January 27, 2010

Steakhouse style Bushman bread, Easy Cinnamon-Sugar Rolls, Spicy Onion-Chilli Crackers

Hello friends....It's Wednesday, that time for my long "just-once-a-week-but-with-multiple-dishes-Books-Movies" post again! I do feel your pain..I do....I do! Please bear with me!! ;D

Here is a bread as I had planned to bake last week. I hadn't baked in few weeks, so I thought it's high time I used my oven. This particular Bread is called Bushman Bread. I am assuming here that it's a Australian country style bread as you can guess by it's name. Whenever we go to Australian style (Americanized?) Outback Steakhouse restaurant, they serve these freshly baked dark chocolate colored (almost like Ragi flour bread! :D), elongated bread speckled with yellow coarse cornmeal for a starter along with whipped soft butter and a big serrated knife. It's slightly sweet and very tasty bread, my kids fight over it. I desperately wanted to try to bake this bread at home but where do you I get the recipe?

Well...Todd Wilbur comes to the rescue of course!! He has written many "Top Secret Restaurant recipes" books, your favorite chain restaurant dishes which he experiments in his kitchen to replicate/clone the restaurant tastes. I have bought 3 of his books. I found this Bushman bread recipe is in his second book which also lists hundreds of recipes cloning different chain restaurant dishes. I have tried few of his KFC recipes like Coleslaw and Potato salad, turned out very well, some don't taste like the original but very close.

Honey-Wheat Bushman bread has a unique dark color which is hard to get just by adding Cocoa powder but this author has mastered that dark chocolate color by adding 3 different food colors. As you can see, bread is delicious by adding very less sugar, dark Molasses and some honey. This recipe I have used is almost as it is in his book except I added less honey and some Walnuts for texture. I made the shape of the bread to 4 round loaves instead of elongated shapes, less work for me and they freeze very well in air tight Zip-Lock bags for later use. I also made extra Virgin Olive oil dip with herbs for this bread (since I made my bread lot less sweeter than his recipe). I like it better than having it with Butter. Original Bushman bread as they serve in the Outback steakhouse looks like this. Enjoy.

Slice of Honey-Walnut Bushman Bread with soft whipped Butter:

I made this with less honey than required, so it will taste good with Herby Olive oil as a dip. If you want to make it sweet, add more honey and skip milk as I have given you in (....). Brush the whipped sweet Butter thinly on the slice and enjoy. Here are more breads, cakes etc. I have posted before in both of my blogs.

Make Yeast mix first:
1. Heat 1 1/4 cup water until luke warm.
2. Add 2 tsp Sugar and 1 Pack or 2 1/4 tsp of dry active Yeast and let it foam for 5 mins. Make sure dry Yeast is fresh, not sitting there in your pantry and expired as it happens to me sometimes.
3. Once foamed, add 1 1/4 tsps red food color, 1 tsp Yellow food color, 1 tsp blue food color to yeaat mix and mix. (Believe me, you get that amazing dark color with this mix of colorings!)
Keep few tbsps of coarse yellow Cornmeal for topping the dough.

Next:
1. Mix 2 cups Bread flour (or plain flour if you don't have the Bread flour), 1 3/4 cup whole Wheat flour, 1 tbsp Cocoa powder and 1 tsp salt, mix well.
2. Add 2 tbsp softened Butter at room temperature and mix with dry flour mixture, rub in the butter.
3. Add 3 tbsp finely chopped Walnuts, 2 tbsp Molasses, 2 tbsp Honey ( or 4tbsp honey if you want sweeter, skip milk), 2 tbsp Milk.
4. Add Yeast mixture to flour mixture, mix and knead for 10mins. Make a dough, cover and let it rise for 2 hours or double in size.

Then:
1. Divide this dough into 4 or 6 equal portions. I made into 4 round loaves. Traditionally, make into 6 portions, roll to a 6" by 2" elongated logs.
2. Rub some water on the loaves with your hand, then sprinkle Cornmeal on top of each, press gently to make then stick. Book says roll the whole log in Cornmeal but I thought sprinkling is on top is better. Your choice.
3. Place these on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap ot towel. Let it rise again for an hour or double in size again.
To bake:

Heat the oven to 350F.
Uncover the loaves and bake them for 30-40mins. Cool them on a rack and serve.

