been obsessed with making breads in all shapes and forms! This is my latest conquest - a Mediterranean Fatayer stuffed with Feta and Cheddar. Breaking into these warm and fluffy Nigella seed crusted pockets of bread, you find a creamy and sour filling with earthy thyme notes. My family really enjoyed this with Chilli-Infused Burnt Butter Labneh, which was sooo perfect for a family brunch, as honestly, our bellies were full for the day!



        PREP TIME: 40 minutes BAKE TIME: 20 minutes PASSIVE TIME: 40 minutes YIELDS: 16




        INGREDIENTS


        For Bread Dough:

        • 2/3 cup warm water

        • 1 cup warm milk

        • 2 tbsp sugar

        • 14g instant yeast

        • 4 cups all purpose flour

        • 1 1/2 tsp salt

        • 1 tsp baking powder

        • 1/4 cup olive oil

        For Filling:

        • 250g creamy feta cheese, hand crumbled

        • 100g cheddar cheese, grated

        • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

        • 2 tbsp parsley, chopped

        • Dash of black pepper



        For topping:

        • 1 tbsp nigella seeds

        • 1 egg, lightly beaten



        METHOD


        1. In a bowl, pour warm water and milk. Add yeast and sugar, mix and let it stand for 10 minutes until it’s foamy. Then pour oil and mix.

        2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, gradually add flour to the yeast mix to make the dough. Transfer dough on benchtop, knead it for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form a dough ball and place it in the oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap or wet kitchen towel and leave it to rise double in size, at least 30 minutes.

        3. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling by mixing the cheeses, thyme, parsley and pepper together in a bowl.

        4. Once the dough has risen, uncover and punch to knock the air out. Gently bring the dough together, do not over work the dough.

        5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Divide the dough in 16 equal balls (65g each)and place it on the lined tray, leaving gap of 2-3 inch in between.

        6. Flatten a dough ball into a circle with your fingers, about four inches in diameter. Place a tablespoon of filling(about 22g) in the center. Then take the edge of the dough, fold it over and press down tightly with your finger tips, around the filling to secure it. Repeat with the rest of dough balls. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.

        7. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 180°C. Uncover the rested fatayers, brush it lightly with egg wash, sprinkle nigella seeds on top and bake it in pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature with shakshuka.

        COOK'S NOTES:


        • I used feta and cheddar cheese for the filling but you can always use Greek cheese mixed with some mozzarella or even a meat or spinach stuffing.

        • Any other dried herbs like thyme or mint can also be added to the filling for a variation.

        • Top the bread with toasted sesame seeds if you don’t have nigella seeds, or top it with both.

        • I served these with chilli infused burnt butter lebnah but it can be paired with hummus, shakshuka or warm soup.

        #mediterraneancuisines #fatayer #baked #baking #breakfast #cheese #bread #cheesebread #Turkishbreakfast #nigellaseeds #mediterraneanbreakfast

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