Well it is Lockdown day 12 I guess, of the Corona era and in between actually baking and cooking, I also thankfully discovered recipes that I had created earlier for the Kitchen Aid Stand mixer brand. So what better time to pull those out of the woodwork and dump them on my blog, right?

So this lovely bread was conceptualized when I was doing a lot of wholegrain baking and the family had started to get whiny about the excessive ‘healthy food’ that was being foisted on them.

So I realized that I had to be clever and sneak in whole grain in a camouflaged form. So I did some quick thinking and I managed to get it so well disguised, that it was actually in a liquid state!!! How, you may ask?

Well years of sneaking in foods that are disliked, makes one an expert at being underhand.

I had a flash of brilliance when I realized that I could use ragi milk instead of dairy milk in my breads and ta daa, there was the presence of the healthy grain in a bread that was made of lighter flours like refined flour (maida). Of course I did use a portion of whole wheat too for the conscience and the fiber.

To the dough I also added some moringa leaf (drumstick leaf) powder, which is considered a superfood and I also swirled the loaf with some more moringa.

So read on for my ‘clever’ recipe which the family loved, without realizing the presence of millet in the bread. And it is vegan, other than the egg wash on top which one can easily eliminate.

Time – approximately 2 hr 30 min from start to finish

Makes – One 12x4x2.5 inch loaf  or also 9x5x3 inch loaf.

Equipment used –

Kitchen Aid Bowl Lift Stand Mixer

Kitchen Aid Professional Grade Loaf Pan 12x4x2.5 inches

You can hand knead it just as easily and use any shape of pan or even bake a free form bread.

– INGREDIENTS:

For the dough

1 – All-purpose flour (maida) – 200 gm

2 – Whole Wheat flour (any brand atta) – 100 gm

3 – Instant Yeast – 1  teaspoon

4 –  Jaggery – 1 tablespoon

5 –  Salt – 1 teaspoon

6 –  Olive oil (or any neutral oil) – 4 tablespoon

7 –  Ragi Milk – 190 gm (approx. 1 cup – see Note 1)

8 – Moringa powder – 1 teaspoon

9 – Oil (for coating the dough) – 1 teaspoon

Ingredients for filling – (filling is optional)

Moringa powder – 1-2 teaspoon

Ragi residue (see Note 2)   – 1 tablespoon

Oil – 2 teaspoon

Ingredients for greasing the pan and topping –

– Oil (any neutral type. I used Sunflower oil) – 2 teaspoon

– Egg (lightly beaten) – 1/2 (omit if vegan and brush with water)

– Ragi residue – 1 tablespoon (topping is optional)

METHOD:

– In the bowl of the  Kitchen Aid Bowl Lift Stand Mixer, add the  ingredients 3-8. Mix the ingredients together with a spatula.

– Add the flours (1 and 2)

– Run the mixer for around 2 minutes starting from speed 1 for a minute and ending with speed 2 till the wet and dry ingredients come together.

– Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides with the spatula.

– Run the mixer for a total of 6-7 minutes, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides with a silicon spatula.

– When the dough comes together into a smooth, cohesive mass, gather it out of the bowl

– If you are not using a stand mixer, follow the same process and knead with your hands.

– Shape the dough with your hands into a round ball and place it in the same bowl. Coat the dough with 1 – 2 teaspoon oil. Cover the bowl with its own lid. Keep the bowl in a warm place till it doubles approx. 1 hour

– Gently deflate the dough and roll it into a rectangle 12 x 6 inches (or match it to the length of your baking tin).

– Brush oil on the entire surface and sprinkle the moringa powder and ragi residue, to create the filling (Omit this step if not using any filling).

– Roll up the dough gently.

– Grease the Loaf pan with 2 teaspoons of oil and place the dough log into it, seam side down. I always use parchment paper to line the base.

– Cover the pan loosely with cling film. Keep in a warm place for 30 min or until it rises to the rim of the pan (approx. 30 min)

– Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius (or 250 if your oven permits)

– Brush the top of the dough lightly with the beaten egg (or water for vegan), using a silicon brush.

– Sprinkle the ragi topping evenly (if using)

– Place the loaf pan in the pre heated oven.

– Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C after 10 minutes or after the top of the loaf gets brownish

– Bake for another 25 – 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

– Remove and invert immediately onto a wire rack to cool.

– Slice only after it cools completely to room temperature.

Note 1 – Ragi milk – Soak ½ cup of ragi grains overnight. Drain and keep in a covered vessel for another 8 hours till it starts sprouting. Grind with 1 cup of water to a fine paste. Squeeze the paste through a fine nylon or muslin strainer to obtain 1 cup of thick milk (the remaining ragi residue can be ground again with 2 cups of water to obtain thin milk to be used in any other recipe).

See also this link to making ragi milk.

Note 2 – The ragi residue obtained in Note 1, is used for topping the bread. It can be sun dried and stored or kept frozen for future use.

I hope you will successfully try this recipe and I would really appreciate if you leave your feedback in the Blog comments.

Also catch me on My Facebook, My Facebook page, My Twitter and My Instagram

Apr 5th, 2020