PRODUCT REVIEW: RAWLEAF.IN

For when you're trying to be healthy but are also very lazy

I can't get over how well the city of butter chicken with butter naan is adapting to the healthy eating zeitgeist. My latest low cal discovery is Rawleaf, a service that allows you to order individual or family packs of fresh salads online. Rawleaf promises that their salads are made of fresh, pesticide free produce that has been harvested less than 48 hours in advance of being in your box. The individual packs are great for a working lunch and the family packs would make an ideal side for when you have company over.

 

Their portions are generous and the revolving menu makes sure you don't get bored. I really like the Ceaser and Hawaiian Salads and am looking forward to trying the Kale Grapefruit and Nicoise Salads. I'm very fussy about salad dressings - the dressing has to marry the flavors of the various fruits, vegetables and salad leaves without overwhelming any one of them. Also, nothing irritates me more than people being stingy with the dressing. You need to give enough to evenly coat the salad without leaving it dry or letting it get too sludgy. Rawleaf gets these proportions just right.

 

Packing and Paraphernalia

 

While the packaging is perfect, their delivery logistics are cumbersome. You have to order before noon to get delivery on the same day and even then the delivery can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. It's a pain to try to get your order in every morning and it might be best to call them and set up a regular arrangement with them.

 

Find them at (http://www.rawleaf.in/)

BROCCOLI STALK AND APPLE SOUP

“An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.” ― H.L. Mencken

 

A lovely friend invited a small bunch of us over for an incredible home cooked meal recently. With a small group of charming people, the comfort of home, delicious, hot, home cooked food on a lazy Sunday it was impossible not to have a great time. My reflections on why we need to entertain at home more often will be the subject of another post. This one focusses on part of a conversation where we all concurred that spending 5 years in a residential law school, specially one that was conveniently located an hour into the middle of nowhere with 300 barely adults is possibly one of most traumatic things that can happen to a sheltered 17 year old. 

 

Predictably each of us processed it differently, some buckled under, some buckled down and some lost the plot entirely. We found backbones, lost individual identities and each of us grew more than a little cynical. Now 5 years after I graduated, law school looks very, very different. By the time I was done I swore I'd never go back. I realize this petulance was superfluous, I can't ever go back anyway. Fortunately (or not) it's impossible to replicate the comic tragedy of being an undergraduate student. The now purely hypothetical question is would I go back if I had to do it all over again and I realize I wouldn't. 

 

Though I'm a lawyer now and can't imagine doing anything else at 17 I had a lot more imagination. I spent most of that formative phase learning things I didn't and still don't enjoy, at the cost of the many things I love that I now know little about and don't have the time or opportunity to pursue. The atmosphere that shaped a large part of my adult personality was one I didn't often understand and/or agree with and that's created a large part of me that I don't understand and/or agree with. When I'm caught in situations that remind me of this, usually office parties or meeting acquaintances from other law schools, I feel awkward, like I'm wearing a shirt that just doesn't fit right. 

 

I always thought I wouldn't be afraid to take chances but I realize I am. Figuring out what isn't working and to take the leap that'll fix it - it's much easier to do when you're watching Christina and Mer on your laptop. Not that I don't have some crazy, good memories, not that I was an utter failure in law school, not that the place didn't set me up with a life I mostly love. It's just that after 5 years I realize that in some ways the law school system (specially in the context of students that go on to join law firms) is a bit of a scam. The expectations, the lifestyle and the money isn't really real, these things don't really add up the way they said it would.  
 

Completely unlike this light, delicate Broccoli Stalk and Apple Soup that I had 3 helpings of the first time I made it and then made it again a week later. Healthy, nourishing and with just a slight undertone of sweet this is great soup for the hurting law graduate's soul. 

 

Serves 4

Adapted from Food 52

 What you’ll need:

1 large head of broccoli (cut off the florets and chop up the stalk)

3 apples (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
2 onions (sliced)
2 tbsp butter
6 cups vegetable/ chicken broth
Red chilli powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Oregano/Thyme/ Rosemary/ Parsley or whatever seasoning you prefer

How to:

1. Melt the butter and sauté the onions till brown and soft. Add the apples and stir some more.

2. Once the apples are a little softer add the broth and broccoli stalk. Bring the soup to a boil and then let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the some of the broccoli florets and cook some more (about 5 – 10 mins should do it). Season as you like.