Honey-Wheat Bushman bread loaf with Olive oil and herb dip:
If you make the Bushman bread with less honey, not so sweet, Olive oil with herbs and lemon juice makes a wonderful dip for these slices. If you make it sweeter, just serve the slices with whipped Butter or Cream cheese.
Olive oil dip with herbs for not so sweet Bushman bread:

Whisk 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil, 2 tsp fresh Lemon juice, 1 tsp dry Italian mixed herbs, 1/4 tsp Garlic powder (Optional), pinch of salt and pinch of sugar well until well mixed and creamy.
Sending this to PJ's "No Cook" dishes event, enjoy the dip and thanks for hosting PJ.

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Crescent rolls:

When the kids come home from school in the evening tired and hungry, these are perfect for those times. I don't like desserts/sweets personally (give me few savory snacks anytime instead!:P) but I often make these little quick Cinnamon and sugar/brown sugar rolls using Pillsbury Crescent crust (comes in tubes) for my son. You can use any short crust pastry or bread dough and follow the same procedure. Dust with some sugar powder or drizzle with icing on top. If you want to try authentic Cinnarolls, click here for my recipe.
Here is how:
Open the can, spread the 8 triangles you get in the can on a non-stick cookie sheet. Pinch the dough gently and close all the gaps you see in the triangles to make one big rectangle sheet. Do not stretch or press the dough hard. Butter is not needed. Sprinkle 2 tbsps good quality sweet Cinnamon powder (not the spicy Cassia bark powder like Indian one) evenly on top, then sprinkle as much sugar as you like, white or brown sugar (ran out of Brown sugar which I prefer usually), press very lightly for them to stick. Take a plastic knife so you don't damage the non-stick surface of the cookie sheet with steel knife, cut lengthwise in the middle, roll from the side tightly to a long rope, seal the sides by pressing the ends. Repeat the other side.
Then cut about 2-3" portions out of long rope, separate the portions and put the upright with the swirls showing on top. Bake at 350F (or as the instruction says on the tube) for 15-17mins. Do not bake until very crispy. They cook as they cool but make sure sugar starts melt. Use your judgment how long to bake depending on your oven, ovens varie in temp. Take the sheet out, drizzle icing on top while they are hot or if you want to use Sugar powder on top, let the rolls cool before you dust then with confectioner's sugar . Cool thoroughly on a rack, store in a container with tight lid and serve.
Icing: Mix 1/2 cup Sugar powder and 2-3 tsps of milk or cream, mix to a creamy consistency. You can add food color of your choice of younger kids to make it attractive.
Sending this to Rahin's "Semi-Homemade" event. Thank you Rahin, enjoy the event! :)

Here ( http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/2009/03/two-kerala-delicacies.html) is another Savory Spinach and Feta rolls I made last year with the Pillsbury Crescent triangles.

Onion-Chilli Flakes baked Crackers:
Shammi of "Food in the Main" blog started this trend (Thank you Shammi!) of baking these great tasting "Crunchy baked Methi Biscuits" few years ago. She posted it in 2006 to be exact and this wonderful biscuit/crackers recipe caught on like wildfire making rounds in many blogs, just like the "No knead bread". We are all baking away these very tasty crunchy crackers with slight variations of our own ever since then.
I based the recipe for my Onion-chilli flakes crackers/biscuits on Shammi's original recipe with my own variation ie adding some Rice flour for crispness and few tbsps of Besan for taste and color (with not so healthy plain white flour too! :D). Didn't add Methi mainly because of unavailability of good quality Methi leaves here. Nevertheless, they taste fabulous. Here is my way with slight variation, enjoy.

For onion crackers, you need:
1 1/2 cups Plain all purpose flour, (you can use Whole Wheat flour)
6 tbsp rice flour,
2 tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour,
3 tbsp butter, melted,
2 tbsp oil,
1 tsp Baking soda,
1 tsp or more salt,
1 small Onion, very finely chopped,
2 tsp dry red chilli flakes or 2-3 fresh red or green chillies finely chopped,
1/2 tsp crushed Peppercorns and 1 tsp Garlic pd, (optional),
1 tbsp Sesame seeds,
2 tsp crushed or powdered cumin seeds,
2 tsp Coriander seeds, coarsely crushed or powdered,
1 tbsp each Coriander leaves and curry leaves,very finely chopped.
1/4 cup water or more as I needed.

