I Baked Bread!!
For so so so long I have been wanting to bake a loaf (or even a chunk is good enough) myself. I went around in search of yeast and even lamented in a post that good quality yeast is difficult to come by in Hyderabad. The next day after that post, Bhags from Crazy Curry emailed me with the sweetest offer I have received in my life. An extract from her email (hope she doesn't mind)
I received the envelope last week and I wanted this post to be a surprise for her."I just read in your blog that you are looking for yeast in Hyderabad. I got some yeast packets from USA, when I used to live there. So if you think it is ok with you, I can mail you some of them. This is not going to be any botheration to me, so please dont hesitate. I will be more than just happy to mail them. The packets are small sachet size, so they can easily be mailed in an enevelope."
This post is dedicated to one of the sweetest people I have come across in my life, Bhags :)
I have taken inspiration from Raaga's and Jai and Bee's posts on similar kind of bread/buns.
What I Used:
Maida - 1 cup
Yeast - 1tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 tbsp
Milk - 4 tbsp
Boiling water - 4 tbsp
How I Made It:
1. Dissolve yeast in little water and keep aside.
2. Mix oil, salt, sugar and boiling water well till the sugar dissolves. Add milk to bring it to room temperature.
3. Add yeast to this mixture and blend in well. Keep mixture in a greased bowl for an hour and let it rise.
4. The mixture will be sticky and very difficult to shape. Transfer it to a thick baking pot/dish and bake for 20-25 mins.
In the recipe I found in Jugalbandi, the mixture needs to ferment overnight, but since it was a Sunday and I needed to get to office, I baked it after an hour, following Raaga's recipe.
Things I learnt:
Definitely it was far from perfect and I think I should get hold of a better baking pan and try fermenting for an entire day like the original recipes suggests. I also want to try this with whole wheat since I prefer healthier bread. Also want to try adding oats, bran and other stuff to the bread. Lets see, all in good time.
I am super thrilled with my first attempt and it was pure heaven having the smell of baked bread in the house for an entire day :)
Really glad to contribute this to the World Bread Day '07 Event. Its on October 16th.
Posts
yippee..im the first...i wish i cud bake a loaf by myself..one day...
ReplyDeletea very good one for a first attempt!!!
ReplyDeleteBlogging is so great, isnt'it? You are in contact with people you never would if you were not blogging. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour first loaf of bread looks good, you are on the right way.
Thank you for participating in WBD.
yay - you baked bread!! you know what all the amish freindship starter posts are making me very restless - we should start one in india - what say?
ReplyDeletedont you have a nilgiris sort of a store in hyderabad - i am dead sure the city has some place which has good baking supplies - i think you also had trouble finding good cooking chocolate - let me see if i can figure something in hyd.
lol - i commented on your blog while you did on mine
ReplyDeleteWow Nags it really looks good.
ReplyDeleteAnd that too for the first time. You must have really enjoyed when the freshly baked bread was out from the oven. I bet your neighbors were drooling with the smell they were getting from your place :-)
Clap Clap...thats a good attempt...even I love baking...but mine is coming out little hard in the microwave...should be trying to figure that out...or else have the next theme on that....so that I can have many people thinking abt it...:)..yours look diving Nags...
ReplyDeletebtw what happened to the show your cookbook round up?
YAY!! Isn't baking bread great? Hope you do more!! Great entry.I baked one too!:))
ReplyDeletenags..awesome job..thought i should let u know ..u get yeast in Ratnadeep Supermarket in karkhana,Secunderabad. It is not in individual packets but in a box as big as MDH masala box...
ReplyDeleteLovely bread Nags...Last pic is simply perfect..
ReplyDeleteHi,I too want to bake bread,seeing yours,me too feel like baking..:))
ReplyDeleteAnd the pictures are nice and Me too can smell the freshly baked bread;)
Wonderful Nags.. No wonder the house smelled heaven with smell of fresh bread lingering....
ReplyDeleteHey Nags that bread looks so awesome and doest not look like a first time baker to me, yeah I agree baking bread gives lotsa satisfaction, its thrilling...
ReplyDeleteBut we get active yeast in India too, check for Saf products. In Bombay atleast I caught hold of some long time back
What a perfectly baked bread, dosen't look like first timer.I should get my hands at baking.
ReplyDeleteYay! Nothing like the first time :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't the smell of baking just divine - it permeates the whole house. I walk around smiling for several hours after!
I am so thrilled that i am baking one right now. Its a lovely looking bread.
