Irish Soda Bread Buns

Irish Soda Bread is a instant bread, made using baking soda & butter milk as raising agents. You don't use yeast & also don't have to wait for hours for the bread to raise again & again.
Buttermilk is one of the main ingredients in this bread & I replaced it with yogurt as I didn't have buttermilk readily available. They came out perfectly puffed up even when I have used yogurt. Maybe it's the active cultures that are same in both yogurt & buttermilk, which are working the same way. 
I made Irish soda bread buns instead of a whole bread for my serving convenience, you can make it as a whole bread & the recipe remains the same. You can add in few dry nuts, choco chips or any other of your choice by mix & matching them or as solo hero's in this recipes.
To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Adapted from here.
Prep Time-10mins | Bake Time-30mins | Serves-8buns
Ingredients 
2Cups all purpose flour + 3Tbs flour for dusting
1Tsp baking powder
1Tsp baking soda 
1/2Tsp salt
3Tbs brown sugar 
1/2Cup raisins 
1/2Cup solid butter 
1Egg 
3/4Cup butter milk
Directions 
- Pre-heat oven @350degrees & brush a muffin pan with butter.
- In a big bowl sift flour, baking powder & soda. To that add salt & brown sugar.
- Chop butter in to small pieces & add it to the flour bowl. 
- In another small bowl whisk egg & buttermilk. 
- Add the egg mixture to flour bowl & mix it well. Fold raisins in to the dough. 
- Dust the plain surface with flour & place the dough & form a ball of dough.
- Divide dough into 8 equal size buns or as many you like. 
- Arrange the buns in muffin pan & brush them with little melted butter on top. 
- Bake them @350degrees for 30mins or as needed.
- Once you see the brown crust & after a tooth pick comes out clean, remove the pan from oven. 
- Allow them to cool & serve them with butter or your choice of jam. 

Note
- Don't use melted butter in this recipe. Using melted butter increases the wetness in the recipe & that turns the dough too sticky.
- You can bake this dough as one big bread if you want. For that layer a pan with parchment paper & place the round shaped dough on it. Make a slit in a cross shape on top of the bread & bake it as mentioned above. 
- Baking time changes from oven to oven. Adjust the time as needed.

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Friands | French Mini Cake

Friands are mini French cakes. They are small & tempting little cakes, which just melts in your mouth. The basic recipe requires almond flour but when I saw the recipe with pecan & coconut flour, I decided giving it a try as I love coconut & my hubby likes pecans. 
Friands are generally backed in a Friand pan, which are sold in the market, but I went a head using a mini cake pan in making this cakes. Topping them with raspberries added a tangy bite to the cake.
To know what my other friends are cooking, check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44. 

Adapted from here.
Prep Time-20mins | Cook Time-20mins | Yields-9Friands
Ingredients
65g or 2/3Cup pecans
20g or 1/2Cup desiccated dry coconut
4Egg whites
1Cup icing sugar
1/2Cup flour
120g / 1/2Cup butter @room temperature
1/2Cup frozen raspberries
1Tbs icing sugar for dusting
2Tbs flour for dusting
1Tbs butter for brushing the pan
Directions 
- Pre heat oven @350degree. Butter the muffin pan or a mini cake pan or Friand pan if you have. Dust it with flour & keep aside.
- Grind pecans & coconut to a smooth flour. 
- In another bowl light whisk eggs & keep aside.
- In a large bowl mix pecan & coconut flour, egg white, butter, sugar & flour. 
- Mix them well till they are blended well. 
- Scoop up the batter & fill in the pan wholes to the top.
- Now top the batter with raspberries. 
- Bake @350degrees for 15mins to 20mins or until the tooth picks comes out clean.
- Once they are done, remove them from oven & cool them down on a counter top.
- Dust Friands with icing sugar & serve them warm. 
Note
- You can replace pecan & coconut flour with almond flour. 
- Raspberries can be replaced by blueberries, strawberries or any other fruit you like. 

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Pav | How to make Pav

Pav is Indian yeasted bread. The most famous snacks include pav bhaji, Vada pav, misal pav, masala pav etc..

Origin - This bread “Pao” was introduced by Portuguese when they ruled Goa {India} in 15^th century. Later in migration it this bread was brought to Mumbai & it became famous over there. {Sources: Holiday Goa}

Recipe - The recipe is simple & doesn't involves eggs. I used milk in this recipe instead of water & kneaded it for 10mins before & after rising. Making small dough balls will allow the bread to be soft & smooth after it was baked.

