Beet chapatis/rotis/flatbread

The chapati, or roti, as it's generically known, is the Indian's way of telling the world they have mastered the art of the flatbread. Often upstaged by its renowned artisanal, counterpart, the naan, chapati, unfortunately, does not get the universal recognition it rightly deserves.

These tortilla- like breads, essentially daily sustenance on streets across India,  are made of wheat and served with anything ranging from chutney to enriched curds,and/or the native curry fortunate to make its pair.

Wheat that's unleavened and, for the most part, unadulterated, is kneaded with a bit of water and an even tinier bit of oil. It's not frequent that one staple ingredient and a mere 2 essentials get you such satisfactory recipe leverage. Yet, the homemade, handkneaded bread carries an unassuming air, in its slim, dark spotted demeanor, and houses boss packed wholesomeness in a 6 inch frame.

Today is all about the chapati, taking on an artsy spin. If you can recall middle school art class and how you were taught to "envelope color to enrich, enliven, enthrall"...well, I believe I did just that.

Meet beet chapati.

This isn't the first time I painted flatbread. You've seen me do it before, where blended salad greens created foliage colored roti.

The general feels are that beets aren't the most popular vegetables on the planet. But before you come to a conclusion, or even dismiss the one someone else has come to, wait till I finish these next 100 words.

Ground beets camouflaged in wheat is pure brilliance and solidifies a universal truth: eye catching vegetables mashed to rival crayola are the perfect guise and an excellent nutritive addendum to food you normally can't get kids, no matter the age( even the grown up adult ones that refuse to make a single thing on their own- yes, you!), to eat. And now, who's the fool?

It's when these same underlings people clamor for frequent said meals that it makes an even truer testimony to the wantability(if that's word) factor for a given recipe.

Finally, addition of root puree is a luminous attempt in amping chapati's health quotient, aesthetics, and overall textural quality. It's so good, you'd happily eat to your mouth's content and simultaneously grab for a next one.

Before you begin, I've taken the liberty of jotting down some suggestions that could help in your own chapati maker journey.

⭐It's all in the knead. Apart from being a supreme stress buster, kneading determines the dough's consistency. After a few trials, the number of pounds and turnovers required for a soft, pliant bread becomes instinctual knowledge.
⭐️Get a feel of when enough is enough. Be it liquid, dry ingredient, salt, fat.Too much/too little of any one element could totally offset the result. One person's moisture content is not another's.
⭐ A perfect round can and will be achieved with practice. Even if your chapati is closer in shape to the outline of a small Eastern country on the map, and not the circle it's intended to be, no fret, because it will taste just as good. And you could purchase a large, round biscuit cutter.
⭐  Let your imagination fly. Play this any way you want- flavorfully, nutritionally, visually. Sneak in stuff your diet might be lacking in, yet tastebud urgings may not always be calling out for. Carrots, cabbages, zucchinis, turnips and collards could find a sure future as the rainbow on your plate.

Since accompaniment potential is limitless, this is the ideal meal prospect for the vegetarian, the non vegetarian and the undecided alike.

So, really, is there an excuse?

These are to be devoured before they get cold. But if you have motivated appetites, like the growing boychild who believes he has become the adult he clearly is not, you'd press out a few dozen before the actual process of cooking.

 Ingredients:

• 2 beets, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole wheat durum flour(know as chapati atta) (you could substitute with whole wheat flour)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• salt
• 5 tsp olive oil

Directions:

• Peel and cut beets into small chunks. Puree in blender with 1 cup water on high until a nice liquid forms.
• In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour, garlic powder, salt. 
• Slowly add beet puree, along with 2 tsp oil, into flour mixture. Knead, using kneading attachment on stand mixer's high option. Add additional water, if needed, until mixture forms a smooth ball. Cover with a a damp cloth and keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Take dough out and roll out 1 inch smooth balls. Keep covered, so they don't dry out.
• Roll out each ball to a  5-6'inch diameter using a rolling pin on a floured surface, a very clean and flour dusted countertop will do. Try to roll out into
• Heat a flat pan and smear with oil over medium flame.
• Heat chapati on one side for not more than a minute, flip to the other side until done. 

Silverware? No thanks. Pieces of chapati and your very own hands feed best.

August-

2016: Chili-lime roast corn

2015: Vermicelli payasam

2013: Buttermilk and cheddar biscuits
2012: Pate A Choux- puffy swans

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"Revive us again, O God! I know you will! Give us a fresh start!
Then all your people will taste your joy and gladness." Psalm 85:6(TPT)

Red, white and blue cake

If your Fourth of July is as happy as this cake is, then I'd say you're having a very good holiday. 

Since I'm not too much a fan of summer, I had nothing better than to work on my coloring/crafting skills, perhaps in a sincere endeavor to make up for lack of a few years' worth of July Four posts.

