Banana Walnut Bread

When I tried it first time, it was white may be cause I didn't wait for bananas to turn black. It was little moist too, as if in need of more baking but the toothpick came out clean. But this time it was purrrrrfact & brown ;) except that it took little extra baking time :)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Maida
3 Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Walnuts
2 tbsp raisins
3/4 cup Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Butter
2 tsp Curd/Yogurt
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Method
Pre Heat oven to 180˚C.
Sieve together flour, salt, baking powder & soda. Keep aside.
Mash the bananas, add sugar, yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon and mix well.
Now add butter and beat till incorporated.
Add flour & milk alternately along with walnuts & raisins and fold.
Pour this batter in a greased bread tin and bake for about 60 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted comes out dry (give it time to get brown).
Delicious Banana Walnut Bread is ready.

Tips
*Original recipe had 1 cup sugar but I like it less sweet so removed 1/4 cup.
*Always add nuts along with flour, they won't sink to the bottom.
*Always FOLD when adding flour & milk, never BEAT.
*Don't purée the bananas in mixer, mash them with spoon.
*My oven took 1 hr 30 mins to bake this bread (I have no idea why it had that attitude towards such a lovely bread!!!).
*If you use brown sugar instead of white, colour of bread will be awesome ;) OR
*Sprinkling 2 tbsp brown sugar on the top before putting in oven will give beautiful brown color and crunch to the bread.

Herbed Bread Rolls

This recipe is taken from the site divinetaste.com. I used fresh herbs instead of dried. If you don't have access to fresh herbs then use dried but half the quantity given here.

Ingredients (makes 18)
1 tsp dried yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh rosemary
sesame seeds for topping

Method
Lightly oil a baking dish or tray

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, a little of the warm water & sugar and leave undisturbed until frothy. Mix in the oil and herbs after the yeast turns frothy.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Add most of the water, reserving a little and make a soft but non sticky dough.

Allow the dough to rest in a an oiled bowl for about an hour or until approximately double in size.

Knock down the dough & divide into 18 equal sized pieces. Shape them into round balls on a floured surface and arrange them in the 10” round baking dish, keeping in mind that the balls are going to double in size.

Allow the dough to rise again for 30 minutes. Brush with water using a pastry brush, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in a pre heated oven at 220˚ C for about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.

Dunk it in butter or virgin olive oil, dip it into hot soup or simply eat it as it is :)

Tips
You can make it with only maida.
I used multigrain aata (flour) instead of wheat flour.
Always check expiry date of yeast before using, old yeast will not give you good results.

Cherry Vanilla Bread

Fruity bread can be enjoyed with tea and coffee. Cherries go well with bread and are a rich source of vitamin C and fiber.  

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour  
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
200 grams condensed milk (1/2 tin)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup crushed cherries with juice
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup chilled milk 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In another bowl, mix condensed milk, butter, crushed cherries, vanilla & whisk together.
Slowly add milk and sifted ingredients, alternately and fold.
Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
Cool for 10 minutes; turn out bread, slice, and serve.

Tips
It is not a very sweet bread so if you want it to be more sweet you can add sugar with condensed milk, but I would recommend that you enjoy it less sweet :).
Always remember if it's written FOLD then you should always FOLD it and not BEAT the batter.