Prep Time-3hrs | Cook Time-30mins | Serves-3people | Yields-7pav's

Ingredients
1&1/2Cups all purpose flour {unbleached}
1/2Cup + 2Tbs milk { add as needed}
2Tsp instant yeast
1/4Tsp salt
1Tbs +2Tsp sugar
1Tbs butter melted
1Tbs flour for dusting
1Tsp butter {baking pan}
1Tsp olive oil {rising bread}
1Tsp milk {brushing on the pav}
Directions
Making Dough
- Grease a bowl with olive oil & set aside.
- In a bowl add flour, yeast, salt, sugar & butter.
- To that add milk little by little & mix well.
- Knead dough for 10mins.
- Form a dough & place the dough in greased bowl.
- Cover up & keep it in a warm place.
- Allow it to raise for 1&1/2 hrs.
Make Pav
- Grease a baking pan with butter.
- Dust a wooden board with flour & place the risen dough.
- Punch out all the air & knead dough for 5mins.
- Divide the dough into equal size small balls.
- Place them in the baking sheet leaving a little space in between.
- Cover up & allow the bread to rise for 1&1/2hr.
Baking
- Pre heat oven @350degrees for 10mins.
- Brush dough with milk & place them in oven.
- Bake @350degrees for 30mins or till the pav are brown on top.
- Remove from oven & brush some butter to them.
- Allow them to cool before serving.
- Serve as you like.
Note
- Use a bigger bowl for rising dough.
- If dough comes out sticky add some flour & knead the dough. 
- If the place is too warm the risen dough will smell like yeast. 
- Don't exceed the rising time of bread, or it will smell like yeast.

Follow me on "Facebook", "Google+", "Pinterest" for daily updates. Leave me a comment on any queries regarding this recipe & I will be able to answer it for you as soon as possible.Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 40.

Chocolate Coconut Rolls

Chocolate coconut rolls are made eggless with very interesting filling in them. These are similar to cinnamon rolls, which are sticky & yummy. 
Eggless - I followed a vegan recipe to eliminate eggs from them & loved them very well. 
Brown sugar - I always loved the taste of brown sugar & replaced normal sugar to it. I don't know if that had changed the color a little to the rolls but for sure they were very tasty. 
Glaze - The glaze was simple & I glazed it just for the pictures. I loved the rolls as they are. 

Prep Time-3hrs {rising time & making} | Cook Time-20-25mins | Yields-16 rolls
Adapted From:Whipped
Ingredients 
4&1/4Cup all purpose flour
1/4Cup flour for dusting {use as needed}
1Pack instant yeast
1Cup milk
1/4Cup water {use as needed}
1/2Cup brown sugar 
1/4Tsp salt
6Tbs butter @ room temperature
1Tsp olive oil 
Chocolate Coconut Filling 
1/2Cup grated dry coconut
1/4Cup hershey's unsweetened chocolate powder
3/4Cup brown sugar 
2Tbs sugar
2Tbs butter melted 
Glaze 
1Cup powdered sugar 
2Tbs water

Making the dough
- Grease a big bowl with olive oil & set aside.
- In a bowl take milk & sugar. Dissolve sugar completely. 
- In a bowl take flour, salt, butter, yeast, milk & sugar mixture.
- Mix flour by adding little by little water as needed.
- Now dust the wooden board with flour. Knead flour for 10mins. 
- Place the dough in oiled bowl & cover it. 
- Allow dough to rise double of it's size. Time might vary but it will be ready in 1&1/2hrs. 
Making of filling & rolling 
- Grease a cooking pan with butter & set side
- Mix coconut, chocolate & sugar in a bowl.
- Transfer the dough on to a dusted wooden board. 

- Using a roll pin spread the dough equally in to a rectangular shape. 
- Brush the dough with butter & spread the chocolate coconut mixture equally. 

- Now roll it from side as shown in the figure. 
- Cut the dough in to 16 equal rolls.
- Now arrange the rolls into pan as shown above. 
- Allow the dough to raise for 30mins. 
Baking rolls
- Pre heat oven @350degrees. 
- Once the rolls are raised brush them with some butter. 
- Bake them @ 350 degrees for 20mins to 25mins or until they are lightly browned. 
- Remove roll from oven & allow them to cool. 
Glaze
- In a bowl mix sugar & water. Allow sugar to dissolve completely. 
- Spread the glaze on the cooled rolls. 
- Rolls are ready to serve.
Note
- You can add 1egg while making the dough. 
- For dough you can replace butter with olive oil.

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Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 40

Chocolate Chip Cookies

For this weeks blogging marathon I'm showcasing " How to perfect " recipes. Today I'm sharing recipe for "Chocolate Chip Cookies" adapted from here. Check this Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#38.

Chocolate chip cookies are the sweet delicacies that are originated from US & are loved world wide. These cookies are perfect to go snack for busy days or can be a mid night dessert for a sweet tooth.

There are many variations for this recipe & I used a basic recipe in making this recipe. 