To bake these crackers:
1. Mix all the above ingredients including herbs, soda, salt, butter and oil until crumbly first, then add water by the tbsps and knead gently to a slightly firm dough, adjusting the salt, spices and water as needed. Don't make it too soft like Chapati dough!
2. Roll out the dough to 1/8" or 1/4" thick circle, take a 2" or 3" round cookie cutter or in shapes like Shammi's biscuits and cut them out. (or you can take small portions of dough balls and press them to small circles by your palm or using your fingers as well)
3. Place them on a parchment paper on a cookie sheet/tray 1" apart from each other. Gather the remaining dough after you cut the rounds, knead to a mass again, roll out and cut more circles.

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Bake them for about 30-40mins depending on your oven or until they are slightly golden on the edges. Don't bake too long. They keep baking even after they are taken out of the oven.

Tip: Don't let them get too brown in the oven. If you think these crackers are slightly unbaked in the middle after you take them out and cooled, you can always put them in the microwave and heat up for few seconds/mins. Once they are cooled, they will get crisp again. Can't fix them if you let them bake too much, can you?!
I am sending these crackers to Priya's "Cooking with seeds-Sesame seeds" event, thanks for hosting Priya!
***************************************************************************************************************************
Movies I rented to watch from the Red box:

"Surrogates" ,
one of those Science fiction movies. It's alright, a entertaining thriller, watchable once. One man trying to save the humanity again, this time against the future Technology.
Bruce Willis is my son's most favorite actor. My son watches all his movies, specially "Die Hard" movies multiple times and even gets VERY upset if Bruce Willis dies in one of the movies! I think if Bruce Willis is ready to adopt him, my son will say "yes, please" and just move out of here in a second!! ;D
"SAW VI" released on DVD, latest one of my favorite scary movie "SAW" series. Mr.Jigsaw says "once you see death up close, then you know the value of life". So he tortures the bad people who don't care about others, lets them punish themselves and learn from this experience if they survive. This time, it's that Heath Insurance management guy's turn to pay for his sins who approves or disapproves your health insurance application, thereby deciding whether you and your family members live or die! A must watch but don't watch this movie if you don't have the stomach for blood and gore. Of course I loved it! GRUESOMEly awesome!!! Hahaha!
"This is it", Micheal Jackson's most beautiful last movie or rehearsal video recorded just before he died. He was truly a genius, looked reasonably healthy, a bit thin and nervous but very happy to be there on that stage. You can feel it in your bones how much love he had for music and perfection when you watch him act, dance, sing so naturally and as an artist, his unnecessary death is a humongous loss to us all. RIP, MJ.
"Bright Star", a love story between British poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. He dies at the young age of 25 of a disease, believing himself as failure as a poet! Very interesting and very tragic.

Book:
After sra commented about the book she was reading in my last week's post written by David Sedaris (who is from North Carolina which made me more curious about his books and found out that he is also on NPR's "This American Life."!), I quickly downloaded one of his books "Naked" to my Kindle 2. It's really hilarious to read, he has a wicked sense of humor. I just started reading the first few chapters, made me laugh already. Thanks sra.
I also ordered his book Me Talk Pretty One Day too but should have bought his Audio Cd book. Listen to a sample here, sounds so funny with NC accent, doesn't it? Can't wait to read the book. Nice change for me to read these lighthearted books with a smile after reading pretty serious books like "Push" and "Say you are on of them" last month!

Have a enjoyable weekend.

114 comments:

Finla said...

Beautiful colour that bushman bread is having. I love that it is genorously slatherd with butter.
But what i love most is that cinamon bread you know i am a sweet person :-)
I have never tasted onion crackers , but i am sure i would love it.
You read a lot, i should start reading again.

Raaga said...

yummy... I have puff pastry and thinking of making cinnamon sugar rolls with that... was telling a friend just yesterday :)

Sushma Mallya said...

Thats a perfect baked bread and rolls,loved the crackers as well, nice recipe asha, all the dishes are really a must try ...

Priya Suresh said...

Bushman bread sounds really yummy and love that dark colour bread..Tempting cinnamon sugar rolls, am planning this rolls for this weekend, let me see if am not lazy to bake up..

Onion chilli crackers looks fantastic, definitely gonna try soon..

Rachana said...

Bushman Bread looks so perfect, Cinnamon rolls are absolutely tempting...love it and the crackers look yummm... Absolutely great!!!!

Bong Mom said...