ReplyDeleteThis looks great Nags, that too for the first time. I've been meaning to make the No Knead bread too :) That was very sweet of Bhags.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet of her? I am always amazed with little gestures like this, because people have so little time for anything nowadays. The bread looks very good for the first attempt.
ReplyDeleteAwww, that's super sweet of Bhags! What a sweetheart!
ReplyDeleteGreat attempt Nags. Looks like you could use this fresh home baked bread for some tasty sandwiches! Yummy
glad your tried it. only no-knead bread needs long fermentation. other breads don't. go to your local bakery and ask there from where they source their yeast. they'll lead you to a good local source.
ReplyDeleteLovely... Yuppee. ur first bread... hopefully I will bake One day.. hehe....even I am from hyderabad and I am sure we wud get good yeast.. just a bit of research... probably try in a good bakery as bee suggested..:D...Happy Baking from now on..:)
ReplyDeleteOh, I can just smell that bread. There is nothing quite like eating bread you've baked yourself - it gives a wonderful sense of accomplishment :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was a very good attempt indeed...and that was such a nice gesture indeed...all the more reason to blog :)
ReplyDeleteBaking bread is so relaxing...I sure you are hooked.
ReplyDeleteThe bread looks nice and crusty.
Hi Nags,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to getting Hooked on to Baking club! I find it too relaxing...do try..will be posting my entry on thr 16th which is what they asked for dint they? u r an early bird i guess :)
Looks delicious. Baking bread from scratch is hard, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteYay, you too... :) I made my first bread this week too...It is a great feeling isn't it? Your bread looks great! Thanks for the link to that event, I didn't know about it, I will send mine to them too... Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteWow, you inspire me to bake a bread too. I am not a good baker though :-(
ReplyDeletehi nags..congrats on ur first attempt and such a sweet gesture from bhags...
ReplyDeleteok ok....good good(grrrr e -envy)...send me my share...the other sachet you got ok????..otherwise..I will do as Bee had suggested up here!!;)
ReplyDelete...really meant to say...the chunk looks heavenly!!!
ReplyDeleteThats an awesome looking bread...and I am hungry right now...send me some slices please...
ReplyDeleteAwww! Am late!
ReplyDeleteBut I guess better late than never!
:)
Congrats on that first baked loaf!
:)
That is such a nice looking bread!
ReplyDeletebeautiful Nags... am glad my blog helped in some way :-)
ReplyDeletewaw that looks too good for the first time! very nice looking bread!
ReplyDeleteLooks really great! I can imagine the warm aroma wafting through the kitchen! Beautiful first bake, Nags!
ReplyDeleteWow that bread looks so fresh! Thats really excellent for first time!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really great first attempt!
ReplyDeletenags,
ReplyDeletewow..that bread looks lovely.congrats on ur first attempt
hey nags...fabulous bread....am sure the whole house must've smelled heavenly....btw, foodworld stocks dried yeast. check it in the custard powder section. its also there at q mart...else hop over to my place...which is round the corner from your workplace and we'll throw in some coffee too.....
ReplyDeletethat was a sweet gesture and you have done a beautiful job and cant believe it is ur first time :)
ReplyDeleteShn
baking will get you hooked its only the time of fermentation that takes me off :) great going !
ReplyDeletehi nags..long time...wow! lady, u too baked..now i think i am the only soul in the blog sphere who has not baked even a single peck , ever!!..hopefully, one day, me too..oru nall njaanum....!!!
ReplyDeleteYayyyyy! Nags baked bread and yeast bread at that! Congrats honey, it looks really good.
ReplyDeleteLooks lovely Nags. I am still contemplating for the last so many months (ever since I joined blogworld) to bake a bread, but cant bring myself do to so. I guess I should take some inspiration from you.
ReplyDeletethats the joy of blogging... u get to meet such a wonderful people...
ReplyDeleteand congrats nags:) u have baked a wonderful bread at first attempt. i am far far behind from u when it comes to handling yeast;)
nags, you are very good at baking! the bread looks so perfect... i would like to try this.
ReplyDeleteA touching story and a deserving outcome!! nice job nags..doesn't look like a first-timer at all!!:)
ReplyDeleteFirst attempt and it looks perfect for me:) Good one and thanks for posting the recipe!
ReplyDeleteHey Nags that bread looks so awesome and doest not look like a first time baker to me, yeah I agree baking bread gives lotsa satisfaction, its thrilling...
ReplyDeleteBut we get active yeast in India too, check for Saf products. In Bombay atleast I caught hold of some long time back