Prep Time-1hr to 72hrs | Cooking Time-15mins | Yields-15-20cookies
Ingredients 
1Cup all-purpose flour 
1/3Cup brown sugar
1/4Cup butter @ room temperature
1/2Tsp vanilla extract
1Egg
1/2Tsp baking soda
2/3Cup dark chocolate chopped
Directions
- In a bowl add butter & sugar. Beat them till they are mixed well. To that add vanilla extract & egg. Beat them to a smooth & creamy consistency.
- Sift flour & baking soda in the egg mixture & mix them well with a ladle. Now add chocolate chips & fold them in. 
- Roll the dough in to a log & cover it up. Refrigerate it from 8hrs to 72hrs. I refrigerated it for 8hrs.
- Remove from refrigerator & allow it to sit @room temperature for 30mins. 
- Pre heat oven @300degrees.
- Using a knife slice them in to pieces as shown in the figure. 
- Lay parchment paper on the baking tray & arrange cookies on the try. 
- Bake them for 15mins & by that time cookies will be perfect & ready to cool them. Remove from oven & cool them.
- Cookies are ready to serve. 
Note:
- Before refrigerating you can divide dough & make them in to your desired shape. Cover & refrigerate them.

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Sending this recipe to Srivalli's Kid's delight event hosted by Gayatri of "Gayatri cook spot".

Red Velvet Cookies

When you really want love you will find it waiting for you ~~ Oscar Wilde

Valentines day is always a special & leaves many of us with a sweet print on our hearts. This year I planned for a cake then thought will make cupcakes & ended up making cookies to celebrate this special day. Made this simple red Velvet cookies & flavored them with coconut flakes to make them special. 

Prep Time-30mins | Cook Time-20mins| Yields 25 Cookies

Ingredients

1Cup all-purpose flour

1/4Cup icing sugar

1/4+1Tbs cup dry coconut flakes

4Tbs butter (@Room temperature)

1/2Tsp baking powder

1/2Tsp vanilla extract

1Tbs+1Tsp milk 

1/2Tsp red food color

Pinch of salt

Directions

- Preheat oven @ 350 degrees. 

- In a bowl sift flour. To that add baking powder, coconut flakes & salt. Keep the bowl aside.

- Take another bowl to that add sugar & butter. Beat them to smooth & creamy consistency. To that add vanilla extract, red food color & milk. Beat it for few minutes. 

- Now add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients & form a dough. 

- Using a rolling pin roll the dough in to a flat layer. Using a cookie cutter cut them in a desired shape. Repeat the same with all the dough.

- Arrange them on a baking tray & refrigerate them for 15mins - 20mins.

- Now bake them for 17mins - 20mins @350 degrees.

- Remove them and allow them to cool on the counter & store them in a air tight container.

- Red Velvet Cookies are ready to enjoy.

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Sending these yummy cookies to Lets cook sweet treats for Valentine hosted by Nayana Kanabar of Simply Food.

Sablé | Eggless French Butter Cookies

Sable are french short bread cookies. The word Sable means "sand" in french & represents how these cookies are soft & have a grainy outside.will melt in your mouth.These are travel friendly & are perfect to go snack. I made them eggless & they were buttery soft & you can never make a difference.

Prep Time-30mins | Cook Time-20mins| Yields 13 Cookies

Ingredients

1Cup all-purpose flour

1/4Cup icing sugar

4Tbs butter (@Room temperature)

1/2Tsp baking powder

1/2Tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1Tbs+1Tsp milk 

Directions

- Preheat oven @ 350 degrees. 

- In a bowl sift flour. To that add baking powder & salt. Keep the bowl aside.

- Take another bowl to that add sugar & butter. Beat them to smooth & creamy consistency. To that add vanilla extract & milk. Beat it for few minutes. 

- Now add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients & form a dough. 

- Using a rolling pin & roll the dough in to a flat layer. Using a cookie cutter cut them in a desired shape. Repeat the with all the dough.

- Arrange them on a baking tray & refrigerate them for 15mins - 20mins.

- Now bake them for 17mins - 20mins @350 degrees.

- Remove them and allow them to cool on the counter & store them in a air tight container.

Enjoy these buttery soft cookies as you like. I loved serving them along with tea & coffee as a dipping biscuits.

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Eggless Cashew Oatmeal Cookies

Yields 6 Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Steel cut oats 
1/4 Cup corn flour
1/4 Cup brown sugar + 2 Tsp fine sugar
1 Tbs milk (Adjust acc..)
1/2 Cup finely chopped cashew nuts
2 Tbs butter @ room temperature / olive oil 
1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp vanilla essence 

- Pre-heat oven @350 degrees & set your cookie try with parchment paper. Keep aside & continue with batter mixing.
- In a bowl sift oatmeal & corn flour.To that add cashew, sugar & baking powder. 
- In another bowl mix milk, sugar, vanilla essence & butter, beat them to soft & smooth consistency. 
- Mix the dry & wet ingredients. Divide the cookie dough into 6 equal balls. 
- Arrange them on cookie tray & pat them to get round shape. Repeat the same with rest. 
- Bake them for 15mins for a chewy texture & a 10mins more for crunchy texture. 
- Remove from oven & allow them cool on counter before serving. 
* Serve them with milk.

Check my other friends who are participating in Blogging Marathon #36.