Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza....

Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza... 

I call it "Quick Fix Pizza"... 

When my friend called me, it was 7:30 pm in the evening. Uncle (her father) wanted to visit us. I had already planned to invite him over dinner, so then I decided why not today itself... My initial though was to order food from out, but my friend said that since children wanted to have Pizza Burger, we would order the burger pizzas from out, but from the time I have started baking, I hate to order pizzas from out... But to make the Burger Pizzas, first I have to bake the burger buns and then make the pizza.. It was already 8:30 pm.

 So tried some tricks to save some time on baking the burger bread and then to make the pizza burgers on time for the children to enjoy. I did save some time, but for the children to enjoy was bit delayed... 

    Let's see how to proof the bread dough in a warm oven to save the time for baking, especially when the kneading time is also reduced. 

You need a warm place for the yeast to rise quickly when you are lacking time... This method some what solves the problem.

Let's see the recipe......

Since I made Vegetarian Pizza burger and Pizza, I used lots of vegetables cut into small cubes..... 

Onion, Green - Yellow - Red Capsicums, Mushrooms, Baby Corns, Green - Black Olives, Pickled Red Chilli sliced, Pickled Gherkins and Tomatoes too. (Which I missed)

1 block of Pizza Cheese or 50:50 Cheddar Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese 

Pizza sauce 

Sprinkle of Dry Oregano and Chilli flakes.. 

2 tbsp Milk, 1 tbsp Oil and 1/2 tsp Honey for the wash

(Keep all the above ingredients ready while proofing the bread.)

For a Quick Pizza Sauce.....

Ingredients

6 Ripe Tomatoes cut into cubes 

6 big size Garlic pod chopped

1 big size Onion chopped 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Dry Mix Herbs or Fresh Basil Leaves chopped 

1 tsp Pepper powder 

1 cup Tomato purée

2 tbsp Olive oil

Method

In a wok, add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, add the onions. Sauté till translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, salt, pepper powder, sugar and mix herbs, stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Keep it aside.

For the Burger Buns.....

Ingredients 

500 grams Flour ( Whole Wheat + All Purpose Flour ) 

                                      60          :           40 

2  and 1/4 tsp Dry Yeast or 1 Dry Yeast Sachet  

1/2 cup + 1 1/4 cups Luke Warm water 

2 tbsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

3 tbsp Olive oil 

Sprinkle of Dry Oregano (optional) 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix it. Take 1/2 cup lukewarm water, add sugar and mix it. Add the yeast, stir and dissolve the yeast in the water and let it stand for 10 minutes to rise. 

( This is the first step... Very very important... The yeast has to rise. )

Make a well in between the centre of the flour. Add the yeast water, 1 1/4 cup water and 1tbsp of oil in the centre of the flour. Mix it with a wooden spoon. Lightly knead it for 2 minutes. The dough is bit sticky at this stage.. ( if you feel the dough is very sticky, then sprinkle some flour and knead it. ) Add 1/2 tbsp oil and continue kneading for minute. Add 1/2 tbsp oil again and continue kneading for another minute. 

( Instead of 10 minutes, I kneaded it for just 4 minutes. Saved 6 minutes.) 

Now apply the remaining oil on the dough, cover the bowl, wrap the bowl with a napkin and keep it in the oven at 60 to 70 degrees Celsius.. (The oven has to be warm and not hot.) keep an eye on the bowl. After 3 to 4 minutes please feel the bowl.. If it has become hot.. Remove it from the oven and keep it out till it cools down. Keep it back in the oven. In 30 to 40 minutes the dough will rise. 

 ( Saves almost 30 minutes of stage 1 proofing time ) 

Remove the bowl from the oven. Punch the dough and knead it for a minute. Make 9 equal portions of the dough ( 100 grams of each portion ) the remaining dough would be made into hand made flat bread Pizza.. Grease a baking tray. Take a portion, to make the burger bun, push the dough from in between the thumb and index finger. It will form a ball. Now gently roll the ball with the help of the palms. Place the rolled dough on the baking tray. With the help of the fingers, lightly flatten the ball. Repeat the process. Keep the dough balls at a distance from one another. Cover it with a napkin and keep it in the oven for 20 minutes for rising at 60 to 70 degrees celcius. Now take the tray out of the oven, remove the napkin. Increase the oven temperature to 190 degrees celcius. Keep the oven for preheating. Meanwhile apply the milk wash on the buns. Sprinkle dry oregano on the buns (optional). Bake the buns for 10 minutes. Remove and apply another milk wash. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove again and apply the last milk wash. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until brown in colour. Remove it out from the oven. Brush in oil on the buns. Remove the buns from the tray and cool it.

