@Saregama, Did I miss your birthday? 
if I did!
Thanks @rooster - it was early in the summer, don’t think you missed it then!
No, this was for a long-distance birthday celebration for my far-away sibling (we ate brownies here, there was different cake there - I forced them to bake our now-family-standard chocolate ganache cake, lol).
Now that’s a stunner!!
Misfits Market sent a very large zucchini this week so I tried a bread recipe from Smitten Kitchen before the zuke went south.
We are still making our way through the focaccia and this recipe is supposed to freeze well after an overnight on the counter to firm up.
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I forgot to write up my baguette experiment - turned out pretty well for a first try.
Changes I’d make next time - longer / fridge rise, bake with steam for longer for crust development.
Great chew and texture, just a bit denser than I wanted.
Last night I also made some indian dinner rolls on a whim - called Pav or Pao (from the Portuguese), yeasty and soft.
These would be store-bought, not made at home - either you get them from the bakery (baked twice a day, early morning before breakfast, and late afternoon for dinner) or a “bread man” - “paowalla” - would deliver them directly home, along with Pullman-style loaves that he would hand-slice at the door.
I wanted them in combination with a curry we had for dinner, and even for a speed-risen bread (1.5h start to finish) they were quite good. I’ll be trying them again - with more advance planning and patience 
.
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Looks delicious. Which recipes did you use? Recommend?
Next project - I’m making papad - my favorite kind to start, which are the tapioca kind that puff up and double in size when they’re fried.
I made the batter and spread it last night - they have to dry out completely now.
Pretty fun. There’s a rice version I’m going to try next, for kicks.
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I looked at KAF and a few others, then ended up just using the NKB recipe with slightly less hydration for a stiffer dough as @biondanonima suggested above. Traditional recipes have a rise and fold 3-4 times… maybe I’ll do that when I have time during the day sometime.
The baking trip-up was from a fresh loaf contributor who said to only steam-bake for 7 mins - the crust wasn’t good enough. (That was remedied with leftovers because I rinsed the outside and reheated, so the crust was perfect.)
The Pao recipe is similar to AlexandraCooks and other quick-rise breads - half recipe / 6 rolls fit in the loaf pan:
1.5c flour
1t yeast
1/2t salt
1t sugar
1T oil or melted butter (inside dough)
about 3/4c liquid (started with 1/2c milk and added enough water to get to a medium-soft dough, which was almost another 1/4c)
- First rise 1-2h till doubled
- Knead a bit, divide into rolls, place into loaf pan leaving a bit of space for expansion
- Second rise 30-45 mins till they puff up and join
- Bake at 400F for 12-14 mins, broil for 2m to brown the tops
- Brush with melted butter to soften the tops (optional)
On the Pao I’m going to try less yeast and a slow rise, and the milk was unnecessary imo, they were too rich/heavy vs what they’re trying to replicate.
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I started trying oat milk instead of cows milk because its lighter. The brioche rolls I made upthread were incredibly light and buttery.
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We have almond milk and pea milk, I’ll try.
Though I may use water first as I’m sure the cheapie bakeries in Bombay are not using anything else for everyday bread
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Dehydrated and fried - all gone already 
This batch was flavored with just cumin and chilli flakes.
Trying a different regional version of papad now, called khichya or khichiya, typically rice flour based but I’m using nachni (ragi/finger millet) flour, which is a fun purple color in addition to being very nutritious and also very tasty. I bought this type from village women selling homemade foods at a fair a few years ago and absolutely loved them! I’ve flavored this lot with ginger, homegrown serrano chilli, cumin, and red chilli flakes.
There are a few more of these, which means I may get more than a couple myself (my own fault for experimenting small in a full size household ).
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I’m impatiently waiting for these sourdoughs to cool so I can taste them! 40% freshly milled wheat (khorasan, rye, spelt, red wheat, purple barley) and 75% hydration.
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And 100% effective!
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My square loaf pan arrived! Now I can experiment with baby loaves instead of wasting flour (or having to eat through less successful experiments myself…)
Today’s Pullman experiment - no-knead dough with a fridge rest overnight and two rises (by mistake). Covered pan, two-temp bake courtesy a Japanese blog I chanced upon when I was looking for what temp and time for a small square loaf. Stuck with water and no fat in this dough, trying to recreate a texture and flavor that didn’t match the last Pullman attempt that had both.
The color is too light, but the bread is shockingly almost exactly what I was going for - the soft, sliced sandwich bread the aforementioned bread man brings to a door that’s too far away at the moment…
I’m soooooooooooo happy! This might be the happiest-making bread yet 
Of course now that I baked only a tiny loaf I’m sure it will be gone by tomorrow
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Made goat cheese herb babka, my first babka! Creamy and quite light. I’ll do it again, will let the dough (with cheese) rest longer than the initial 1/2 hour suggested in the recipe after it had been in the freezer. I think putting the dough in the freezer helped to shape easier, but I wonder if I can skip this?
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Congrats! The texture looked right! Maybe switch to a higher temperature for the last few minute to colour the bread?
Thanks @naf. This recipe called for 200C for 8 mins and then 220c for 27 mins. I think the issue might have been the mistaken extra rise in the bowl after the fridge - if the dough had just had a second rise in the tin, it would have been to the top and touching the lid.
Color is only an aesthetic - the softer, unbrowned crust makes more sense for what I like it for - sandwiches (and toast, but there it really doesn’t matter).
Holy cow that looks stunning!
And I’d never heard of savory babkas… now I want one!
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