Sweet potato knots

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ~ Julia Child

There are certain recipes that sound very promising, but somehow are never tried. These sweet potato rolls were one such recipe. It was given by a friend ages ago and was told it’s a must try, but I completely forgot about it. I recently stumbled upon it in my old recipe journal; a torn and frayed little piece of paper with a note scribbled on top of the paper- must try. 

Sweet potatoes are one of the richest sources of Vitamin A and this was such a novel use of the humble root. Luckily, I had some fresh yeast lying in the fridge begging to be used before it got spoilt. I am so glad I tried these, straight out of the oven they were a treat…..soft, slightly sweet, buttery and absolutely mouth watering.

These knots have a bare hint of sweetness in them. You can’t really taste the sweet potatoes but they have a slight yellowish – orange color owing to the root. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Sweet Potato Knots

2 tsp         Fresh yeast

½ C          Warm water

1 C           Boiled and mashed sweet potatoes

¼ C          Sugar

¼ C          Butter at room temp

1              Egg white or 1/2 slightly beaten egg

¾ tsp       Salt

3 – 3 ½ C  Flour

1. In a small bowl add warm water, some sugar and the yeast. Mix well and let it stand for 5-10 mins or till the mixture is frothy.

2. In another bowl mix together, mashed sweet potatoes, 3 cups flour, remaining sugar,  butter, egg, salt and the yeast mixture. Mix using a wooden spoon till it all comes together.

3. Bring it out on the work surface and using the heels of your hands stretch the dough and then fold it back and give it a quarter turn. The dough will be slightly sticky at this point but will eventually turn out fine.

You could add a little flour to the dough if its too sticky or simply grease your palms and the work surface. Knead for 8- 10 mins. 

4. Gather the dough together to form a smooth ball. Put it in a bowl and leave it covered with a damp kitchen towel or a cling film till it doubles in size.

5. Once doubled, gently punch the dough down out and divide it in 12-14 equal portions.

6. Shape each portion into a knot. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave on a lightly greased baking tray to rise till doubled.

7. Bake at 190 C for 12-14 mins.

 8. Bring the rolls out of the oven and brush with some melted butter. 

Wholewheat Cloverleaf Rolls

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard

Eating fresh bread, still slightly warm from the oven, with a generous dollop of butter, first thing in the morning. Sheer ecstasy! The house smells heavenly….. warm and very very inviting. Don’t blame me, I am warning you in advance, you are going to get a lot of unexpected visitors as your bread bakes in the oven. There is something almost magnetic about the aroma of freshly baking bread.

Each time I bake bread, it strengthens my resolve, never to put bread in my shopping cart. The homemade ones are so fresh and there are absolutely no preservatives, its sheer goodness ! These cloverleaf rolls are soft and have this nuttiness from the whole wheat and is good to eat even without any accompaniment. And they look so pretty.

Bread baking uses the most basic ingredients, it is a very satisfying experience, kneading the dough and then watching it swell up and being baked to golden perfection. I marvel at the process each time I bake bread.  A lot of people I know shy away from it, they are not comfortable handling yeast. 

Think of yeast as a living organism which has to be handled with care. To activate the yeast we put it in warm water and provide it with food, which is sugar. Whenever activating yeast ensure that the water is never too hot, it should just be warm enough, it should feel comfortable on our skin.

A lot of bread recipes call for the addition of yeast directly to the dough mixture. But if you are using Active dry yeast or fresh yeast, activate the yeast separately and then add to the flour.  One, fermenting it separately ensures it is dissolved well and is mixed evenly with the dough.  Two, you always know if the yeast is still active and good to use, beforehand and you can save yourself a lot of heartache, energy and ingredients.

These rolls taste best on the day they are baked. Though they will last for 2-3 days, if stored well. However, slightly warming them in the microwave or the oven will freshen them up greatly.

The recipe below yields 10 rolls, though when i actually started putting them in the cupcake tray I only had 9 left....only to discover that one portion had been sneaked out and put to a more creative use! 

Wholewheat Cloverleaf Rolls 

125 gms                      All purpose flour/ Maida

125 gms                      Whole wheat flour

10 gms                        Butter

10 gms                        Sugar
10 gms                        Fresh Yeast  or or 1 tsp instant yeast 
3 gms                          Salt
165 ml                        Water (Approx.)

1. In a small bowl add half a cup warm water. Dissolve sugar and fresh yeast in the water. Cover and leave it aside for the yeast to activate, the mixture starts bubbling and will get frothy, takes about 5-10 mins. 

