Bread Baking - Indian Andhra Telugu Recipes

To make bread I have used Prime Instant Dry Yeast. It is available in a big packet---and once opened Yeast needs to be resealed. Open this large packet and repack into small packets/ sachets. As the quantity is more I have repacked some quantity in big packets and some into small packets. Each small packet contains one teaspoon of yeast---this way it is easy to use as we do not use this yeast so often. Seal all the repacked yeast packets with a packet sealer and store these packets in refrigerator and use as and when required. Even after three years I am able to use this yeast so it indicates after resealing and storing in refrigerator the Yeat remains to be active.

Ingredients:

• Maida – 250gms (2Cups)

• Instant Dry Yeast – 10gms (2tsps)

• Salt – 10gms (1tsp)

• Sugar – 25gms (1 1/2Tbsps)

• Oil – 15gms (1Tbsp)

• Water – 135gms Or 135ml

• Milk – 25ml

(Online Conversion utility to convert Gms to Cups & Temperatures etc)

Preparations:

Take a microwave safe bowl and add 135ml water and place this bowl in microwave oven and heat on high power for 20 seconds. Add sugar to this warm water and mix with a spoon till sugar dissolves completely. Check the temperature of the solution and it should read 50^oC. If the temperature is less than 50^oC then reheat the solution for few seconds in microwave oven. If the temperature is more than 50^oC then wait till it reaches 50^oC. Adding yeast at this temperature works well (After lot of experiments I reached to this stage). When the temperature of the sugar solution is 50^oC add yeast and mix well without lumps. Place the yeast mixture bowl in a warm place. As I have just heated water in the microwave oven it is warm---so I have placed this bowl in microwave oven. Close the door of microwave oven so that that place would be warm for the yeast to proof. The yeast will feed on the sugar and a bubbly foam forms on the surface from the carbon dioxide being released. This foam is proof that the yeast is active, and once you see it, you can add the yeast to your bread dough. This takes some time and yeast requires a warm place to multiply. Meanwhile make other preparations.

Bread dough can be mixed and kneaded with hands but using a stand mixer makes the job easy as the dough would be pretty sticky to work with hands. Fix a dough hook to the stand mixer. Add maida into the stand mixer bowl and add salt. Take a deep bowl and add oil and smear oil all over the bowl to coat oil on the inner sides of the bowl well---keep it aside.

After 15 minutes open the microwave oven door and observe that the yeast solution is foamy and bubbly. Add oil into the yeast solution and mix. Switch ON the stand mixer on low speed and while the dough hook is rotating add slowly the yeast solution. After adding all the yeast solution, increase the speed to next level and run the stand mixer. Observe that the dough requires some more liquid to form sticky dough. Warm 25ml milk in microwave oven on high power for 10 seconds. Add warm milk with a spoon into the mixer little by little till the dough forms a ball. Here 15ml milk was required to make sticky dough. Adding milk gives the finished bread a soft and fluffy texture---however warm water also can be added instead of milk. Once dough is formed, knead the dough by running the stand mixer for 2 minutes. One can even knead the dough by hands but it takes some time and patience as the dough would be pretty sticky. After running the stand mixer for 2 minutes, observe that the dough is springy and elastic. When dough is kneaded well gluten is formed and it gives the bread its texture—so kneading dough is very important.

Transfer the dough into a wide plate and knead with hand to make it smooth. Take the smoothened dough and turn it in the oil coated bowl so that oil sticks to the dough on the surface from all sides. Coat oil well on the dough so that it would not get dried up. Keep the dough bowl in a warm place to rise. So place this bowl in microwave oven and close the door so that the place is warm for the dough to rise.

Method:

Take a loaf bowl and add some oil in it. Smear oil inside the loaf bowl well as we need to place the dough in it for baking bread. Open the microwave oven door and observe that the dough has raised three times the original size. Punch the dough to deflate. Place the dough in a wide plate and knead to smoothen it. Form into a log shape and place the dough into the oiled loaf bowl. Press lightly and spread the dough to give it the shape of the bowl. Keep this bowl in a warm place for the dough to rise. Place the bowl in microwave oven and close the door to keep the place warm. After 30 minutes observe that the dough has raised three times its original size.

