Garlic Braided Bread with Potato Cheese Capsicum Filling

 
Yippieeeeeee!!!

Ha ha, don't get thrilled, I've not won any medal nor I'm going for a vacation to Seychelles; it's just that I baked my first bread ever and it was really not bad. For more than a week, I had this enthusiasm running in my nerves to bake some home-made buns/burgers. I got a packet of dry yeast for that especially and just don't know what was stopping me to pop it up. Finally, the day arrived, because there was no wheat flour/aata left and I had no other option than to switch over to Maida/APF. I was in a full mood, all set to bake some buns and then was about to prepare some aloo bhaji to go with it, and then suddenly the milk I had kept for boiling otherwise got some chemical issues and wooop, it was no more in its form!! The curdled milk was giving me jitters because that was the last packet I had for my doll, but as it is said, 'Everything happens for a reason'. I never use any tetra packs or fresh packs of milk without taking a boil (a genuine habit, you see) and that perhaps saved me. Fortunately, the security guard came to my rescue buying 2 fresh packets for the little one and then I was excited rather to use this curdled milk in some form. I took a long boil to run over any bacterial deterioration and made sure it was not spoiled or sour smelling. When the mind gave the permission and the 'green signal' was released, I immediately caught hold of it, sieved it, and washed it well with cold water. Again it was caged in the sieve for around 20 minutes to let the excess water drain out. And now was the final question: Whether I make Paneer Pav Bhaji with this or something else? The dough was already sitting in the dish for rising and was almost done and fermented. And then a sudden thought flashed like lightening, directing me to think about a stuffed bread, and what else could I think of better than the 'Braided Bread'!!

Although I had doubts about how it would come up finally since this was my first attempt on breads, but believe me guys, it was worth all the efforts, in fact more than that. When hubby darling arrived from office, the breads were graciously welcoming him on the dining table and he was almost shocked to see that I made them. He said, now we can open a 'Bakery Joint' in Bangalore. (Ha ha, I know he's too sweet, and he always tries to keep my spirits high by saying all these lovely words)

Well, but they weren't that bad, too. I actually loved them, just loved them. They reminded me of the Footlongs we used to relish back in my hometown, and in fact these home-made braided ones had that extra crsip n crust in them which you miss out in footlongs/buns.

Now, here's the simple recipe to charm your hubby, kids, family and even guests.

GARLIC BRAIDED BREAD WITH POTATO CHEESE CAPSICUM FILLING

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (excluding the time taken for dough rising)

Baking Time: 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven)

Makes 2 breads

Ingredients:

For the Bread:

1. Maida/ All Purpose Flour: 1 cup

2. Yogurt/curd: 2 tbs

3. Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp

4. Salt: 1/2 tsp

5. Sugar: 1/2 tbs

6. Dry Yeast: 1/4 tbs

7. Milk: 1/3 cup for the dough + 2 tbs for brushing

8. Butter: 1 tbs

9. Garlic Powder: 1 tsp

For the Filling:

1. Large Potato: 1

2. Paneer/Cottage Cheese: 1/2 a cup

3. Capsicum: 1/4 cup (finely chopped) - roughly half of a capsicum

4. Onion: 1(finely chopped)

5. Tomato: 1 (finely chopped)

6. Green Chilli: 1 (finely chopped) - optional

7. Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

8. Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp

9. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

10. Cumin Powder: 1/4 tsp

11. Garam Masala: 1/4 tsp

12. Salt: 2 tsp or as per taste

13. Amchoor Powder: 1/2 tsp

14. Chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

15. Oil: 2 tbs

16. Cumin seeds/jeera: 1/4 tsp

17. Fennel seeds/saunf: 1/4 tsp

18. Mayonnaise/Cheese Slices: optional

Method:

