Just Jowar Bread

Jowar Bread
Baking has always been in my blood.What is it about that loaf pulled out of a hot oven that gives me a sense of achievement like no other food creation does. Is it the smell of warm bread? How could it be ? If it's in the veins, then hot chapathis should give me the same pleasure. I think it must be some kind of collective memory, a pleasant one thankfully. Anyway, not being much into analysis of any kind these days , let it go.

However I have always wanted to try grinding my own flours, made of different grains. I envied a Swiss friend who had the most amazing flour grinder. A huge thing, she had brought it with her to India. Well I just buy different kinds of flour ready ground.

Breadmaking is still a hit and miss affair with my temperamental and uncontrollable oven.
BUT recently a friend I met on a food discussion forum gave me a great gift.....an oven thermometer. How many times have I promised myself one and forgotten to ask for it ...from abroad, as it is not available here. When people visiting India ask me what I'd like from "foreign" I can never think of anything. Well Uma brought it , along with a pan of slowly rising focaccia which needed to be baked as she didnt have an oven as yet.

So now I am equipped to take on a few more experiments.

Here is a Jowar / Sorghum Bread I made recently. Sorghum grows under all sorts of adverse conditions and is a very hardy plant. You can get sorghum wheat in many speciality grocery stores in other parts of the world.

Ingredients:

2 cups of jowar atta / jowar flour
2 cups of white flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 teaspoon shahzeera / caraway seeds

3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
11/2 tbsp butter
3 tbsps jaggery/ gur or treacle
2 tbsps active dry yeast or  14 gms of fresh yeast

Sieve the white flour and jowar flour into a bowl. Add the caster sugar and caraway seeds.

Heat the milk water,butter, sugar and jaggery together. When the jaggery and butter has melted take of heat. While still warm sprinkle the dry yeast over the top of the liquid. Let it stand for 5 minutes till the yeast bubbles.

Make a well in the centre of the flours and pour the liquid in.Mix till it forms a ball. Turn out on to a floured board and knead for 10 minutes till the surface of the dough is smooth. Remember, do not break the skin of the dough whilst kneading.

Oil a container and let the dough stand covered for 1 1/2 hours to rise till it is almost twice its size .. Punch down, form a ring, cover and put it on an oiled baking sheet to rise for another hour.

Bake at 400 Degrees for 45 minutes  - 1 hour till light brown on top.

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The bread turned out very dense and heavy but with a lovely flavour. I cut it into very thin slices and toasted them in the oven till brown and crisp. Out of this world with a slice of Baramati cheese or a bowl of hot soup.

Comments

[rumy]

thanks for sharing this recipe, jowar is one of my favourite grains. have you tried making bread with ragi, jowar and bajra?

[deccanheffalump]

Yes Rumy and with nachni atta too. Will post the results as soon as I can.

[sailu]

Must bake bread for me.This is one recipe I am sure I wouldnt find easily.Thanks for sharing this recipe

[kirtida ved]

excellent. I would like to try as i am fond of bread of different types of flours.

Pl inform whether you have tried of nachni, bajri flours.

Also, whether there is any substitute for maida ??
Do you know how to make yeast at home ??

[deccanheffalump]

Thanks for dropping by Sailu. I always enjoy rading your blog!

Kirti if you cut out the maida and add any other flour the bread will hardly rise.
I have never tries to make yeast at home but there is a potato yeast which can be made and a yeast from hop powder which bakers use to make a yeast which is a starter for sourdough.
It is much easier to buy fresh yeast..blue bird makes it in India and you can get it at a lot of bigger supermarkets.

[Raaga]

Hi,

I was planning to make ragi bread :-) maybe using gluten will help... your thoughts please

[deccanheffalump]

Thanks for all the comments friends. Raaga, gluten will always help to make any flour rise but the point of ragi and jowar bread is that it is gluten free and an option for those suffering from celiac disease.