Nutella Babka Buns#BreadBakers

These Nutella Babka Buns are kind of similar to a braided bread. After braiding the dough, these made into a knot and ends are tucked inside the hole and pinching it together with the other end at the bottom. 

These are incredibly delicious and soft. Try them and you will love these soft and chocolaty buns. Took these for our get together with friends.  
Makes 7 Buns
Ingredients
⅓ Cup Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Honey
1½ Teaspoon Instant Yeast
2¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Large Egg
¼ Cup Milk powder
65 Grams Butter
Nutella as needed- for filling

Method 
To Make The Dough

Mix honey with warm water and then sprinkle in yeast, leave for the yeast to activate. 
In a mixing bowl, add in the rest of the ingredients except butter and nutella. Now add in the yeast mixture. Mix to incorporate and make a soft and smooth dough, knead for at least 10 minutes. While still kneading, add in butter bit by bit. Make sure it's incorporated before adding more. After all butter is added, knead for another 10 minutes.
Form dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl and cover the bowl tightly with a cling film. Leave the dough to rise until double in volume.

Shaping The Buns

Place dough on a lightly floured working surface and lightly knead it into a log. Cut into 7 equal pieces ( I weighed the dough and made equal pieces).

Form each piece into a ball.

Take a ball and press it into a rectangle. Roll it into a 5x8 inch, more or less.

Spread some Nutella on top, leaving the edges empty.

Roll it lengthwise.

Pinch the edges, to seal well.

Cut it lengthwise leaving, not all the way to the top.

Braid the 2 pieces of dough together, making sure the beautiful exposed layers of Nutella is on top. Stretch the braid into 10 inch (25 cm) length, more or less. 

Bring both ends together, overlapping them and creating a hole in the middle. Bring one end into the hole like a knot and pinch it together with the other end at the bottom.
Place on a baking tray with a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the balls. 

Rest the dough for 30 minutes or until they puff up a bit.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. 

When they're still slightly warm, brush them with butter. Place them in a cool rack to cool a little.

Serve these warm with a cup of tea or coffee, Enjoy!!

Check here to see the Chocolate Babka recipe
Labels: Bread, Braided Bread, Bread Bakers, Nutella

For Bread Bakers this month our Host is Kelly from Passion Kneaded and the theme is "Babkas". Thank you for hosting this event.    

• Baby Babkas from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate and Pistachio Babka from Passion Kneaded
• Chutney and Paneer Babka from Magical Ingredients
• Cinnamon Blueberry Babka from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Nutella Babka Buns from Sneha's Recipe
• Peanut Butter Babka Buns from Food Lust People Love
• Pecan Pie Babka from A Messy Kitchen
• Savoury Babka with Sun-dried Tomato, Feta, and Coriander Chutney from Cook with Renu

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Bread Rasmalai#SundayFunday

Bread Rasmalai is the quick version of traditional Rasmalai. Instead of paneer, bread slices are used for soaking in saffron flavored thick milk. It's then garnished with chopped nuts. You will love this version of quick Rasmalai like we don, it's become one of our favorite sweets for a quick dessert.

Ingredients
4 Big Bread Slices
3 Cups Milk
1 Teaspoon Desi Ghee
3 Tablespoons Condensed Milk
¼ Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Each Almonds & Pistachios - chopped
¼ Teaspoon Saffron Strands 
½ Teaspoon Cardamom Powder

Method

In a pan add the condense milk and milk, cook on medium flame till milk is reduced to half and is thick, add saffron to the boiling milk, keep stirring then add sugar, keep stirring, till the milk has thickened. To this add in the cardamom powder, switch off the flame. When cooled pour the rabri into a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator.
In a another pan heat a teaspoon of desi ghee, fry the almonds and pistachio till slightly toasted. Keep aside.

Take bread slices, cut small circles from the bread slices.

Just at the time of serving take a bowl /plate, add a little of the prepared rabri just enough to soak the bread slices, place the cut bread rounds. Let them soak for few minutes.

Arrange the soaked bread gently into the serving platter. Pour the chilled rabri, garnish it with chopped pistachios and almonds.

Enjoy!!  
Labels: Sweets & Desserts, Bread Slices, Instant Mixes, No Bake Desserts, Sunday Funday  

For Sunday Funday- theme is Desserts  
Alle Balle Recipe by The Mad Scientists Kitchen
Berry Galette by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Bread Rasmalai by Sneha’s Recipe
Classic Eton Mess by Food Lust People Love
Patriotic Jello Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Strawberry Glaze Pie by Palatable Pastime
Strawberries And Cream by Mayuri’s Jikoni
Whisky Barrel Cake by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Locrio de Pollo (Dominican Chicken and Rice)#EatTheWorld

Locrio de Pollo is nothing but, what we call it, a one pot dish/pulao made with rice, chicken and veggies. There are many types of locrios, each Dominican family has its own locrio de pollo, in which some ingredients will be added and others will be changed. Some even add auyama (squash) is the secret ingredient that makes it juicier and gives it a beautiful color to the dish.