To bake bread here I am using OTG (Oven-Toaster-Grill). Preheat oven at 180^oC for 10 minutes. Switch ON the oven on Top-Bottom-Fan mode. Remove the bread bowl from microwave oven and give it a milk wash. Dip a silicon brush in the remaining milk and lightly coat the top of the bread dough. Give light strokes with brush otherwise it may deflate again. Milk wash gives a glazed appearance and golden color to the finished bread. Carefully place the loaf bowl in preheated oven and bake at 180^oC for 30 minutes on Top-Bottom-Fan mode. After 10 minutes, observe that bread has risen slightly. After 20 minutes the top layer gets a golden color. For better results turn the loaf bowl after every 10 minutes for even browning. After 30 minutes of baking bread observe that there is no color change on sides and bottom of bread. So now bake the bread for 10 more minutes on Bottom-Fan mode. When done, wear mittens and carefully remove the loaf bowl from oven. While the bread is still hot, liberally apply ghee on top so that the crust gets a glazed look and the bread tastes heavenly later. Applying ghee on bread gives a soft, shiny and tasty crust. After removing the bowl from oven, let the bread remain in the bowl itself for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges to loosen the bread from the bowl. Carefully transfer the bread on to a wire rack. Tap the underside of bread and observe hollow sound which indicates that bread is baked perfectly. Place bread on the wire rack and cool completely.

If using a microwave oven with combination facility, bake bread on convection mode at 180^oC for 30 minutes. As microwave ovens have a turn table and heating elements on all the three sides with a fan at the back bread gets baked with even browning from all sides.

Once the bread is cooled to room temperature wrap it in a cling film and refrigerate it overnight or till thoroughly chilled. One can even freeze it for an hour if there is a time shortage. Refrigerating the bread makes it firm as freshly baked bread would be too soft. Firm bread gives neat slices as compared to slices cut from freshly baked bread. Always use a serrated knife while cutting bread as it gives a neat finish.

Make grilled sandwiches, sandwiches, toasts, bread balls or bread upma with the homemade bread. Find some tasty recipes using bread in my website www.gayatrivantillu.com

Points To Observe:

Use good quality yeast to make good bread.

Make small portions of the big packet and seal to retain freshness. Refrigerate the sealed yeast packets and use as and when required and it would last for years.

Use a mixture of milk and water to make dough for better results.

Yeast is a living organism. Dry yeast gets activated when mixed with warm water—it eats sugar and grows forming a bubbly foamy mixture. Yeast feeds on sugar and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise.

Kneading the dough is very important for the gluten to form. As we knead the dough, the gluten becomes more and more stretchy. This gum-like substance fills with thousands of gas bubbles as the yeast goes to work during rising. When the dough is baked—the yeast inside it continues feeding, and the pockets of gas in the dough continue to expand. As the temperature of the cooking dough rises, the yeast eventually dies, the gluten hardens, and the dough solidifies and we get the tasty bread!!!

While mixing yeast use warm water but not hot water. With warm water yeast gets activated whereas with hot water it dies.

Heat water in microwave oven for 20 seconds and then add sugar and mix till it dissolves completely. After adding sugar and mixing, temperature of water comes down. So initially when water is heated it may go up to 60^oC or 65^oC. When sugar is added and mixed it comes down to 50^oC. At this temperature add yeast for better results.

To keep the dough in a warm place, use a rice cooker or a pressure cooker with warm water inside or a preheated and switched off oven or a microwave oven. In winters when weather is too chilled ---first heat some water in a microwave oven and remove it—this warms the inside of the oven. Then place the dough bowl inside for rising. Covering the dough bowl with a gunny bay or a rug also works.

Heat 20ml water in microwave oven till it reaches a boil. Then place the dough tray in microwave oven as by now it is sufficiently warm. Warm atmosphere helps in fast raising of the dough. In winters when weather is chilled, then place hot water bowl beside the tray in oven to keep the place warm.

Deflating and again raising the dough removes the yeast smell.

While giving milk wash take care not to deflate the dough.

Using a glass bowl helps us keep a watch while baking---otherwise even aluminum pans also work best.

Always wear mittens while holding hot things, especially while removing them from oven.

Applying ghee on the freshly baked bread while it is still hot softens the crust and gives a toasty flavor.

Refrigerated bread gives a neat finish when cut into slices.

Make fresh & tasty homemade bread and enjoy making tasty treats.

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

45 Recipes you may also like to watch.

Anonymous said...

