Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel(Guilt Free Snack)

Know what you Eat - Wheat, in its natural unrefined state, features a host of important nutrients. Therefore, to receive benefit from the wholesomeness of wheat it is important to choose wheat products made from whole wheat flour rather than those that are refined and stripped of their natural goodness.  Whole wheat is a very good source of dietary fiber and manganese. It is also a good source of magnesium. Whole wheat flour is rich in B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber  when compared to refined flours, as the processing involves the loss of this nutrition.



Who should avoid Wheat - However Wheat is fattening so if you are on weight loss program, cut down on grains like this and go more towards protein (legumes and bean). Individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating whole wheat because of its measureable oxalate content. Wheat has gluten, a protein which people with celiac disease cannot tolerate. Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.



Ingredients



1/4 c. water

1/2 Tbsp. yeast

1/2 Tsp. honey

5 oz milk

2 Tbsp butter

1 oz Honey

1 Tsp salt

2 cups Whole wheat flour



I found the recipe here and check out for step by step tutorial to make the pretzels.



Method



1) In a large bowl, mix the water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of honey. Stir this together and to dissolve the yeast. Let this sit for a few minutes .



2) Melt 2Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan.



3) Add 1oz of Honey, Salt and 5oz of Milk.Warm this for 5 minutes on low heat.



4) Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir.



5) Stir in the Whole wheat flour.



6) Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.



7) Cover it and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.



8) Pull it out of the bowl and knead it a few times to get the air out.



9) Pull a ball of dough, about the size of your fist off and get ready to make your very first pretzel! (such a proud moment) Roll it into a long snake.



10) Then twist it and shape each pretzel, put them on a cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.



11) Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan.



12) Right when you take the pretzels out of the oven, slather them with butter or Olive Oil(I didn't do this step but still the pretzel tasted great without the grease).  Then sprinkle salt over them and eat this guilt free snack warm and enjoy.



Will try to get the step by step pictures next time and post them back here.



Event Participation



This goes straight to the WYF Tea Time Snack event hosted by EC.



Sending this to Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast Food hosted by Radhika and Sudeshna.

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Multigrain Banana Nut Bread/Muffin & Awards

Know what you Eat - Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms. When fructooligosaccharides are fermented by these friendly bacteria, not only do numbers of probiotic bacteria increase, but so does the body's ability to absorb calcium. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Walnuts are also a very good source of the manganese and a good source of copper. In addition, walnuts contain the antioxidant phytochemical, ellagic acid. Whole wheat is good source of dietary fiber, Protein, Iron, B vitamins, Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc. Finger millet(Ragi) is a very nutritious food with a complex carbohydrate profile and low glycemic index. Oats, via their high fiber content, are known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Panela(Jaggery) is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It is rich in iron.

AWARDS TIME ONCE AGAIN

We got this award once again from two of our blogger friends. Thanks Suparna and Ashwini for passing on this award. Really appreciate it. The rule of this award is to share it with 7 people, and this time we would like to pass this on to Iraw Vegan, Pavani, Priya Narasimhan, Preethi, Sangeeta, Shubha and Vidya and to share 7 things about us.

Listing down 7 things about us:

Sadhana

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Gluten free, low carb & sugar baking

Something i would like to learn - Sanskrit

Short term goal - Do Yoga for atleast 15 mins.

Long term goal - To go and settle down back home

One of my weak points - Brooding over

One of my strong point - Not giving up

Hope Quotes - Shradha(Faith) & Saburi(Patience)

Muskaan

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Baking & Cake Decorating

Something i would like to learn - Salsa Dancing

Short term goal - Do Aerobics Everyday/Working for long term goal.

Long term goal - To work for a govt firm/ hospital

One of my weak points - Jump on Conclusions

One of my strong point - Caring & Responsible

Hope Quotes - 1.."Chinta Nahi Chintan Karo"(Stop Worrying But Enchant Gods Name) 2.. "Pay Attention for No Tension"

Now let us come back to the recipe. I normally bake a vegan version of this banana nut muffin, but this time i tried adding Panela(Jaggery) instead of Sugar. So replaced Sunflower Oil with butter as Jaggery/Molasses give a little harder texture to the baked goods and water with milk. It just came out perfect.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Whole Oats Flour - 1/2 cup

Whole Ragi(Finger Millet) Flour - 1/2 cup

Banana(Very Ripe ones) - 3

Panela(Jaggery) powder - 3/4 cup

Walnuts chopped - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup (If you are using all purpose instead of hard whole wheat flour you wouldn't need this much, so combine the batter and add if necessary)

Butter - 1/2 cup

Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Tbsp

Baking Soda - 2 Tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Preheat Oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit.

2) Beat the butter, add the jaggery and mix well.

3) Combine whole wheat flour, Oats flour, Millet flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder and sieve it well.

4) Mash the bananas and add it to the butter and jaggery mixture.

5) Now add the flour to the banana, butter, jaggery mixture and add the milk and combine thoroughly.

6) Add chopped walnuts and apple cider vinegar and stir to combine evenly.

7) Line a muffin pan with baking cups and pour 3/4th of cup with the batter .

8) Bake for around 15-20 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean, enjot this guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) This dish goes to Divya's cooking for kids evening snacks.

2) This dish also goes to Madhu's Whole Grain - Whole Wheat Baking Event.

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Vegan 4 Grain Strawberry Muffin/Cake

Know what you Eat : Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges. A recent study has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

I love to bake and baked goodies but after baking and eating them i really feel guilty of the amount of sugar and the carb in them. Now a days, i am trying to substitute all purpose flour with whole grain flours. For sugar with apple sauce and fruit juice, in this recipe i added 1 table spoon of beet pulp but really got scared at the color but after baking the color was all gone.


Cooking Time: 30mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves – 12 muffins

Ingredients

Chopped strawberries - 1 and 1/2 cups
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Whole barley - 1/2 Cup
Whole wheat pastry flour – 1/2 Cup
Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute, instead of chia add 1/2 tsp more of baking soda and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup
Beet Pulp - 1 tbsp
Raw Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 table spoon
Water - 1 Cup

Method

1) Grind whole barley and oats into powder
2) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, brown rice flour, Whole wheat pastry flour, Baking soda, salt, Cinnamon powder, Chia powder and sugar.
3) Mix the dry ingredients well and add Oil ,apple sauce and beet pulp.
4) Now add the chopped strawberries and add water and mix the batter well.
5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6) Pour this batter to 3/4 of muffin mould and bake for 20 to 30 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.
7) The muffin was slightly sweet if you have a sweet tooth add more sugar or serve with fruit preserves sweetened with fruit juice and fresh strawberries.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Whole Grain Baking Event - Barley hosted by Madhuram.

This dish is our contribution to Srivalli's Mithai Mela hosted by Cooking 4 all Seasons.
This goes to Strawberry Feast @ My kitchen treasures.
This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up event hosted by Lorie.

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