Vegetable Platter: Baking

The Best Eggless Chocolate Banana Mug Cake + Video

Remember the Eggless Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake that I shared a couple of years ago? Well, That mug cake has a serious competitor now

This Super Moist Banana & Chocolate Mug Cake is the best I've eaten so far. Its Super Moist thanks to the Bananas, very decadent with all the chocolate chips, Its Eggless & it gets done in 90 seconds.

You Have to try it right now, Believe me, you are going to love this one

Microwave Eggless Chocolate & Banana Mug Cake

This recipe makes 2 servings, perfect to be divided amongst 2 adults/kids. You can also make it in one huge mug but I like diving them into 2 medium sized mugs so that the sharing becomes easy.

I also loved the fact that this cake remained moist for a really long time. I made 2 servings yesterday afternoon, & while we finished one of the cakes right away, I set the other one aside to be had as a late night binge & I was quite pleased with how moist it was.

Servings 2

You Will Need:

4 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1/2 or 3/4th of a large Banana
3 tablespoon Sugar
3 tablespoon Milk
1.5 tablespoon Cooking Oil
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 tablespoon Chocolate Chips
Additional Chocolate chips for topping
1 teaspoon Peanut Butter (Optional)

HOW TO

Mash the Banana & set aside

In a wide bowl, add All Purpose Flour, Cocoa Powder, Sugar & Baking Soda & Mix well.

To this, add Cooking Oil, Milk, Peanut Butter(if using), Mashed Banana & Chocolate Chips & Mix well to make a smooth Batter. Ensure that there are no lumps

Grease 2 medium or 1 large Coffee Mug with Oil

Pour the Batter so that only half of the Mug gets filled. Top with 4-5 chocolates chips & Microwave for 90 seconds

Once out of the microwave, top with another 3-4 chocolate chips & allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes

Dig In !!

The Best Eggless Chocolate Banana Mug Cake

NOTE:

I microwave One Mug at a time because the cooking time may vary if both the mugs are microwaved together.

You can also divide the batter into 3 smaller cups as Mini servings but you need to reduced the cooking time to one minute else the cakes will turn dry & hard

Do Not skip adding Chocolate chips because the help in keeping the cake moist & decadent

If you do not have chocolate chips, add chocolate chunks or break any chocolate you have into small pieces & add

You can replace Milk with any other non dairy milk to make it Vegan

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

Mumbai Style Ladi Pav

I finally tried my hand at making Pav. It is pretty easy if you have the right recipe. After a couple of trials, I finally found a recipe that worked well for me.

I make a mean Bhaji by my own admission & serving them with soft & fluffy homemade Pav has been an achievement unlocked of sorts.

The Secret to making Soft Pavs is the addition of Baking Powder. Yes, it makes a difference

Also, as stated by another blogger, Pav is Poor Man's bread so you don't really need to add milk to mix the dough or even Milk powder for that matter. But you can mix the dough with milk, if you wish to

Makes 12-14 Pavs

You Will Need:

400 grams All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Milk or Water
3 Tablespoon Melted Butter
2 Tablespoon Oil
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

For Activating the Yeast

1 Packet Active Dry Yeast (7 Grams)
2 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
3 tablespoons Water
3 tablespoons Milk

ACTIVATING THE YEAST

In a small sauce pan, slightly warm Water, Milk & sugar mixture. It should be just Lukewarm. Add yeast into it, cover & let it rest for 10 minutes for the yeast to become frothy.

MIXING THE DOUGH

In a wide bowl, Add All Purpose Flour/Bread Flour, Salt, Oil mix well with yours hands. Add Milk or Water little by little & make a sticky dough

You Will be tempted to add a bit of flour but do not. Continue kneading with your hands for 15 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead for 6-8 minutes

Half way in between, add melted butter & continue kneading.

The dough would have turned very soft & smooth after all the kneading. 

PROOFING THE DOUGH - 1ST RISE

Coat it with a little bit of oil & place in a bowl & wrap with cling film & set aside for 1 hour to double in size

I placed the dough in the Instant Pot & set the Low Yogurt mode for 1 hour to enable fast proofing

By the end of 1 hour, the dough would have tripled in size. Knead again for 10 minutes to knock off all the air. The dough is now ready to be rolled into Pavs for a Second Rise

ROLL INTO PAVS FOR THE SECOND RISE

Divide the Dough into 12/14 equal sized balls. With the help on a little flour, roll the balls into smooth rounds such they there are no cracks on the surface (This requires a little practice, which I am yet to master)

Grease a baking pan with oil. Place them on a baking pan keeping 1 inch gap between each of the balls.