Dear Gayatri

I chanced upon your blog while surfing the web for "Pesarattu". Actually, your blog is a delight for Telugu vegetarian cooking & people like me who love to try out good vegetarian recipes for day to day cooking . I like your presentation skills - it succeeds in tempting one to make an attempt to try out the recipe . I admire your passion for cooking and sharing your expertise over the net & your dogged determination to fight for your rights ! .

Your bread recipe is so good that I want to try it out at home . I do have a convection microwave oven - but the convection will not work if the turntable is there . I have to insert the normal tray when the baking/grill mode is on. I have my reservations using a microwave convection oven while baking since I hear from various sources that baking comes out good only in a conventional oven. Would love to have your advice on this nagging doubt which refrains from trying out baking & also - how do I measure the rest of ingredients like sugar,yeast,salt ,oil & water which you have given in grams?. What measuring medium should I use for these ?.

Just for info, I reside in Dubai . Since I have taken a break from work after long, I travel to Mumbai every now&then to be with my parents & meet my friends .Taking life easy for sometime now.

Would love to hear from you .

Regards

Kalpakam Raghavan

May 21, 2009 7:19 AM

Gayatri Vantillu said...

Raghavan Garu,

I suggest a small kitchen weighing scale as indicated in my "Kitcheaids" video. It appears that there are many types of Micro-wave ovens having Convection mode. The one which I have used has a turn-table which helps in even browning while baking. We don't have conventional ovens with convection mode in India. We have only OTG (Oven Toaster Grill) which do not have a turn table or a fan to circulate air in it. Therefore I had to modify it as shown in "Dum Biryani - 2"

Mrs Gayatri Sharma

May 21, 2009 7:20 AM

Anonymous said...

hello Gayatri garu,

naa peru Bhavani..mee recipies anni chala chaaala baguntayi...bt naku oka doubt.anni recipies convectoin mode lo ani chepthuntaru miru..memu uk lo untamu..actually maku oven lo convection ledu..as usual ga states lo unatlu stove kinde grill type lo untundi...ipudu bread nenu mamulu oven lo cheyala or grill mida cheyala.please na doubt clear chestarani korukuntunanu..

regards,

Bhavani

Gayatri Vantillu said...

Bhavani Garu,

Thanks for your feedback. For baking don't use grill option

March 11, 2011 7:12 AM

Anonymous said...

hai gayithri garu,

thanks andi..na doubt ki reply ichinanduku chala thanks andi...and naku ipatki doubt clear avaledu so nenu mari mamulu oven lo cheyacha bread mari....idnt have dis convection option....please na doubt clear cheyandi...

regards,

bhavani

March 11, 2011 8:27 PM

Gayatri Vantillu said...

Bhavani Garu,

If your oven has heating elements on the top and bottom with a fan to circulate the hot air inside the oven, yours is a convection oven and you can comfortably use this to bake your bread and cakes.

March 12, 2011 4:06 AM

Anonymous said...

Hi Gayatri ,

:Loved ur all videos but only the problem is dont go by weights measurement .mention it in cup format

like u did in ur recent videos in home made choclate

i felt really happy to see that in ur latest videos but i have a question can u give me the recipe for bread in cup measurement rather than in grams

looking forward for ur response

Prasanna

August 12, 2009 5:34 AM

Gayatri Vantillu said...

Prasanna Garu,

Cup sizes differ from country to country, British and US measures are different. Depending upon how loosely / tightly we pack, the quantity of flour will differ. Hence I have adopted grams for exact measurements, so that viewers would not fail in the recipe. For conversion of grams to pound / ounces, now I have included the online converti in the Bread recipe page. I trust it should help you to get the measurements in cups depending upon the cup you have on hand.

August 12, 2009 5:34 AM

Shri said...

Hi Gayatri garu,

I went through your bread recipe and have a question about the baking part. I see you have used an OTG for baking the bread and not a Microwave oven (convection mode). Any specific reason for this? Have you tried baking it in the Microwave oven and if so how was the end result? I am asking this as I only have a Microwave oven and no OTG.

December 9, 2009 4:29 PM

Gayatri Vantillu said...

Shri Garu,

I showed the recipe using Kenstar 34 Lts Microwave-cum-Convection-cum-Grill Oven. In this oven I have used only the convection mode.

December 11, 2009 5:03 AM

Shri said...

Gayatri garu, thank you for patiently replying to my query. Initially I recognised that you were using the convection mode of the microwave oven, for the second part I some how mistook it to be an OTG. I am again going to try baking bread using your step-wise instructions.

Thank you.

December 16, 2009 3:30 PM