1. Add the yeast and sugar to warm milk (1/3 cup) and let it stand for 10 minutes till it starts frothing.
2. Sieve the maida/all purpose flour, and add salt, baking powder, garlic powder to it.
3. Now add butter and yogurt to the flour and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the flour and slowly pour in the yeast milk mix. Keep on kneading and adding slowly till a sticky soft dough is formed. You might not need the complete milk even, so add small quantities and keep kneading. The dough will be as soft as the dough we make for naan.
4. Knead it well till it becomes pliable and soft. 
5. Now grease the outer dough with little oil to avoid drying and keep it covered in a warm place for about an hour or more (till it doubles up in size).
6. In the meanwhile, you can prepare the filling.
7. After one hour, when it's doubled, deflate it gently with your palms and make two equal sized balls with it. 
8. Take a ball and roll it into a cylindrical/oval shape.
9. Place the filling (you can also top the filling with some mayonnaise/cheese slices) on the central vertical line covering 3/4 of the length of it. 
10. Make long slanting slits/cuts on both the sides of the filling in a feather fashion. Make sure that the cuts on both the sides of the filling are the same.
11. Now close one end of the dough by pulling it within near the filling, and then start braiding the strips alternately on both sides like how we braid our hair, tucking in one end below the other and sealing it. Continue till you reach the end and twist the bottom part under the roll/bread.    
12. Cover these with a wet, clean cloth and keep covered for almost 30-40 minutes (better an hour) for rising.
13. Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes and keep the baking tray greased and ready. 
14. Now brush them with milk (and sesame seeds, if you wish) and place them on the baking tray.
15. Bake for 15-25 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius till the top turns light golden brown. The browner it goes, the crispier it becomes.
16. Take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes. Smear some butter over them and savour with some chutney or tomato ketchup.

 

 For the Filling:

1. Chop all the vegetables finely, including the peeled potatoes.
2. Either prepare paneer/cottage cheese at home or grate the store-bought paneer.
3. Now take oil in a pan and heat it.
4. Once hot, add cumin seeds followed by the fennel seeds. Then add in the chopped onions and fry till turn golden brown.
5. Throw in the chopped capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.
   
6. Add all the spices and give a quick stir.
7. Push in the chopped potatoes and salt and mix well. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low-medium flame.
8. Now add in chopped tomatoes and let them cook for 3-4 minutes covered. make sure that the potatoes are cooked by now else continue for some more time. Also, there should be no gravy form and it needs to be dry/slightly moist. If you find it runny or loose, then cook uncovered for some time.
   
9. At last spoon in the grated cheese/paneer and cook covered for 4 minutes. 
10. Give the final flavors with cilantro/coriander leaves and let the mixture cool down.
11. Use as explained above and use the leftover with some chapati or naan. 

Suggestions:

1. If you are using instant yeast, use the same amount.
2. There's another way of making the dough in which all the ingredients are mixed together and dough is formed; no separate frothing of yeast in milk required. Although I prefer the original method.
3. If the dough is not rising because of the temperature (i.e. it's not warm), you can place the dish containing the dough over a vessel filled with warm water (and not dipping in the warm water). This will help providing the right temperature for rising.
4. The filling can vary according to your choice and availability of vegetables.
5. I made two breads, and one of them was also filled with some mayonnaise resting on the veg filling. The taste was amazing and you can use cheese slices in place of that, too. 
6. Baking timings vary according to different ovens, but this cannot be baked in a microwave oven without convection mode. 

 The recipe takes off to:
My event: Cooking Made Easy With Cheese/Paneer
Bake Fest by Vardhini hosted by Kalyani, I Love Baking by Radhika
  Midweek Fiesta and Hot and Spicy Treats at Food Corner,

Healthy Morsels- Pregnancy at Taste of Pearl City, 
Spotlight- Colorful Holi  initiated by Indrani and hosted by Chandrani,
I'm The Star by  Veg Food and Me, Color n Sweet - Holi Fest by Preeti,

EP Series: Herbs and Spices  by Erivum Puliyum, Holi Fest at Kalyani's space,

Comfort Food by Daily Cuppa, Sumee's Bon Vivant: Savory Items