I was not planning to bake this wheat flour spicy turmeric bread. I was not even thinking to bake some new variety of bread. I was just kneading dough for white bread, wheat bread and some dinner rolls, but not turmeric bread. Then I suddenly thought of doing some spicy buns, but buns’ dough was already done and I didn’t want to disturb its proofing process. So I decided to change plain sandwich wheat flour bread into spicy bread. While adding spices I saw turmeric powder and thought “why not add this in dough and turn the bread into a something all together different” a wheat flour bread loaf with spices and turmeric powder!!
My only concern was if bread slices will be having raw turmeric smell.
Well… you wouldn’t know until you try!!
So, I added turmeric powder along with other spices. Yellow dough looked good with carom seeds flavor. I baked it and to my biggest surprise there was no taste of raw turmeric powder!!
It just added colour and with spices, bread was soooo… good. You might not prefer these slices for sandwich, as this is not plain bread.
Instead, you will like it as spicy, healthy, wheat flour turmeric bread toast with butter along with a hot cup of tea!!
As I was working on two separate bread dough while preparing this bread, in the hustle- bustle completely forgot to take pics of some steps. Though just like other bread recipes, which I have posted in the blog, all steps are similar for this bread also. But if you are baking bread for the first time, please check this link for the missing pictures of a few steps during the whole process… Wheat Flour Sandwich Bread(1)
Ingredients :
Wheat flour 2 cups+2 tbsp
Milk powder 2 tbsp
Instant active yeast 3 /4 tsp
Salt slightly more than 3 /4 tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp.
Carom seeds 1+1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1tsp
Red chili powder 1 tsp
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Oil 1+1/2 tbsp.
Water/Milk 1 cup +2-3 tbsp.
Read carefully all the tips before you start the process…
Tips
- Except water, rest of the ingredients should be used at room temperature. Water/milk should be slightly warmer than lukewarm.
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Instead of water, milk can be used to knead the dough. Or you can take both milk and water in 50:50 ratio.
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Every oven is different – so baking time may vary.
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Dough proofing time depends a lot on the temperature of your kitchen. In colder temperature first proofing can take 60 to 90 minutes. In warmer temperatures it might get over in 40 to 50 minutes. The same logic will be for second proofing time also.
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Wheat flour dough is more delicate than all purpose flour dough. So after first proofing don’t knead it much. Punch it slightly and bring it back together to roll the log.
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To achieve best results in wheat flour bread, don’t be lazy in kneading. I always knead wheat flour bread dough for almost 20 minutes.
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Absorbing liquid quality of flour varies. So don’t follow blindly the quantity of water /milk given in the recipe. If required, add or reduce 1-2 tbsp of water.
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Don’t compare the result of home baked wheat flour bread with market bought wheat flour bread. We are not adding any artificial gluten, emulsifier, or bread enhancer. We are trying to bake a healthy bread loaf, so it might be slightly heavy and dense. For better results, try to use milled flour than packed ones.
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Don’t get discouraged if your first loaf of bread is not as good as you had expected. Try to find out the problem, sort it and with the same excitement, give another try, and you will surely get it!
Process :
Collect all dry ingredients in a big vessel.
Slowly start pouring water and start collecting dry ingredients together in the shape of a dough. Don’t worry about loose or tight consistency of dough at this stage.
Now start pouring remaining water one tbsp at a time and knead the dough for 20 minutes by adding oil/butter simultaneously.
Initially, kneading will look a lot messy and sticky, but slowly dough will become smooth.
Keep the dough in an oil greased bowl for first proofing (bowl should be big enough to have extra space for doubled up dough). Apply some oil on top of the dough to avoid it drying. Cling wrap the bowl and keep it at a warm place for first proofing. I generally keep my bowl in the switched-off microwave. First proofing takes 1 to 1+1/2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
In the meantime oil grease bread tin.
(from here I missed to take pics of a few steps, please follow any of my other bread recipe to check the pics of a few steps. These steps are same for any simple bread recipe)
Once dough doubles up, sprinkle some flour on clean kitchen counter or grease it with oil. Take out the dough and punch it softly.
Knead the dough very softly and spread it in a rectangular shape according to the size of bread tin.
Start rolling it tightly in the shape of a log.
Seal the sides by pinching them tightly.
Keep this log into the tin by keeping seamed side at the bottom and apply oil on top of the log to avoid it drying. Cover the tin with wet kitchen towel (don’t let towel touch the dough) and keep it in the switched-off microwave or any warm place for second proofing. Second proofing generally takes 15 to 20 minutes but if it’s cold temperature in the kitchen, it might take some more time.
Just 10 minutes before baking, preheat your oven at 185-190 degrees for 10 minutes. Give milk wash to proofed dough and bake it in a preheated oven at the same temperature for 40-50 minutes, till the wheat flour spicy turmeric bread becomes evenly brown and while tapping the top it sounds hollow.
Apply butter on hot turmeric wheat bread. Butter will be helpful in keeping the bread soft. Take out bread from the oven and let it cool down completely on cooling rack. Don’t let the bread stay in tin for long. Steam from hot bread in the tin for long time will make the bread soggy from the bottom.
Once bread cools down completely, you can slice it. But if you can control your temptation for a few hours more, you will get the best slices!!
Once bread cools down completely, wrap it in 3-4 layers of cling film and keep it in the fridge. This will settle down the crumb of bread and later slice it with bread cutting serrated knife.
Don’t you love these turmeric yellow spicy slices of bread!!!
Would love to listen from you all about this new healthy wheat flour bread😊😊
