Ragi Wheat Methi Loaf

I’ve been trying my hand at baking with yeast. But I keep getting these vague ideas that I am so keen on implementing. For instance, ever since my friend brought me Ragi (finger millet) flour from Madras, I’ve been itching to make Ragi bread. I’d once tasted this bread at a small bakery called Ofen at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.

There’s a twist in this tale though. I had a bunch of cleaned methi leaves in the fridge and wanted to make use of those. We’d eaten quite a bit of the regular methi fare during the winter and I was itching to try something different.

I can’t say this is the best bread I’ve eaten, but it was fairly decent when we had it, toasted lightly, with tea.

1 cup Flour

1 cup Ragi Flour

1 cup Atta

1 cup Water, warm
1 tsp Yeast
1 1/2 tbsp Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

Salt to taste

Prepare the fenugreek mixture by heating a teaspoon of oil and frying the onions. Add the fenugreek leaves, turmeric, chilli, cumin, and coriander powders along with the salt. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Keep aside.

Take a huge mixing bowl and place the oil, salt in it. Add water and mix until the salt dissolves. Add the yeast and mix well. Add the flours along with the fenugreek mixture and knead into a dough. Place the dough in a greased vessel and cover it with a damp muslin cloth. Allow to rise until double in size (roughly 45-50 minutes).

Knead the dough for a minute and shape into a loaf. Fit this into a greased loaf tin. Allow to rise for another hour or 90 minutes.

Bake at 375 F for about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then cut into slices.

There, I have another loaf that I can add to my small collection. I am sorry for being irregular here as well as at your blogs. Its the busiest time of the year for me at work and I also have my in-laws visiting me for the first time since we got married. So, getting home at 9 and cooking for 7 people after that leaves me with little time to blog. Don't also forget that the AFAM March is on for another 15 days. Please do send in your entries.