Cover with a damp kitchen towel & set aside for one hour.

BAKING THE PAVS

Preheat the Oven to 400 F for 10 minutes. Plan the baking tray in the middle rack & bake for 12 minutes. The Pav would have turned slightly brown on top. To get a slightly more brown color on top, Broil on Low for 1 minute.

Turn off the Oven & immediately brush with butter & allow it to cool on the rack at least for an hour or more

Serve soft homemade Pav with Bhaji or Misal or even Paneer Bhurji

NOTE:

The Top portion of the Dough Balls should be really Smooth

This ensures that the end product is really smooth. This ofcourse requires a bit of practice & patience & I am yet to get it right

Broiling is Optional

Mumbai Pavs are not very brown on the top. Do Not be tempted to bake them longer if the tops are not brown enough

If you want to Broil, make sure it is on low & keep an eye on the Pavs. You may want to Broil only for 30 seconds if the tops are browning too fast.

Choose The Right Kind of Pan for Baking

Choose a rectangular baking pan & place the dough balls with just 1 inch gap in between so that when the dough rises, they should stick to each other with no gap in between them. This ensures that the Pav rises upwards & does not spread sideways & become flat.

Baking Time Varies from one Oven to Another

Depending on the oven, you would require anywhere between 10-15 minutes to bake them but not more than that. Mine were baked at 12 minutes & I Broiled for an additional 1 minute

Over baking results in harder Pavs

Give It Time to Cool Down Completely

When the Pavs come out of the oven, the tops will be slightly crusty. Brush them with butter & allow them to cool down completely to allow the Pavs to soften.

Also, remove the Pav from the baking dish & cool on a wire rack. Leaving them inside the baking dish will trap moisture & makes the bottom Soggy

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

Iyengar Bakery Aloo Bun /Palya Bun

Iyengar Bakery delicacies have always had a special place for Bangaloreans & especially the 90s Kids. Much before McDonalds & other Burger joints made their way to Bangalore, We had Iyengar Bakeries.

A quick stop at the neighborhood bakery for Veg Puffs, Aloo Bun, Honey Cake was something we looked forward to. And also, the softest Milk Bread ever.

These humble bakeries are still holding their fort amidst the culinary shift that has happened in the city in the past decade. This somehow makes me a very happy Bangalorean as Iyengar Bakeries are very symbolic of the good old 'Namma Bengaluru'

If I have to pick 2 favorites from the Iyengar Bakery Menu, It is their Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake & Aloo/Palya Bun

Palya Bun is a perfect pick me up for those 4 PM hunger pangs. The Potato stuffing makes it pretty filling just enough to hold off until dinner time

Makes 8 Slightly Big or 10 Medium Sized Buns

You Will Need

400 grams All Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
2 teaspoon Instant Yeast (No Proofing Needed)
1 cup Milk
1 tablespoon Milk Powder
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 tablespoon Softened Butter
1/2 teaspoon Salt

In a wide bowl, Add All Purpose Flour/Bread Flour, Salt, Sugar, Milk Powder, Instant Yeast & mix well with yours hands. Add Milk little by little & make a sticky dough

You Will be tempted to add a bit of flour but do not. Continue kneading with your hands for 15 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead for 6-8 minutes

Half way in between, add softened butter & continue kneading.

The dough would have turned very soft & smooth after all the kneading. Coat it with a little bit of oil & place in a bowl & wrap with cling film & set aside for 1 hour to double in size

I placed the dough in the Instant Pot & set the Low Yogurt mode for 1 hour to enable fast proofing

By the end of 1 hour, the dough would have doubled in size. Knead again for 10-12 minutes to knock off all the air. The dough is now ready to be filled with the Potato Filling.

While the Dough is resting for an hour, proceed to make the Potato Stuffing

To Make the Potato Stuffing

You Will Need:

4 large Potatoes (I used Gold Potatoes)
2 medium sized Onions - sliced lengthwise
5 Green Chilies
Half teaspoon Mustard seeds
A big pinch of Hing
1 teaspoon Urad Dal
1 teaspoon Chana Dal
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
A sprig of Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt as per taste

How To:

Clean & scrub the Potatoes. Cut into halves & Pressure cook with a little bit of salt for 1 whistle. Let the pressure settle down.