Locrio de Pollo is probably a descendent from the Spanish paella, which also combines herbs, rice, chicken and vegetables to make a rice dish.
Serves 4 - 5
Ingredients
1¼ Kg Bone In Chicken bone -in cut into medium pieces
1½ Teaspoon salt or to taste
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
3 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander Leaves
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper powder
½ Teaspoon Red Chilly Flakes
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
1 Red Chilly - chopped
1 Green Capsicum/Bell Pepper- diced
1 Large Onion - finely chopped
½ Cup Chopped Celery
1½ Teaspoon Garlic paste
½ Cup Capers
½ Cup Sliced Green Olives
A Juice of One Large Lime
4 - 5 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
1 Cup Diced Carrot
1 Cup Tomato Puree
2½ Cups Long Grain Rice
5 Cups Water
Method

In a bowl combine chicken, half the salt, and rest of the in ingredients along with lime juice except the rice and water. Mix well and let it marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high flame. Add the sugar to the heated oil. When the sugar turns dark brown/caramelize , add the chicken (reserving the vegetables and herbs from the marinade), let it brown from all sides.  

Then add the vegetables and the marinade, tomato sauce, and stir to combine. Add the water, the remaining salt and bring to a boil. Taste the water for salt if needed add accordingly. Let the chicken cook till nearly done.
When the chicken is nearly done add the rice and stir often to prevent it from sticking too much to the bottom.   

Once the water has come to the level of the rice, reduce the flame to low. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is done but each grain should be separated. Uncover and stir, stirring the rice from the bottom to the top lightly. Once the rice is cooked, switch of the flame. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes.  

Serve and enjoy!!
Made this for lunch and left everyone licking their plates! Super simple and delicious!!  

Labels: Chicken, Rice, One Dish Meal, Dominican, International Cuisine, Eat the World, Main course, Pulao

Each month a group of us join Evelyne of CulturEatz as she travels to different countries to Eat the World.  
Check out all the wonderful Dominican Republic dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Sneha’s Recipe: Locrio de Pollo (Dominican Chicken and Rice) 

Palatable Pastime: Spicy Plantains 

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa) 

Kitchen Frau: Empanaditas de Yuca (Gluten Free Cassava Empanadas) 

Pandemonium Noshery: Habichuelas Guisadas 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Pastelón de Harina de Maíz 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chimi Burger  

Farfalle Pasta With Pesto Alfredo Sauce#Improv

Can I tell you how I am so happy that my plants are thriving, I have many herbed plants in balcony garden, basil, tomato, oregano, thyme, celery, mint, peppermint, kafir, lemongrass, curry leaves, betel leaf, colocasio / taro, ginger, wild garlic, turmeric, bitter gourd and many others. My baisl plant it thriving , so much that it has started to flower. So I trimmed it and made again this Pesto, all the flowers I have made basil flower oil. I made more than a cup of pesto.

Today I, made this wonderful flourless Farfalle Pasta Alfredo Pesto Sauce, its was so delicious, finger licking.

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 Cups Farfalle Pasta
2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
¾ Cup Milk
¾ Cup Fresh Cream
2 Cubes Cheddar Cheese
¾ Cup Basil Pesto With Almonds & Walnuts
1 Green Chilly Paste
2 Large Tomatoes - seeded and diced

Method
Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.

While the pasta cooks, in a large pan add the butter, cream and milk, green chilly paste and pesto , mix this well. Cook this over medium low heat till it comes to a rolling boil, stirring continuously, now grate one cube of cheddar cheese and add to the mix.   

When it starts to just thicken add the pasta and diced tomatoes, give it a good mix and cook till the pasta is just heated. Remove from heat and serve this hot with grated cheese. This pasta dish is saucy, tasty and super delicious.

Enjoy!!
Labels: Flourless, Pesto Sauce, Basil, Pasta, Pasta & Noodles, Homemade, Cream, Cheddar Cheese, Improv Cooking Challenge, International Cuisine, Vegetarian, Jain food

For Improv Cooking Challenge the theme this month is "Pasta & Greens".  

• Sneha’s Recipe : Farfalle Pasta With Pesto Alfredo Sauce 
• Magical Ingredients : Paneer and Spinach Stuffed Shells With Malai 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Pesto Orzo with Broccoli
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Spinach Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

Keto Fried Beef Steak #SundayFunday

These Keto Fried Beef Steaks are so delicious and yum. They are low crab, quick to make. Half I fried in egg batter and the other half with egg batter, both methods taste delicious. So you can use egg to dip or completely skip this step.

Makes 16 - 18
Serves 6
Ingredients
1/2 Kg Beef (Undercut) - cut into slices
6 - 8 flakes garlic
2 Inch Piece of Ginger
30 Mint Leaves
1/2 Cup Coriander leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Garam masala powder
1 Scallion - Chopped
1 Sour Lime
Salt to taste
Coconut oil as required for frying
2 Eggs  - lightly beaten  

Method

Wash and cut the meat into slices abut 1 inch thick. Lightly beat each slice with a meat mallet to flatten them lightly.
Grind the garlic, ginger, mint, coriander leaves, scallions to fine paste ( do not add water to grind). Mix in the lime juice and salt to the paste. Apply this paste to the meat slices and marinate it in the refrigerator or an hour. 

Dip each slice in egg. Shallow fry them till golden brown. Serve these as sides to a main course meal or as starters. 

Enjoy hot with chutney or spicy tomato sauce.

Labels: Steaks, Pan Fried, Appetizer, Keto, Sunday Funday, Main course, Beef

For Sunday Funday our theme is "Steakhouse Recipes". 

• Palatable Pastime: Chopped Steak with Longhorn Steakhouse Seasoning 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Grilled New York Strip Steaks with Herb Compound Butter 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Keto Fried Beef Steaks 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Shallots and Rosemary 
• Food Lust People Love: Ruth’s Creamed Spinach 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Steakhouse Garlic Butter