I made jeera biscuits once but with only atta, did not add besan. I will add a little besan next.

Lovely recipes. Can't write much, this trng guy is blabbering away

Pari Vasisht said...

hello.
I have fallen in love with this bread, would love to try but I do not have the blue food colour...
and I am surely trying these crackers with the methi leaves, they look great.Thanks for sharing them.

SE said...

a perfect looking bread and the pastries are very tempting !! i love the cinnamon rolls..

indosungod said...

Love the color of the Bushman bread and with the butter looks irresistible.
The onion crackers, got to make some.

I know snow this weekend, but I have just the book for the occasion :)

Nandinis food said...

Ooooh! It's full of baked goodies this time! This Bushman bread is soft and spongy! I wanna have a bite! And the cinnamon rolls are really kawaii!!!! :3 The crackers are spicy! Love their texture! Should watch this science fiction movie...

Soma said...

with butter it is! That looks beautiful. I guess the blue color added that deep hue to the bread.

Asha the cinnamon rolls are my favorite. I don't make or buy them for I am scared i will put on wt. as i cannot resist devouring ALL of it. It i something that makes me goes weak in my knees:-)

will make to make some crackers again.

ruchikacooks said...

The bread looks so rich in color and with a dollop of butter-gosh warm bread is heaven!

Cinnamon rolls from plain roll, thats so new. yum.
How did you manage to read, cook, blog and watch movies too asha ji? Poor MJ, when we were kids owning his music collection was a matter of pride. But all gone in few minutes.

Crackers is new to me, haven't tried those desi style masala biscuits. Marked it.

Pooja said...

yum yum yum.... if i put on weight after i resume food blogging you are one of the reason ! you make me feel hungry everytime I see your post :( . Can you believe I jsut had my breakfast !!! and here i am feeling hungry all over again !
Bread, rolls and crackers all looks soooo perfect !
Thanks for the movie reviews too, I am yet to watch all of those !
Hugs !

nitsie said...

Lovely Bread Asha.The onion crackers looks amazing,we make something similar to this called Matki.I admire ur reading habbit...nothing like books!.U have a great day:)

Mayuri said...

loved the color of bread, reminded me of the wheat bran buns(pooli) we used to get in goa(India).
my son loves cinnamon rolls this will be a good quick recipe to make for him for after school snack !!!

LifenSpice said...

Ashakka, no pain, only pleasure, i say:)

That bread looks too good! No wonder your kids fight over it. I would too:) Cinnamon rools and crackers look delicious too.

Cham said...

Amazing color - look like choco bread! I will go for the spicy crackers probably like you, should be great with a soup also!
Gosh U re a voracious reader!

Anonymous said...

love the colour of bushman bread.will try the spicy onion chilli crackers.thanks for the recipes.

shalini

Parita said...

Love the cinnamon sugar rolls and crunchy onion and chilli crackers, they are on my to do list from a long time :)

sra said...

That's one helluva handsome bread you got there! As you know, there are many posts I read for the post itself and not really for the recipes ;), but I read all about the bread today, and when I went down, what a colour!

I finished the Sedaris book I was reading too - really funny! I plan to borrow more if the library has them. I read this book called A Change of Altitude by Anita Shreve and want to try more of her books. I read one of her books long long ago but don't remember what it was. I've also borrowed a book called Home by Marilynne Robinson, an award-winning writer, can't wait to start that. Am at parent's place for a short visit, left the book behind.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

loving the bread looks awesome. and those onion crackers look like they are calling my name!

Jaya M said...

Asha,
lovely and delicious spread...and all the baked goodies look delicious..
hugs and smiles

FoodLovers said...

Asha ... Good to see u back with all yummy recipes ...
Pls collect ur award from my blog

Meera said...

I always look forward to your post. As always, enjoyed it. Crackers, bread, rolls all look fab.
How do you like your kindle2.0? Hubby and I were discussing about it just the other day...

Namitha said...

I can't take my eyes off from the bushman bread :D what a color !! Your cinnamon rolls have turned out perfect, You are tempting me to make some soon :-) Lovely crackers as well...but still I am going back to the bread again ..;-)

Recipeswap said...

u know what I liked the most today?The onion chilli crackers.It kinda reminds me of the khara biscuit from the iyengar bakeries.

Vikis Kitchen said...

Thanks for the cinnamon roll recipe. Gonna try now. Bread and dip seems so perfect dear.