Drain the water & once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin & roughly mash them into chunks.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat cooking oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add Hing, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, Green Chilies & Curry Leaves. Sauté on low flame for 30 seconds until the Urad & Chana Dal are golden in color

Add sliced onions & turmeric & fry until the onions turn pink, Add the mashed potatoes & salt & mix well

Turn off the heat & add chopped coriander. Set aside & allow it to cool

The Stuffing is now ready

Now, begin assembling the buns for the second rise.

To Assemble the Buns before baking

Divide the dough into 8 or 10 equal portions. Divide the Palya/Potato Stuffing into 8 or 10 equal portions as well

Flatten each dough into a disc with a rolling pin. Place the potato mixture in the center & close the dough on all the sides

slightly flatten them with your palms & place on the baking tray.

Repeat the procedure for each of the discs. & arrange them on a baking tray with enough space in between them

Cover with a cling film or a damp kitchen towel & set aside for 1 hour for them to rise again

Baking the Buns

Preheat the Oven to 200 C or 395 F for 5 minutes

Remove the cling wrap/kitchen towel. Brush each of the buns with milk & place it in the oven & bake for 18-20 minutes

Pro Tip For Turing them into the Softest Buns

Once the Buns are out of them oven, brush them generously with butter & wrap them with a damp kitchen towel & allow it to cool on the wire rack or a tray for 1 hour. The buns turn super soft. I slightly warm them in the microwave for 15 seconds before serving

When the buns came out of they oven, they were a bit crusty & I was honestly quite disappointed. Then I remembered a chef using this technique of wrapping dinner rolls in a damp towel to make them soft

I checked them 20 minutes after wrapping them in a damp towel & it had become quite soft. By the end of 1 hour, after the buns had cooled down completely, they were super soft just like the bakery ones.

So, I highly recommend trying this hack.

I saved a couple of buns to be eaten the next day. I put them in an airtight box & refrigerated them. I Microwaved them for 1 minute the following day & they were as good as new. So, I guess they stay well for a day when refregerated. Beyond that, the Potato Stuffing would not taste as fresh

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

Homemade Cheese Pizza

I not into baking a lot of cakes & cookies but I love savory bakes. I have since long wanted learn to bake a good Pizza at home. My dad loves baking as well especially it it has anything to do with yeast :)

So we finally tried our hands on the basic Cheese Pizza. It is always nice to bake with someone who is as enthusiastic as you in the kitchen

After baking Pizza for 3 consecutive days and experimenting with 2 different kind of doughs , I can finally say that I am eligible to write this post.

Since this was my first time making Pizza from scratch, I wanted to perfect the basic Cheese Pizza. We all love Cheese Pizza don't we? I like mine with lot of Olives & red chilli flakes sprinkled on the top

WHAT KIND OF YEAST DID I USE?

Eversince the Lockdown has happened, there has been a sudden demand for yeast & I was not able to find yeast in any of the stores.

I was finally able to get some Fresh Yeast (The one that comes in cubes & has to be refrigerated) & honestly I was quite skeptical about it but the pizza turned out rather well

So you can use any kind of yeast

Fresh Yeast

Active Dry Yeast or

Instant Yeast

Make sure you get the conversions right & use only the right amount of whichever you were using

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MAKING THE PIZZA DOUGH

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Makes 4 Medium Crust Pizzas of 11 inches each

You Will Need:

600 grams All Purpose Flour
25 grams Fresh Yeast Or 8 Grams of Active Dry Yeast ( I used Fresh Yeast )
400 ml water
3 teaspoon Salt
Half teaspoon Sugar
6 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

HOW TO:

In a sauce pan, heat Water until its lukewarm. To this, add Yeast, Salt, Sugar & Oil. Cover & set aside for the yeast to activate for 15 minute

When the mixture turns frothy, it means that the yeast is active. Now In a wide bowl, add the flour & mix in the yeast mixture & knead well slowly incorporating all the flour

The flour will turn slightly sticky so add some more flour as you knead but not too much

When the dough turns fairly smooth, continental kneading for 20-25 minutes by hand. You can put your food processor to use if you have one. If using a machine, knead for 8 minutes.

Make 4 medium balls of dough, Coat the dough with EVOO & place it in a bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel & let it proof for 2 hours.

I used the Yogurt Mode in the Instant Pot for one hour to proof the dough

After the allotted time, the dough would have doubled in size.

Place each ball in individual containers or ziplock bags with enough room for it to rise again.