Not to reduce this beautiful display of pastry art to mere simpleton aspirations/techniques. Though, it may stem from a likeminded concept- to just. let. go. Like you would in a situation you've nil control over. When doing so, it gives you that creative edge and an end product with enough enterprise, in varied texture, taste, mouthfeel and crumb. Yes, people, the party in your mouth can be a true story.

Today's cake is designed with the flag in mind, decorated in patriotic berries, purchased specially for the purpose. It warrants the standing ovation, open mouthed aaahhss!, a possible salute or two, and  can be assured total Grand Entry Status to any venue it's showcased at.

The three layers are noticeably distinct from one another, not only visually, but in flavor nuances a trio of independent cakes should give off. The blue and red are velvet cakes. I used separate recipes, because I wanted to have more of a cocoa touch in one and less in the other. The white layer is lemon-ish and has enough stand-out quality to perk up anything that might be taken for granted in this three ring show. 

I bid you to try, then thank me later.

Happy fourth y'all🎉 🎇 and happy birthday, America🇺🇸

Recipes will be soon be up💥 Update July 4, 2019 *** They are up*** Scroll down to see⬇︎

Red velvet cake-
(Adapted from Live Well Bake Often)

Ingredients:

• 2 ⅔ cups cake flour 
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup salted butter 
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3-4 tbsp no-taste red gel food color
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk 

Red cake -
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, sift together cake flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, oil, red food color, vanilla extract, and vinegar.
• With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix each addition until just combined.
• Distribute batter between prepared cake pans. 
• Bake at 350°F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Place cakes in their pans, on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. 
• Remove the cakes from the cake pans and invert cakes onto the racks directly to cool.

Vanilla(white) cake-
(Adapted from Joy Of Baking)
Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• zest of one lemon, finely grated
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil

Vanilla cake-
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt.
• In mixer, cream together sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Stir together the milk and oil.
• With mixer running on low, alternately, add the dry ingredients to the batter in three additions with the milk mixture, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
• Distribute batter between pans.
• Bake for 25- 30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Place cakes in their pans, on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. 
• Remove the cakes from the cake pans and invert onto the racks directly to cool.

Blue velvet cake:

(somewhat adapted from Food Network's Blue velvet cake)

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp royal blue gel food color
• 1 toothpick amount violet gel food color
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk

Blue cake-

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa ,baking soda and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer ( or handheld mixer) cream together oil, sugar, coconut sugar, food colors, vanilla, vinegar and eggs.
• With the mixer running on low, alternately, add the dry ingredients to the batter in three additions with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
• Distribute batter between prepared cake pans. Bake 28-30 minutes or until cakes have pulled away from sides and toothpick inserted in center of cakes is clean.
• Transfer cakes to cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, after which remove from pans and place directly on racks to cool to room temperature.

Soaking syrup(optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp rum

Soaking syrup

Instructions:

• Bring water and sugar to a boil until sugar dissolves. Let simmer for an additional minute. Turn off heat and add alcohol.

Cream cheese frosting-

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp heavy cream

Cream cheese frosting

Directions:

• Beat  cream cheese and butter until smooth.
• Add sugar and vanilla until frosting is light and fluffy. 
• Beat in heavy cream until well combined.

Whipped cream frosting-
Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Whipped cream frosting-

Directions:

• Beat 2 cups heavy cream until until it starts to become thick.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Assembly:

Stack cakes with red cake at the bottom, white in the middle, blue on top. Brush each layer with cooled soaking syrup. Fill and frost between the cakes between with cream cheese frosting. Ice the entire cake with sweetened whipped cream.

Decorate with berries or fruit of choice.

Notes:

Eggs, butter, milk and buttermilk should be at room temperature.
No buttermilk? No worries :-) Combine 4-5 tablespoons of regular milk in enough plain yoghurt to equal the amount required in the ingredients.

It is beneficial to line the bottom of your cake pan with parchment. Just trace out a parchment circle using the cake tin as your guide and place it in after the pan is greased and floured. Be sure to remove before you frost.

Tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times before cakes go into the oven to remove any air bubbles.
If you are baking all the cakes in succession, then one preheat is fine and the oven will remain on throughout your baking. That being said, you can space out baking the layers. Cakes can be made several days in advance, sealed with wrap and stored in the freezer.
When whipping heavy cream, chill bowl and blade (s) in freezer for 5-10 minutes prior to beating. 
Each recipe yields 2 cakes, which in my household is not a problem. Desserts are dietary requirements here, so I freeze the extras, including any shaved off remnants, in lots of plastic wrap for later use.

2017: Star spangled meringues

2013: Crostata di marmellata

2012: Red, white and blue fruit tarts

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"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12(NIV)