If this doesn't happen then either the yeast is too old and you need fresh yeast or the water was either too hot or too cold.

(Note: if using instant yeast directly add to the flour mix and knead)

2. In the bowl of a food processor, using the dough attachment, add both the flours, butter, salt and the activated yeast and gradually add water. As you pulse the mixture it will all start coming together. The dough should be soft and not stiff. 

Or 

Put both the flours in a mixing bowl add the activated yeast mixture and the remaining water, gradually. Mix using a wooden spoon or your hands, till it all comes together. Then add the butter and salt. Mix.

3. Get the dough out on a work surface to knead with your hands.

Note: The dough might be a little sticky at this stage, do not add any more flour to the dough, it will result in a heavier texture. Instead grease your hand and the work surface a little and start kneading.


4. The correct way to knead is by putting it on the work surface and with the heels of the hands stretching the dough out and then folding it back and giving it a quarter turn.  

5. Knead the dough till its smooth and elastic. Should take about 8-10 minutes. Round up  the dough in a smooth ball, pushing the creases down.

6. Put the dough in a big bowl and cover with cling film or a damp kitchen towel and leave it till it doubles in size. 

7. Once the dough doubles, gently punch it down to take the air out and cut out 10 equal portions of the dough. And keep them under a damp kitchen towel. This is to prevent the formation of a crust over the dough and to keep it soft. 

8. Take out one portion at a time and divide it into 3 equal parts. 

9. Now roll each small part into a small ball, ensuring to keep the tops smooth and pinching down the creases at the bottom.

10. In a lightly greased cupcake tray arrange the 3 balls of dough as seen in the picture.

 

11. Cover and leave the trays till it doubles in size. This should take roughly 30 mins. Also, preheat your oven 230 ° C.

12. Bake the rolls at 230°C for about 10-12 mins.  


13. Once they are done, take the trays out of the oven and immediately brush the tops with some melted butter. 

14. Let them cool on a wire rack.

15. Serve with some butter, soup or they are good to eat on their own too.

Gur Rotis/ Indian flatbread with jaggery

“The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.” ~ Frances Moore Lappe

Looking back at my growing up years, I have memories associating people & places with food. When I think of my maternal grandmother, the first food that comes to my mind is sweet jaggery rotis or as she would call them ‘rote’. I remember her bent over the kitchen counter, praying under her breath, diligently working on making the best mithi rotis in this whole world. Her explanation for praying while cooking- your thoughts travel to the food and further to the nourishment it provides.  As children you find everything that grown- ups do amusing, but, many years later, I couldn't agree more.

She would knead the dough with jaggery water, add a generous amount of ghee (clarified butter), fennel seeds, sesame seeds and knead the whole thing into a smooth dough. Then came the cutest part, after rolling out the rotis n sprinkling the tops with poppy seeds, she would take off her ring, wash it well, dry it and then make these circular marks on the rotis. As a child I always thought this was her way of ‘branding’ what she made. But realized much later that it was done to make sure that they cook through. 

While the rotis are being cooked , your entire house is smelling of gur. Its heavenly ! Cooking  jaggery gives such an intoxicatingly sweet aroma, that I am sure if you stick your tongue out and stand for long enough you will be able to taste the sweetness as well.

My son is mad about these rotis and loves to snack on them and I am a happy mom.  Wholewheat flour, gur, ghee, a lot of different seeds…. It makes a great replacement for packaged biscuits, cookies & other stuff that has a shelf life so long, that I shudder to even think of all the preservatives they are laced with.

Sweet Jaggery Rotis

300 gms           Wholewheat flour
220 gms           Jaggery
50-65 gms        Ghee or clarified butter
1.5 tsp             Sesame seeds
1 tsp                Flax seeds
1 tsp                Fennel seeds
1 tsp                Poppy seeds
1/3 C               Water
1- 2 Tbsp          Ghee, to cook the rotis


1. In a pan add water and grated jaggery. Mix well till it has dissolved completely. Strain and let it cool.

2. In another bowl or dish add the flour, the jaggery water and all other ingredients.

3. Knead the dough, using extra water, if required.

4. Grease your rolling pin and the surface. Roll out thick rotis. If the rotis are rolled out thinly they get very dry and tend to harden up after being cooked.

5. Before putting them on the griddle prick them with a fork or a knife. It helps to cook them through.

6. Cook them on medium heat a griddle. Apply ghee on both sides of the roti,and cook on medium high flame, till they are cooked through.

NOTE: While cooking, handle them with care or they might break. Though they firm up once cooled.

Once cooled store the in an airtight container.