4. Puree the mix and check the seasoning. Fix it as you need to and serve.

     

WORLD'S EASIEST COLD SOUP

“God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken.”
― Rachel Caine
 

I put this recipe together last year in July and kind of forgot about it. It's 42 degrees in Delhi today and everything I've written below is ringing true again so I think this is the right time to start talking about cold soups:
 

You may have noticed there haven't been many recipes up of late. I could give you a lot of reasonable answers - work's been hectic, a lot of old friends are in town this summer, I suck at time management. All these are true but none of them are really why I've been keeping away from the kitchen.

It's the weather.

I've never thought about the weather as much as I do in Delhi. Every season seems to be competing to debilitate you. Now that the scorching, dry heat of summer seems to have faded I'm drowning in what feels like 100% humidity. My hair has taken to doing a fantastic Lion King impression and even a couple of minutes out in the sauna that is this city leaves me crying for air conditioning. Or a de-humidifier. None of this is conducive to toiling before a stove. So here's a recipe that doesn't need you to.

Lovely, cool, minty cucumber soup that you can drink by the gallon in this icky. sticky heat.

 

Serves 2

Adapted from the NYTimes

 

What you’ll need:

1 large cucumber (peeled and cut into chunks)

1 cup yoghurt
Handful of mint leaves (stripped off the stalk)
Black pepper to taste
Juice from 1 lime lemon

How to:

1. Throw everything into a mixer and mix till it’s a paste. Add water or milk if you want the mix to be more watery.

2. If you want it really smooth you can pass the soup through a sieve but I really like the texture of the little bits of mint.

3. Chill and serve garnished with mint leaves.

  

So I was looking through my notes and saw that I've done a cucumber soup before (and forgotten all about it). If you want a variation of this soup or just want to laugh at one of the first posts I put up on this blog, you can take a look here. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, it's ridden with typos and frankly just embarrassing but I guess there's a little bit of pride on how far this blog has come. Maybe next year I'll get to be embarrassed by this post.

DEVILS ON HORSEBACK

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." Doug Larson

 

2014 is going to have to be a year of paring down. Not so much because I'm evolving to be less materialistic but because I realize the amount I've saved after 4 years of working is embarrassingly small. I have somehow managed to spend most of the last 4 years in a cubicle and all I have to show for it is a lot of mismatched junk jewelry and a vitamin D deficiency.

 

Since turning 27 without owning a single, saleable asset is absolutely shameful I'm going to try to mend my ways and be more frugal. This process will be difficult because I'm prone to be over the top with everything I'm involved in. I tend to get carried away. It's a personality type.

 

But from 2014 restraint and simplicity are going to be my watch words. I'm starting early with this incredible classic appetizer. I love the name, the perfect opposite of flavor profiles - sharply, salty bacon with sweet, rich prunes and the fact that you only need 2 ingredients. I dare you to eat just one.  

 

Serves 3

Adapted from Martha Stewart

 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

8 slices bacon

8 prunes

HOW TO:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Wrap the prunes with a strip of bacon. Secure with toothpick.

 

 

3. Dunk on to a baking tray and stick in the oven for 15 mins.

 

4. Flip it in the middle so the bacon cooks evenly.

RITU DALMIA'S PRAWNS WITH SPINACH, ALMONDS AND RAISINS

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." - Mark Twain

 

I've been thinking a lot about the word "appropriate" - it's a concept that means such different things to different people but is, at the same time, such damning criticism. The moment you say something is inappropriate, not only do you shoot that thing down but also bring into question the understanding and aptitude of the person behind it. To be inappropriate is to completely fail the context you're inhabiting.

 

There are some things though that are always appropriate, like a white shirt and blue jeans, solitaires, and this amazing dish of Prawns with Spinach, Almonds and Raisins. Perfectly balancing notes of raisin-y sweet with the crunch of almonds and the succulent bite of prawns. I'm in love with the ingredient pairing - you can pull this together easily but the result is so elegant and polished.

