Classic Croissants~ Now you can bake them at home!

I read this somewhere, "You will never know when you eat a croissant, the hard work to create it, but only when you make your own!"

I admit the fact, "making croissants is not very difficult",  as Aparna had mentioned in her introductory part before opening her recipe choice of #2 We Knead to Bake at the start of the month! As she says, "it takes some time, a lot of attention to detail, tremendous patience, a lot of rolling out dough, ensuring everything is cold...".

Let me add my point here!
Classic Croissants are challenging to work with. Once you tame the creativity part, it's crazily addictive!

I don't really remember where I tasted croissants first, but I fell in love with the delicate flavour and taste whenever my teeth digged into them. My pure-vegetarian-children l.o.v.e and literally survived on croissants during most of our trips abroad as they could be tucked in their back packs comfortably, serving them a light or a heavy meal whenever needed!
I was aware of the fact that they would compare my final product with the best croissants they probably had in Paris, but nothing could stop me from trying them out!


 Well, this exotic bread demands three days to work with. Please do not be apprehensive :) , it is not more than 15 minutes for Day 1, 15 minutes reserved for Day 2 ( the rest of time goes for chilling the dough in between) and shaping and baking on Day 3 which is pure fun that you wont realise the time flying working with it!

 

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Milk to Butter - a stepwise tutorial journey!

    Homemade Butter.
     Doesn't that sound good?

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Whole Wheat Almond Eggless Cookies

S imple, crunchy, flavorful and addictively delicious is an understatement for these cookies you see here. Tight hugs to Sweet Punch team for the wonderful choice!

Take my words, bake them and you will never regret munching on this very much 'Indianish' Cookies!

Recipe Source- Manjula's Kitchen

Ingredients (to make 24 cookies)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder, ground coarsely 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tablespoons or 4oz)
• About 2 tablespoons of milk or as needed

Method 

1. Pre heat the oven to 360 degree F.
2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt, sliced almonds and cardamom powder well.
3. Next add soft butter and milk to the flour mixture to make dough. Dough should be very soft.
4. Divide the dough into about 24 equal parts and make them into balls.
5. Press each ball between your palms lightly; every piece should be about 1/2” in thickness.
6. Place the dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about inch a part.
7. Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown.
8. After they are done remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Let the cookies cool down for two to three minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet.

The pic up is the 2nd batch of cookies baked with a higher temp and deliberately over browned. They were crunchier and tastier :)

            The changes made from the original recipe:-

            1. No added milk.The homemade butter was soft enough and dint call for the milk. On the contrary the dough was sticky and I had to knead in 2 tbsps of wheat flour to make it right.

            2. Used half cup,scant, granulated sugar, which was powdered and kneaded in. Still the cookies were towards the sweeter side. 1/4 cup sugar will be ideal for a cup of heaped flour, coz I prefer my cookies less sweet! (The original recipe calls for fine granulated sugar)
          
             3. The oven temp was set to 210 C (a high temp for anyone but not to my old fashioned conv one :)) and the baking time needed was 15-18 minutes, the edges have browned but the cookies tasted great that way.The original recipe says 180 C for 18 min. So the baking time varies according to the temp and type of oven you use.

            4. I made 36 cookies inspite of the changes and will be baking this again and again and again unlike Manjula who does just once in the video ;)

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