Refrigerate for a minumum for 3-4 hours or for a maximum of 3 days. Ideal would be to refrigerate for 24 hours

Pull out the dough at least an hour before you plan to bake the Pizza

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BAKING PIZZAS

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MEDIUM CRUST

When you are ready to make Pizzas, you will need to pull out the dough out of the refrigerator One hour in advance so that it reaches room temperature

You Will Need:

Pizza Dough
Pizza Sauce (I used Store Bought)
Mozzarella Cheese
Basil leaves
Salt
Garlic powder
Dried Oregano
Black Olives
Olive Oil
Dry Chilli Flakes (Optional)

HOW TO:

Preheat the Oven to 500F or 260 C for 30 minutes

Take the dough out of the container, lightly flour the working station, begin stretching the dough with your hands.

If you feel that the dough shrinks back when stretched, allow it to rest on the counter for another 15 minutes. Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth

Alternately, you can even roll the dough using a rolling pin.

Sprinkle a little flour on the kitchen counter & Roll or uniformly stretch into a circle of 11 inch diameter.

Transfer the stretched/rolled dough onto a parchment paper & brush it lightly with olive oil

Using a pizza cutter, lightly cut the pizza into triangular slices

Apply pizza Sauce, Garlic, powder, dried oregano Add Mozzarella Cheese generously, sprinkle some salt & top with sliced olives.

Put the parchment paper onto a cast Iron Pan. I used my trusted Lodge Cast Iron Pan.

Bake at 500 F for 8-9 minutes (Oven Temperatures will vary)

8 Minutes is ideal. The crust is cooked well. I baked a couple of pizzas for 9 minutes, the cheese was more brown at the top & the crust was a tad crunchier

After 8 minutes, Take out the pizza from the oven & transfer it onto a wide plate & gently cut the slices using a pizza cutter

Sprinkle with chilli flakes & garnish with fresh basil & serve hot

NOTES:

Oven temperatures will vary so keep eye on the Pizza while its baking

It is very important that the oven be hot. So, Preheating for 30 minutes is a must

Always slightly cut the pizza dough into slices before you add the sauce & toppings as its easier to slice them later on

Always always always refrigerate the pizza dough. The 1st day we baked the pizza about a couple of hours after the dough was proofed. And we made some more pizza with dough that was refrigerated for 24 hours. The 2nd batch turned out better in texture

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

Indian Style Atta Crackers

4 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Baking

The Best Ever Chocolate Brownie Cake in a Mug

This might just become your go to answer for those sudden late night chocolate cravings. A Chocolate Brownie Cake in a Mug, done in 90 seconds in the Microwave.

I choose to call this a Brownie Cake rather than just cake as the texture is a cross between a cake & a brownie.

I was never a big fan of Microwave Mug Cakes to be honest. A few years ago, It was all over the internet & everyone was making these instant mug cakes.

A version I tried did not turn out well. It was dry & rubbery. I thought that mug cakes looked pretty only in pictures & was clearly not my Mug of Cake :) until, I came across this recipe. I got my hands on this recipe just a couple of days ago & I made it 3 times in a day, it's that good believe me

It has a good texture, moist & chocolatey, which is a pretty good deal for those 2 minutes that you spend putting this together

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour/Maida
2 or 3 tablespoons Sugar *
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 tablespoon neutral flavoured cooking oil
3 tablespoon Milk
A pinch of Salt
A splash of Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 tablespoons Semi Sweet Chocolate chips
Sprinklers - optional

How To:

In a small wide bowl, add all the ingredients except chocolate chips & mix well with a spoon until well combined.

You could do this directly in the mug but I find it easier to mix the ingredients in a bowl

Incorporate the chocolate chips. Pour into a medium sized, microwave safe coffee mug. Top with a few chocolate chips & Microwave on high for 90 seconds

Add Sprinklers if using & wait for 3-4 minutes before digging in

You can top it with a bit of whipped cream or a small scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream & you are in for a treat

NOTE:

-- * Make sure you use powdered sugar. The first time, I used granulated sugar & I could bite into sugar granules after baking

-- The original recipes states 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder which I felt was way too chocolatey for 3 tablespoons of flour. I've used 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of Cocoa instead.

-- Do Not skip using chocolate chips & they melt when you bake it in the microwave keeping the brownie cake moist.

-- If you do not have chocolate chips, use chocolate chunks or break any chocolate you have into small chunks or you can use Nutella

-- Though, it tastes best when consumed while it is fresh out out the Microwave, I reserved a small portion to test if it stays good. It was reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds. I had expected it to be slightly dry but the texture was still pretty good.

-- Use good quality Cocoa Powder. It makes a difference. I used Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa

-- The Original recipe is from here