 

 

 Serves 3

Recipe adapted from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva

 

What you’ll need:

200 g prawns (clean)

½ kg spinach

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp garlic paste

Handful of raisins

Handful of almonds

Salt

Pepper

Squirt of lime juice

Pinch baking soda

 

For the marinade:

 

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp lime juice

Chopped Parsley/Cilantro

Salt

Pepper

 

How to:

 

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and dunk the prawns in there for a couple of hours.

 

2. Remove the stem off the spinach. Put a deep pan of water to boil with the baking soda and salt and throw the spinach in when the water hits a boil. Cool for a minute and drain.

 

3. Transfer the spinach into a bowl of ice cold water. Drain again and chop.

 

4. Put the olive oil into a pan, once hot add garlic and stir. When the garlic turns golden add the prawns and let cook. When you’re sure the prawns are done, remove from pan and throw in the raisins and almonds. After a couple of minutes pop the prawns and spinach back. Season with salt and pepper and stir the whole mixture together.

 

5. Serve hot with a dash of lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

 

RITU DALMIA'S BEETROOT RAITA

"Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments."

 Bethany Frankel

 

 

 

One day a friend and I were sharing a sandwich and discussing the small parts of our day that make us happy. I'm happy when I order good coffee in college, when I get paneer sandwiches for breakfast, when I sneak a Nirula's hot fudge sundae into my day (double scoop ice cream with extra fudge and extra nuts), when I get home and get to work on this blog and when I fall asleep by 10.

 

The really big things that go right sometimes seem too complex, too hard won, and too few to really count. It's the little freebies life throws me that delight me, the weather being perfect at brunch, a dreaded meeting being unexpectedly productive, diligences getting called off (okay that may be a big one), finding no traffic when you're running late to work. Tiny, everyday, gifts of fate that let you catch your breath.

 

This Beetroot Raita happened much the same way. I made Ritu Dalmia's Prawn Biryani, found it was to be accompanied by this raita, looked in the fridge and there they were! Two gnarly looking beetroots. I'd never worked with beetroot in any form before so this seemed like an appropriate baby step. And now I'm in love. This raita will take you less than 10 minutes to make, the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find, the sweet and tang of the gentle beet and yoghurt combination is delicious - the brilliant fuschia color is just a bonus you didn't even need to earn.  

 

Serves 2

Recipe adapted from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva

 

What you’ll need:

½ cup beetroot (peeled and cubed)

2 cups yoghurt

Salt

2 tsp cooling oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Handful of curry leaves

Couple of dry chillies

 

How to:
 

1. Puree the beetroot and yoghurt adding a little water if necessary. Mix in salt.

 2. Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies when the oil is hot. Fry till the mustard seeds start to crackle. Turn off the heat and drizzle on to the yoghurt mixture.

RITU DALMIA'S PRAWN BIRYANI

“After a full belly all is poetry.”

Frank McCourt

The ingredients

I'm so fascinated by the term "frenemies." It's hardly new but I'm still fascinated - it so perfectly describes my relationship with so many acquaintances I love to hate. I'm not being mean. I'm pretty much completely certain they loathe me back. It's just that context, some expectation of benefit, shared experiences like college or school compel us to keep in touch and stay in each other's lives. To some extent this is unavoidable but with time and more real obligations, pressures I feel I'll need to cut a large swathe of them out of my social circle.

Everyday I find myself becoming more tense and with less and less time I can call my own. So much like the cheap, rexine handbag I bought from Janpath in third year of law school for INR 200 I realize perhaps these bits and baubles from my past aren't going to cut it in my present. Why invest more time and effort trying to patch these failing relationships when I can invest in the ones that work?

Unlike the recipe for this satisfying, lively Prawn Biryani from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva. I love rice, I love prawns, I love this happy, yellow color - why not smash it all together in this sunny celebration? I know this recipe works because my brother polished it off all by himself in a day - eating it for all 3 meals. Little brothers don't lie about things that go right.

I've added more spice to my version, you can also add some more prawn if you like. You can also skip the turmeric, but if you do then roast the rice till it's a richer brown color at step 3.

