Baked Soft Stove-Top Bread

Soft, fluffy and delicious stove top / frying pan bread. No oven required. 

I recently got an oven after along time of making bread on the stove top and by steaming. It  is so different and exciting leaning this new appliance. Although I have an oven now, its electricity consumption is something that will make me use it less. But bread still needs to be made. Enter the stove top bread making. I have been so accustomed to making baked goods without an oven like this 3-tier Coconut Cinnamon  Cake was made on a sigiri (charcoal stove) and these Carrot Cake Muffins and Breakfast Flatbreads were steamed and made on the stove top respectively. To to pay my respects to all the pans I have abused in the process of making stove top bread, I am sharing this soft fluffy and delicious bread that is oh-so-satisfying. The recipe is for a savory kind  of  bread but you can sweeten it by removing the carrot, onion, green pepper and black pepper. You will find yourself making this over and over again. Just so you know, I had to battle with the people I cook for to take these pictures because it was so good they couldn’t wait!

What you will need: 

3 C. Flour, Sifted

1 C. Flour for dusting

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tsp. Salt

1/3 C. Oil

1 C. Milk, Warm

2 Tsp. Yeast

1/4 C. Grated Carrot, onion and green pepper

1/2 Tsp. Black pepper, ground

Oil for cooking

Observations:

  1. You will need a sturdy frying pan (a cast iron one if possible).
  2. You can substitute diary with plant/nut milk if you are vegan.
  3. Use bread/all purpose flour which has more gluten than cake flour and thus produces a chewy bread.
  4. The key to having fluffy bread is to place a frying pan on high fire, add a tablespoon of oil in the pan and let the oil get really hot. Place your bread dough into the pan and immediately reduce the heat to low. The high heat will be enough to cook the bread until it is time to flip it.

Method

  1. Combine 3 cups flour, salt, sugar, yeast, carrot, onion, green pepper and black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Add oil and mix well.
  2. Gradually add the warm milk into the mixture while mixing. Mix till a dough is formed. The dough should be a bit elastic (not too firm).
  3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
  4. Generously flour your surface. After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and non-sticky.
  5. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Spread each ball with your hands into a palm-sized disk. Make sure the disks are thick ( at least 1/2 inch).
  6. Generously flour your surface and place the disk on it.
  7. Let the bread rise for another 20 minutes.
  8. Place a frying pan on high fire. Add a tablespoon of oil in the pan.
  9. Once the oil is sizzling, gently place the risen bread dough into the hot pan. Immediately reduce the fire/ heat to low and cover pan.
  10. Let the bread cook for 5 minutes on low fire on one side. Remove cover and flip the bread and let the other side cook for another 5 minutes on low fire.
  11. Remove from fire. Repeat the process till all the bread is cooked.
  12. Serve hot with your favorite stew, butter, jam etc

 

Share your creations using the #AkitchenInUg on social media.

My Vegetarian Kitchen Cookbook is Finally Here!

Hello Friends! It’s been a minute. I have been up to so much lately and as you can tell form the blog title I have a surprise for you! Been working on compiling the  blog’s best vegetarian offerings which you can now get as an e-book. I have always wanted to write a cookbook and I have said it multiple times. Putting together this e-book helped alight my goals and gave me a taste of  what it feels to put a valuable product out there in world. I am now so excited to be sharing this token of love with you!

GetMy Vegetarian Kitchen: 34 Delicious and Wholesome Dishes from A Kitchen in Uganda’.

With most of A Kitchen in Uganda’s food stories vegetarian celebrations, there are so many exciting, memorable and valuable dishes that have been created on the blog for the past 5+ years. This book is a compilation of some of the best of those dishes. The purpose for this book is that you can always have these creations whether you have access to the blog or not.

Who is this book for?

Whether it is planning a big gathering, needing an instant dish to satiate your cravings or looking for an idea for your next potluck or food business idea, this book is for you.

This book is for the vegetarian and/or foodie who would love to explore the endless possibilities that come with using less mainstream local produce and ingredients.

This book is for the creative ‘thinking-out-of-the-box’ individual who wants to make their food journey a little more exciting and fulfilling at the same time with ingredients that are easily accessible.

This book for the Ugandan and anyone on the continent of Africa that has to battle with the government imposed social media taxes. My blog has thrived because of the unlimited access to the internet that I have enjoyed and I realize this is not the same story for everyone which is why I took the time to compile these recipes so that you can have them at the tip of your fingertips with or without  the internet!

What is inside this 77 page book:

  1. 34 Delicious and Wholesome Dishes and Recipes from A Kitchen in Uganda
  2. 2 Menus
  3. Tips on How to Have a Successful Meal Gathering
  4. A Weekly Meal Plan Template

Go grab yourself a copy and start cooking!

 

Mango Coconut Crepes

You would think that by now, the excitement over mangoes would have died down, but no. It hasn’t. At least not yet. So to continue our mango series, today I  am sharing with you these delectable mango crepes. It all happened after I binge-watched Tasty videos! Have you too fallen down the rabbit hole that is tasty videos? There was one video where they made  purple dragon fruit crepes and assembled a gorgeously bright crepe cake. Since I have some mangoes, I decided to substitute them for what would have been dragon fruit. The rest, as they say, is history. These crepes are made with fresh mango puree, soft and buttery and are served with a scoop of mango ice-cream and a spoonful of coconut cream. Summer dessert couldn’t get any better.

What you will need:

1 C. Flour, sifted

1 C. Mango puree

1 C. Milk

1 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp. Margarine, melted

1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

Oil for frying

 

Observations:

I used coconut milk in the crepes. You can use any milk that is readily available to you. Make sure the mangoes you are pureeing are fully ripe.

Method

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Pour blended crepe batter in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Place nonstick pan on medium-low heat. Brush pan with oil and let the oil heat.
  3. Use a 1/3 cup to scoop up the batter and pour it in the pan.
  4. Let the crepe fry till the edges turn golden brown.
  5. Flip the crepe using a spatula and let the other side cook as well. It will take about 1 minute.
  6. Remove from fire.
  7. Repeat process till all batter is used up.
  8. Refrigerate the crepes till completely cool. Makes 8-9 crepes.
  9. To assemble, fold crepes and place on plate. dust with powdered sugar. Add a scoop of mango ice-cream. Sprinkle with coconut cream. Finish off with raisins.

Serve immediately.

 

PS: This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart’s Simple Crepes recipe.