To make the Hand made Flat Bread Pizza........

In between baking the buns.. Grease another baking tray. Take the remain dough, stretch it with your palms and spread the dough uniformly on the tray and cover up the tray completely. Grate the cheese over the dough. Apply the pizza sauce. Arrange all the cubed vegetables, olives and pickled vegetables. Put some more grated cheese on top. As the buns are ready, increase the oven temperature to 200 degrees celcius and bake the pizza for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread has become brown. Take it out from the oven and keep it for 10 minutes before cutting the pizza.

To make the Burger Pizza......

Take the burger buns and cut the buns horizontally. Take a baking tray. Place the lower portion of the buns on the tray. Put the grated cheese, then put a tbsp of the pizza sauce, put the all the vegetables one after the other. Finally put some more grated cheese. Bake the buns at 190 degrees celcius for 10 minutes or  till the cheese has melted. Take the. Tray out from the oven, place the top portion of the buns on the cheese. Put the tray back into the oven and back it for 10 minutes more. Remove the tray and serve it hot..... 

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

In and around Kolkatta there are many Punjabi roadside dhabas. Tadka dal is one of the very famous dish found in those dhabas. As a child every time, I visited Kolkatta, I would make it a point to eat this dal made by my Masi ( Aunty ) at her house.  Dal Tadka made with yellow lentils is otherwise available everywhere in India, but Tadka dal made with whole green gram / moong dal and the way it is prepared is only available in Kolkatta and it's surroundings. Egg or Chicken or Mutton is added to it. It can be vegetarian too. It is eaten with hot phulkas / Roti. There are many ways of making it. The eggs can be scrambled and added later or the egg can be dropped on the tadka at the end and simmered till the eggs are cooked. 

This is one of the way of making it. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Moong Dal washed soaked and boiled 

2 Eggs 

1 medium Onion chopped 

1 medium Tomato chopped 

6 Garlic cloves minced 

1 small piece Ginger minced 

3 Green Chilli minced 

1/2 tsp Turmeric 

1/2 tsp Coriander 

1/2 tsp Cumin 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Kasuri Methi 

1/2 tbsp Butter 

2 tbsp Oil 

For Garnishing 

Few Ginger juliennes 

1 Green Chilli slit 

Few Coriander leaves

 Method 

Take a deep bottom pot or lagan. Add oil and heat it. Add the garlic minced, sauté it for a minute. Add ginger minced and  chopped onion. Fry it till light golden brown in colour. Add the green chilli minced, stir it. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add salt and 4 tbsp water, stir and cook till the tomatoes have become mushy. Now break the eggs into the pot and stir it for 2 minutes till the eggs have cooked. Add the boiled dal. Stir fry it well for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and stir it.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder, Kasuri methi and butter. Stir it. Garnish it with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and green chilli. Serve it hot with hot rotis... 

P. S. You can have a dry version or add more water as per you requirement.

Macher Roast / Fish Roast

Marcher Roast / Fish Roast 

This recipe is adapted from the book "Thakur Barir Ranna". I have recreated this recipe by adding whole garam masala and green chillies and made it as per my convenience... It is a semi dry dish. This is a very simple and easy to make dish. Even though there are no spice powder added in the recipe , yet it is so tasty.  It can be eaten with hot steamed rice.

 Ingredients 

3 Whole Tilapia Fish cleaned 

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Chilli paste 

1 Onion made into paste 

4 Green Chillies slited 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tbsp Sugar

1 Bay Leaf

Whole Garam Masala crushed  (2 Cloves, 5 Pepper Corn, 2 Cardamom and 1 small stick Cinnamon)

2 to 3 tbsp White Vinegar or Curd 

3 to 4 tbsp Ghee 

Method

Marinate the fish with onion paste, ginger - garlic - chilli paste, salt and vinegar for about an hour. Take a flat bottom pan, add the ghee. Let it melt, add the whole garam masala and the bay leaf. Sauté it for few seconds till the garam masala crackles. Add the fish pieces into the pan, fry it till light brown in colour on both the sides. Remove it from the pan and keep it aside. Add the remaining marination into the pan, sauté it till light brown in colour. Add the green chillies and sugar, sauté it for a minute more. Add 3/4 cup of water and let it simmer till the gravy reduces a bit. Adjust the salt, stir it and add the fish. Cover and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Open the cover and turn the fish gently. Cook for a minute more. Serve it with hot steaming rice. 

Pholkopir Barfi / Kabishambardhana Barfi / Cauliflower Barfi

Pholkopir Barfi / Kabishambardhana Barfi  / Cauliflower Barfi

This sweet dish is one of the favourite sweet cooked in Jorasanko, where the great poet Rabindranath Thakur resided. This dish was invented by his neice on his 50th birthday. This sweet dish is not found any where in the shops. You have to make it to enjoy it. Cauliflower is ground and made in to a barfi. In eairler days it was ground on shilbatta.. but now a days grinders have taken over the kitchen.