AnuSriram said...

Bushman bread is new to me.. looks inviting! And the cinnamon rolls looks awesome! Love the crackers too...

kalpana said...

hii asha, oh you are back..so sorry, i didnt know that...
iam so glad your back! ohh now i feel like blogging again..welcome back..you inspire me :)
I didnt bake for a longtime...gonna try your bushman bread... :)

FH said...

Thanks girls, enjoy all of them! :)

Meera, Kindle 2 is the best! Your eyes don't get tired if you read it for a lomg time, it's almost reading a book except you can load so many books and put it in your handbag. I recommend it, fully worth the money. Kindle edition books are also cheaper than buying books.

Neema, they do taste like Iyengar bakery crackers too, we love them plus they are baked! :)

Usha said...

Bushman bread looks so very interesting, I cannot wait to try it! Loved the cinnamon rolls too :-)

Cynthia said...

I think that I will start with those onion-chili crakers!

Margie said...

Hi Asha
Oh, you have made me so hungry!
I just got home from work and have not had lunch yet.

I know I would love the bread and the sugar cinnamon rolls too!
You are such a good cook!

I really love visiting and seeing what you have to share!
Thank you!

Have a great weekend, my friend!

Margie:)

Preety said...

lovely recipes..

Cinnamon rolls and my fav too..love to have them right now..

I am also looking forward to watch THIS IS IT..may be next week..

Gita Jaishankar said...

Looks like you have had a busy week with baking...but that's a great stress buster right :) I wanted to try cinnamon rolls from scratch, I think I can try yours now. Regarding the movies, try watching "The Hangover" It was crazy funny and we had a good laugh :)

FH said...

Chilli crackers are the best, hope you try and enjoy too.

Gita, already watched "Hangover", really funny, "adult" humor! :D

Sreelu said...

Asha,

You are one talented baker I say, bread and roll both look so appetizing and so do craker too :)

Can't wait to read books suggested by both my favorite bloggers

Hayley said...

Absolutely great food here...kids party it would go really well..very colourful bread...yummy cinamon rolls and onion crackers...wow...next kids half term, i'll give it a go...

Padmajha said...

Loved that color of the bread.All your goodies make me hungry now!Thanks for sending the dip for my event..

Uj said...

Loved the choco colour of the bushman bread.. Looksyummy.. I love cinnamon bread but have never tried making my own. Bread is an area that I have still not ventured into.. Delicious post. I was looking for few books to read.. will go thru your earlier posts too and pick some books. Thanks :)

krystyna said...

You are tempting me Asha - everything looks yuuummy.

I'd like to see SAW VI also.

My best wishes and hugss.

ruchikacooks said...

I just saw about the stormy conditions up there, I guess you are gonna watch more movies due to it :D

Half the time at ours, the movie will be running but I move around doing chores and just make up using dialogues I hear..

EC said...

Getting a MW with convention mode is among my to do list for this year..I am just waiting for the right opportunity to get it and start eggless baking..the crackers would be a nice start..

Ranjani said...

Those cinnamon rolls look gorgeous- I love going to Ikea just to get the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls-bet your house smelt awesome!!

Lakshmi said...

I still remember that methi biscuits post of Shammi. Your version of crackers looks yumm Ashakka. I have to bake some now as it is simple enough to do it. I was drooling over those cinnamon sugar rolls...

Red Chillies said...

Love that rich color of the bread and with butter on it looks awesome.
Nice recipe for the onion crackers. Will try your version soon.

jayasree said...

Ashakka, your wednesday posts are definitely a treat.

Loved the deep color of the bread and with butter on it, its very tempting.

Have baked mathri's similar to those crackers. Wanted to try baking maddur vada. Looking at your recipe, it gives me the confidence to go ahead.

Yummy cinnamon rolls too.

symphony said...

The Bushman bread looks awesome with color and texture.
About the cinnamon sugar rolls,am dying to have them.They look so yummy on screen..

Unknown said...

i just love the colour of the bread and it looks so soft..and the cinnamon rolls, i do want to try this soon..

chef and her kitchen said...

Lots of baked goodies..all look fantastic...

lubnakarim06 said...

Bread looks gorgeous and nice name too....rolls make me hungry so as crakers....hmmm now i have to start hunting for that book....

FH said...