 

Serves 3

Recipe adapted from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva

 

What you’ll need:

1 cup basmati rice

100 g prawn (deveined)

2 onions (sliced)

4 -5 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

2 -3 dry red chillies

2 -4 cardamom

2 -4 cloves

1 dry bay leaf

Pinch of red chilli powder

Pinch of turmeric (as much as you need to get the color you want) (optional)

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 -2 limes

Handful of chopped coriander/mint
 

How to:
 

1. Soak the rice in water for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat oil and fry the whole red chillies, onion, ginger and garlic till the onions sweat and lose color. Add the bay leaves, cardamom and cloves, fry till fragrant – about a couple of minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir it around the pan till it browns slightly and is nicely coated in the spices.

4. Add 2 cups of water, turmeric, chilli powder, coconut milk, salt and some of the coriander leaves. Cook till the rice is soft but not completely cooked.

5. Add the prawns and lime juice. Cover the pan and cook till the rice and prawns are done.

Note: Prawns cook super quickly and you don’t want them to end up dry and rubbery so check in on them often.

 6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Beetroot Raita.

 

 

PRODUCT REVIEW: BAMBINO READYMADE IDLI MIX

 This idli experiment was unplanned - one Sunday afternoon my brother and I were foraging around the kitchen for a snack and discovered we were out of Maggi. This turned out to be a blessing because I wouldn't have tried using this mix otherwise.

 

I can't in good conscience not mention that I would have liked the idlis to be a little softer but they're hot, quick and easy to put together and require minimal prep and ingredients. With some yoghurt and lemon juice you'll be able to whip up a batch in under 30 minutes. The best part is the ingredient list contains no artificial coloring, preservatives or other nasties.

 

Recipe from the Bambino packet

What you’ll need:
 

 

1 portion Bambino Rava Idli mixture

1 ½ portions yoghurt

Juice of ½ lime

1 -2 green chillis (chopped)

Handful of chopped cilantro leaves

 

How to :

 

Basically follow the packet instructions, but after making 2 batches this is how I figured to do it:

 

1. Add the lime juice to the yoghurt and let the yoghurt sour for 10 – 15 minutes.

 

2. Add the idli mix and stir well. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. The mix will fluff up and start to bubble gently as follows:

 

 

Note: I was worried that the mix might become lumpy but it actually stirs up into a smooth paste quite easily.

 

3. Add cilantro leaves and chillies to the batter.

 

4. Pull out your idli stand and brush down the little idli cups with some vegetable oil. Spoon in the batter and put the stand into a pressure cooker with about 2 ½ cups of water in it.

 

Note: Make sure the last rung of your idli stand is well above the water because when you shut the pressure cooker, the water will boil and bubble up. You don’t want it to mix with the idli batter – you’ll end up with a lot of sludge.

5. Take the whistling thing off the top of your pressure cooker and shut it. Let cook for about 10 – 15 minutes or till you think the water has all escaped as steam.

 

6. Pop the idlis out of the cups and serve with chutney.

 

 

CUCUMBER FETA OPEN SANDWICHES & HOW TO PLAN YOUR MOVIE NIGHT

“I am a better person when I have less on my plate.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

 

 

 Some things to keep in mind when putting together your movie night plans:

 

1. Prep all the food and set it out at the beginning, people can walk around and serve themselves when they feel like it.

  

2. You can never have enough popcorn! Or cola!

 

3. Make sure the DVD runs in advance. Just in case, keep a back up ready if you experience technical difficulties.

 

4. Keep a lot of tissues around, if you're serving finger food, you don't want blotchy finger prints on your stuff.

 

5. With TV screens... Size does matter.

 

The most important thing though is to keep the food uncomplicated. This cucumber, feta open sandwich is a perfect, light, delicate sandwich packed with the tang of feta and the crunch and crisp of cucumber.

 

Adapted from Martha Stewart

 

What you’ll need:

Cucumber slices

Feta

Slices of Baguette

Salt and Pepper to taste

How to:

Crumble feta on to a slice of baguette, layer cucumber on top and season with salt and pepper.

FILLING EGG SANDWICHES

Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

- Fran Lebowitz

 

When I started this blog, I looked at a bunch of awesome food blogs and thought "oh well that looks easy, how hard can it be if every second person has a food or design blog these days?" I was pretty much totally wrong but I'm used to that. I just spent the last 5 and a half hours fixing the formatting on my previous posts. I realize I don't have the technical ability to make this blog really pretty but I'd prefer if it was atleast uniformly ugly. Yup. That's me, setting high goals for myself.