Ingredients

250 grams or a small Cauliflower remove the stem and cut into medium size florets around 6 to 7 florets

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Khoya crumbs

5 to 6 tbsp Sugar or more as per the sweetness required

Pinch of Salt

1/4 tsp Cardomom powder

1 tbsp Almonds chopped

1 tbsp Raisins

Few Saffron Strands

2 tbsp hot Milk

2 tbsp Ghee

Method

Soak the saffron in hot milk and keep it aside. Take a pot and boil the cauliflower florets in water till It is cooked. Remove and drain the water out completely. Let it cool. Make a coarse paste of it in a grinder without adding any water to it. The paste should be around a cup. In a wok, heat the  ghee. Add the cauliflower paste. Stir it on low heat and stirring it continuously cook it for 5 minutes. Add sugar and 1/2 cup khoya. Keep stirring it till the sugar has dissolve and the khoya has melted. Add the saffron milk, cardomom powder, salt, half of almond chopped and raisins. Stir and cook till the mixture has incorporated well and semi dried up. To check, take a pinch of the mixture and roll it with your fingers, it should form a ball. Grease a plate. Pour the mixture into the plate. Spread it out. It should be 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Garnish it with remaining almonds, raisins and a tbsp of khoya. Let it set till it cools completely. Cut it into square pieces and enjoy it. 

Challah Bread

Challah Bread

The name challah may originally have indicated roundness ("circle") and then also came to denote hollowness ("space") or vice versa. The bread was originally called Yachov in Hebrew, since it was baked in the form of a round loaf. It is also now known as cholla bread. Yiddish communities in different regions of Europe called the bread khale, berkhes or barches, bukhte, dacher, kitke, koylatch or koilitsh, or shtritsl. Some of these names are still in use today, such as kitke in South Africa. Most traditional Ashkenazi challah recipes use numerous eggs, fine white flour, water, sugar, yeast, and salt, but "water challah" made without eggs also exists. Modern recipes may replace white flour with whole wheat and oat or sugar with honey or molasses. Among Sephardic Jews, water challah is preferred for ritual purposes because Sephardic minhag does not require the Mitzvah of Challah if the dough contains eggs or sugar. While breads very similar to Ashkenazi egg challah are found in Sephardic cuisine, they are typically not referred to as challah but considered variants of regional breads like çörek, that are eaten by Jews and non-Jews alike.

Egg challot sometimes also contain raisins and/or saffron. After the first rising, the dough is rolled into rope-shaped pieces which are braided, though local (hands in Lithuania, fish or hands in Tunisia) and seasonal (round, sometimes with a bird's head in the center) varieties also exist. Poppy or sesame (Ashkenazi) and anise or sesame (Sephardic) seeds may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top. Both egg and water challah are usually brushed with an egg wash before baking to add a golden sheen. According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late afternoon) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread. This "double loaf" commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt according to Jewish religious belief. The manna did not fall on Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before the holiday or sabbath. Each single loaf is sometimes woven with six strands. Together, both loaves have twelve which is associated with the 12 Loaves of the Showbread offering which was displayed in the Holy Temple (in Jerusalem)- on the "Table", each loaf represent a tribe of Israel. Other numbers of strands commonly used are three, five and seven. Occasionally twelve are used, referred to as a "Twelve Tribes" challah.

(Net Source )

Here I have replaced water with milk. 

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Sugar

3/4 cup Lukewarm Milk 

1 tsp Dry Yeast

Salt to taste 

2 Eggs, beaten

1/4 cup Oil

Egg wash (1 Egg + 1 tbsp Water)

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

Method

Mix the yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar in the lukewarm water. Keep it aside until it rises. Add the eggs in the yeast water and mix it thoroughly. In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, flour, and salt. Mix it with a wooden spoon and pour in the yeast mixture and oil. Stir until the dough starts to come together, then knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is soft and stretchable. Sprinkle some flour and apply some oil on the palm as the dough may be little sticky while kneading. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Grease a baking sheet. Take the dough, punch it. Knead it for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 portions. Weight each portion, so it is divided equally approximately 125 grams. Take a portion and roll it into a long rope.  Repeat it with the other portions. Arrange the dough ropes in a line. Pinch the top of the ropes together and start braiding the ropes together. As the braiding is done, pinch the end so that it does not open up. Place it on the baking sheet, cover, and let it rise. As the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds and bake for 30- 35 minutes, or until the challah is golden brown.