Healthy Banana loaf cake

What’s more satisfying than a guilt free- egg free- quick to whip up banana loaf? A common fruit found blackening in every household. What better way to eat an over ripe banana than in a wholesome, almost nourishing, moist and combined with chocolate banana bread?

This is a quick, one bowl recipe- spreading more smiles than ever. The recipe is a free recipe and minor measurement alterations/ ingredients substitutions won’t effect the final product much.

Get creative by adding nutella {but, it won’t be healthy then :(, sorry nutella! }, spices, nuts of your choice or vegan chocolate chips for a vegan version. The batter is thick as opposed to being runny. The final cake will be pretty soft if you follow the recipe.

 The bananas should be super ripe. The skin should be black and highly spotted. These bananas have the highest sugar content as a result of oxidation and breakdown of starch and are also easier to mash by hand.

Ingredients

230 gms over ripe bananas

31 gms honey

31 gms olive oil

1 tsp baking powder ( sifted along with the flours)

1 tsp cinnamon powder

90 gms almond meal/whole wheat flour

90 gms whole wheat flour

50 gms dark chocolate chips/ walnuts/ nutella

Method;-

1) Preheat your oven to 170 degree celsius. Grease a loaf pan with butter.

2)Mash bananas, add honey, olive oil and cinnamon powder to it. Combine till it becomes a smooth paste.

3) Sift together the two flours and baking powder. Add the sifted flour mix to the banana mix. Fold gently from the centre out until just combined.

4) Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips/ walnuts/ nutella.

5) Pour into a greased loaf pan. Decorate with two banana slices and some chocolate chips and nuts. Bake it in a preheated oven at 170 degree celsius until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The baking time could vary anywhere between 20 mins and 35 mins depending upon your oven. Let it cool down completely before removing.

Chocolate flourless cake

Although I’m not a big fan of eating cakes and pastries, I have to admit that this one is my absolute favourite. It’s perfectly chocolatey, gooey and irresistible. If you’re looking for a chocolate dessert that is both easy to make, and has a ‘WOW’ factor associated with it- this is the recipe you are looking for. I do love to experiment with recipes and add my slight bit to it-  here, I grated half a tonka bean for a crisp flavor and an unmatchable aroma.

Ingredients

250 gms great quality dark chocolate. This is the key ingredient. Use the best and the darkest available.

(I recommend 70% Lindt or Callebaut 811)

125 gms Amul butter or Elle Vire butter

3 eggs separated

3 Tbsp castor sugar

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp spice of your choice

Method:-

1)Melt the butter and chocolate together on a double boiler or microwave.

2)Whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.

3)Whip egg whites to soft peaks.

4)Add the melted chocolate butter mixture to the egg yolks mixture and mix. Add the cocoa powder and spice.

5)Fold in the whipped egg whites.

6)Bake in a greased pan in an oven preheated to 180 deg C. Bake for 10 mins at 180 deg C and then lower to 150 deg C and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 35 mins).

Pizza twist bread

A crispy indulgent meal, as well as the perfect snack for bread lovers. Once you have the dough fermented- this is very quick to assemble and works as a great snack to serve for parties. The flavour of this one depends on the quality of tomatoes. I applied pizza sauce made with homegrown, organic tomatoes (SOOO tangy and fresh). Alternatively, you may use canned tomatoes for a naturally tangy sauce OR hybrid tomatoes with 1 tsp of vinegar and sugar each.

Ingredients

Made this recipe using 100% AP flour

62% hydration

5% olive oil

2% leavening

( I used dry active yeast. Incase you’re using a starter- make sure to factor in the %age of water from the starter. Total hydration for the recipe should not exceed 62% for AP flour)

2% salt

1% sugar ( required to feed yeast)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Pizza sauce to fill

Vegetables of your choice ( optional)

Cheese of your choice ( LOTS OF CHEESE)

Method

Combine a little lukewarm water ( warm enough to be able to stick your finger in without burning. Too hot will kill the yeast) with the sugar and yeast and leave to foam for about 5 mins. Add in all the other ingredients and mix dough on a stand mix using dough attachment or mix by hand until it comes together into a ball.

Oil a stainless steel bowl and transfer the dough. Cling wrap and leave to ferment for an hour. You can either use the dough now OR transfer the risen dough to the refrigerator for 13 hours to carry out a cold fermentation. Remove from the ref and degass the dough by gently punching. The dough will become much smaller in size. Combine it into a ball and leave again to rise for about 2 hours.

To make the pizza bread- Make 4 balls out of the dough and roll out the layers separately.

Stuffed deep pan pizza

This is not the usual pizza! What is so special? It is a Chicago style- deep pan pizza. The crust is meant to be flaky, crusty on the edges and absolutely yummy. Butter is the secret behind the flakiness. Try using thick pizza sauce made with tangy tomatoes for the best flavour.

Ingredients

1 and a 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water ( little more if the dough does not bind)

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 TBSP Amul butter

1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1TBSP sugar ( to feed the yeast)

Pizza sauce

Vegetables of your choice – Baby corn, mushrooms, zucchini, brocolli. Sautee in a pan with some olive oil, garlic and seasoning. (I used fresh basil)

Cheese of your choice

Method

1. Combine the yeast, Sugar with 2 TBSP lukewarm water. The water should be just warm enough to able to stick your finger in without burning. Too hot will kill the yeast. Allow to foam for 5 mins.
2. In the yeast mix bowl, add the flour, oil, butter and mix with a paddle attachment or with the fingers until the butter is well combined. Add the water and mix to form a dough ball.
3. Once combined, knead the dough 2-3 times. Do NOT knead it too much. Remove into an oiled bowl. Cling wrap and leave to ferment at room temperature ( 26-32 degrees) for 2 hours or in the fridge for upto 2 days.
4. To make the pizza- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out two doughs as per your tart ring/ cake pan size. Out of the 4 doughs, 2 need to be rolled out thicker. This will be the base for the pizzas.
5. Cover the cake pan with the thicker dough. Press tightly towards the edges making sure there are no air bubbles. Do NOT remove the extra dough on the top edges of the pan right now.
6. Add pizza sauce, sauteed vegetables of your choice and lots of cheese. The height of the pizza will depend on the amount of filling you put in this step.
7. Cover with the thinner dough. Seal the edges well, applying little water. Cut the excess dough from the edges of the pan using a pairing knife. Poke some holes to prevent the dough from rising while baking. Apply pizza sauce and grate some cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 deg C. The sides and bottom of the pizza should be golden brown. Baking time can vary anywhere between 25-45 mins. Best to keep an eye if you don’t know your oven too well. Let it cool down completely before transferring to a pizza serving dish. Garnish with some basil leaves and ENJOY.