 

So anyway, 5 and a half hours, first fixing the formatting (I hate text which is not justified, left/right align drives me nuts), then realizing how many typos there were (so embarrassing!), and finally attributing my recipes to the right sources. 5 and a half hours spent on making sure this webpage does not completely suck. Phew.

 

For gargantuan tasks like not completely sucking in life you need hearty, filling food to keep your energy levels high. This classic egg sandwich is creamy and comforting but not so heavy that you'll need a nap after. It's perfect for when you're running low on time and need to fix yourself something easy and substantial. Like most of my favourite recipes, feel free to add or remove whatever you like. Off the top of my head I would think tomato, tobasco or bacon would make great additions.
 

Makes 2 sandwiches

Recipe my own

What you’ll need:

 

4 slices toasted brown bread

2 tbsp butter (for spreading on the bread)

3 hard boiled eggs

¼ cup mayonnaise (I’ve taken to using a low fat mayo these days)

Handful of Cilantro/ Parsley/ Chives if you have some on hand

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt and pepper to taste

 

How to:

1. Butter the bread and set aside.

 

Note: The bread is going to have to be toasted or it won’t be able to hold up the heavy filling and will fall apart in your hands.

 

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and make a nice mash of it. Leave it chunky or make a smooth paste as you prefer.

 

3. Slather on the egg mix and make your sandwiches. Serve with a bowl of soup or salad.

 

 

CLEAN POTATO SALAD

Only a fool argues with a skunk or a mule or a cook.

- Cowboy saying

 

 

 

I went through a hectic phase recently where all my friends suddenly decided to make plans and throw parties. Simultaneously I got staffed on a difficult, new transaction and a personal project of mine started to reach fruition. For a few weeks I barely had time to breathe and I promised myself more quiet time and sleep.

 

The phase passed and suddenly the deal died, my friends ran off to do their own thing and the project stalled. Now I'm bored out of my mind and I'm irritated with myself for being bored because I know when things pick up I'll be complaining again. Actually I'm still complaining. Basically I never stop complaining.

 

Chronic discontent needs to be recognized as a serious physiological disorder because I think it's killing me. Tox/detox/retox or hyperventilate/vegetate/hyperventilate. Maybe I'm actually a tiny hamster on a very large exercise wheel, frantically getting nowhere fast.

 

I turn to potatoes to calm me down. I think it's because potatoes are such a large part of my culture. The people of Bihar may not know when, if ever, their streets will be cleaned but we know our favourite food, vegetable and passion. Potatoes.

 

This is a lovely, clean potato salad, without any of the weighty cream and mayo people usually use. Just simple, fresh flavours - perhaps the most virtuous potatoes you'll ever eat:

 

Serves 3

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

 

What you’ll need:

3 -4 small boiled potatoes (I left the skin on but you can peel them if you prefer) (cubed)

3 -4 tbsp olive oil
Handful of cilantro/parsley (washed and chopped)
Juice of 1-2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Pop the cubes of potato into a medium sized bowl.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients together in small bowl. Pour on top of potatoes. Mix it all together. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Using freshly cracked pepper is always a good idea.
 

RICH, NOURISHING TOMATO SOUP

First we eat, then we do everything else.

MFK Fisher

 

I love making resolutions. I'm usually on a new trip every few months. Over the course of the last 26 years I have been, in turn, a communist, a very observant Hindu, a wiccan, vegetarian, enthusiastic gym bunny and weekend artist. I have gone through nihilistic, Mean Girls, ice queen, party girl and corporate slave phase.

 

Through ups and downs I've moulded, unmoulded and remoulded my preferences and personality over and over again to try to find the fit I'm most comfortable with. Because this is exhausting (and requires too many wardrobe updates) I've decided to pick my next phase not based on my life right now but what I'd like to have for myself in the future. This is proving to be really difficult since I usually don't know where I'm going to be next week forget next year. But if I don't figure it out, then how am I going to invest in classic wardrobe staples that will last me forever?!

 

Through all these phases there is of course an indelible core and my ever-expanding, indelible core loves carbohydrates, sugar and spicy Indian Italian. Which is why I love this classic, rich tomato soup with its intense tomato, garlic and oregano flavors- it's pretty healthy and can be seasoned as aggressively as you like. I've used oregano in mine but you can add whatever you like.

 

This is great for rainy afternoons and chilly evenings.

 

Serves 2

Recipe my own

What you’ll need:

3 -4 tomatoes (cubed)

1 onion (sliced)
500 ml vegetable stock
100 ml tomato puree
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp oregano/thyme/ rosemary/ Italian seasoning or seasoning of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Heat the butter and pop in the garlic and onion, cook till the garlic is brown and fragrant and the onion has softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till you have a thick mixture. This might take a while.

2. Puree the mix and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve hot with crusty bread or a sandwich.

Note: Crack some fresh black pepper for even more kick.

FLAVOURED LOAVES OF BREAD

“Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.”

― Richard Wright, Native Son

If you've been following this blog then you know I went through a major bread baking phase. If you havn't then shame on you but here are my recipes for rosemary and thyme dinner rolls and garlic cheese rolls. I graduated to flavoured loaves recently and it was, as bread making usually is, superlatively satisfying. But it takes time. Not actual in the kitchen time but waiting for the yeast to work and the dough to rise can take up to 3 hours. And then it's probably going to take you another 20 - 30 minutes of baking time. Plus 20 to 30 minutes of time to let the loaves cool.

It's not all that intimidating and you can usually complete a step and then focus your attention on something else for a couple of hours but I'm not going to be replacing store bought loaves with my own creations any time soon. For beginner bread bakers I thought this recipe would be useful. It's for a basic loaf, which you can customize. I've added garlic, olive oil, some dried fruit and scallions to this loaf. You can put together whatever collection of flavours you want.

I've also added some portion of unrefined flour (aata) instead of using just plain maida. This will give you a nice, flavourful, dense, brown bread which pairs perfectly with soups and pastas. You can even use it in sandwiches or eat it plain. I was going to make some soup to go along with it but my and my borther polished off the loaf with just butter.

 

Makes 1 loaf

Adapted from Chef John Cooks

What you’ll need:
 

225 gms flour (you can try half maida and half atta)

120 ml luke warm water

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

3 tsp butter (melted) or olive oil

2 ½ tsp dry yeast
 

Note: Add chopped garlic, grated cheese, herbs, olives, dried fruit or onions for flavor. Don’t worry about the quantity you’re putting in – the flour will absorb quite a bit. Use as much or as little for a flavor as strong or delicate as you like.
 

How to:
 

1. Warm up some water and put it into a bowl with the yeast and sugar. 3 – 4 tablespoons water is enough. Cover the dish with a wet cloth.
 

Note: The yeast will wake up with the warm water and feed on the sugar. Let the mixture sit for about 10 – 15 minutes. When you remove the cloth, you’ll find a frothy, smelly mixture. This means your yeast is now alive and waiting to raise bread.
 

2. Put the flour into a deep bowl and add the yeast mixture. Add salt and butter or olive oil and any other flavor you want to.
 

Note: Add warm milk instead of water if you want the loaf to be softer.

3. Knead the dough. Add more warm water little by little so that the flour comes together. If you’re lucky and have a dough hook then put it to work for 10 minutes. If you don’t then get to work with your hands.

 

Note: This is a lot of kneading. Pummeling dough with your bare hands for 10 – 15 minutes can be exhausting so don’t bother with this recipe if you’ve just got a manicure.
 

4. Knead in stretching motions to create gluten strands. You should have a slightly sticky dough by the end of it. Shape the dough into a ball and brush it down with butter or olive oil.  Cover with a wet cloth and let it sit for a couple of hours or till the dough has doubled in size.
 

5. Take the puffed up dough and knead it down again. Roll the dough out and then fit it into a loaf pan. Tuck the sides in underneath so the top is nice and smooth.
 

6. Cover up the loaf pan and let it sit till the dough once again doubles in size.
 

7. Brush the top of the loaf with:
 

(a) a beaten egg if you want the loaf to be shiny;

(b) milk if you want the loaf to be soft; or

(c) water if you want the crust to be chewy.
 

8. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 

9. Unmould from the pan and bake for a little while longer so the sides are totally cooked. About 10 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.