Hi girsl, please use brown sugar if you can for the Cinnamon rolls. Way better than the white sugar in taste and color.
Methi biscuits are similar to Mathri, just baked instead of fried! :)

Ruchika, I don't think I have any movies left to watch this week!! Hahaha! I do have old British Sherlock Holmes DVDs I could watch but Saturday we are driving to UNC to visit the daughter, will be very cold and snow indeed.
I get few hours after my son leaves home to school, that's when I watch them. Once it's 4pm, don't get time for myself.

rachel said...

lovely bakes.

Swapna said...

Perfect looking bread and nice colour too! Cinnamon rolls are my lil one's fav...he just finished one dish yesterday only.... those Crackers looks very tempting too...

Malar Gandhi said...

Wow, I like the name 'Bushman Bread'...thought its from Africa, kalahari...he he:):) Bread sounds so tastee...yes, I cud' fight over it too:)

Like the savoury crackers...looks pretty. And rolls luk divive, lovely picture...yummmm.

suvi said...

Can bread be gorgeous? I guess yes, if it looks like that!! Sounds perfect with that dip.

Vrinda said...

Beautiful looking bread,relly liked the color u got there...Cinnamon roll,one of my fav sweet,can feel the aroma here..First, let me try ur onion crackers,sounds wonderful...

Shammi said...

How nice to get a mention on your blog! :) Your variation on the crackers is tempting. I haven't made baked crackers in a while, so a nice chance to try out a different recipe.

David Sedaris, here I come! I've mainly been downloading old classics on my Kindle. I was so thrilled to get the entire works of P G Wodehouse for $3.99! As always, thanks for your book reviews.

I cant imagine how you watch those horror movies, though. i saw part of a Saw movie and it nearly made me sick! :) I'm a wimp!

Rujuta D said...

Hi Asha,
Thanks for visiting my blog and your lovely comments..
Great blog......wonderful recipes and lovely clicks..esp Slice of Honey-Walnut Bushman Bread with soft whipped Butter is looking so tempting and delicious........
M following you......
http://theworldaccordingtorujuta.blogspot.com/

FH said...

Thanks girls, enjoy the bread and crackers, good to snack on! :)

Shyam, I was eyeing those Methi biscuits of your's for a long time, didn't have opportunity to bake, did it finally. They taste out of this World, thanks for posting the recipe.
There are so many free Classic books at Amazon as well. Just type "free Kindle books", you get wonderful collection of free or $.99 books.
Horror movies, specially SAW series are not everybody's cuppa tea!! ;D

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

When I saw Foodieshope highlighted I was wondering what would be waiting here, mmm when I dropped in it was like a feast to my eye, though I cursed for not having anything real infront of made up my mind and kept reading lost time and I moved back to the pics to relish again ;) love those cinnamon rolls mmm wish I were there ha ha ha!!1

Siri said...

Beautiful Bread..yummy dip & Lovely looking cinnamom rolls & crackers Ashaji :).. I saw 'This is it' too.. isn't it amazing how much hardwork MJ put into this whole concert.. and I loved the last 'nature' song v.v much...

..will try the books you recommended.. I need something light to read too!..

Hugs,
Siri

Sunitha said...

Omg! Now how will I help myself. I love the rolls from 'outback' Thanks you very much for sharing the recipe.. will have to try it. I can't get over it.. I just love those rolls!

Urmi said...

I appreciate for your wonderful presentation with mouth watering dishes. All the dishes are excellent. I will definitely try all your recipes.

Deepthi Shankar said...

oh those crackers, they lookjust awesome

Manasi said...

I envy u.. I can never .. NEVER make bread that looks and tastes gorgeous!
Those cinnamon rolls are on my list! I never knew that it uses a different cinnamon.. thanx ))
I like those crackers... I must try those!

Pravs said...

I love steakhouse bread..couldn't have enough of it,when in restaurant :) To see a recipe of it is just great. you have baked it to perfection and beautiful color. Again another one of my fav....cinnamon sugar rolls !! you are killing me asha with this post :)when can i come over ?? :D

Shri said...

Love the color of the bread..The crackers look fab..I was looking for interesting reads and am glad you shared your reads..

Rahin said...

Hi Asha, we love Cinnamon rolls, thanks for coming up with a semi home made recipe, they look super cute n delicious so do the bread and crackers

Uma said...

as always all the dishes look sooo delicious and tempting.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Quite taken with that "Bushman's bread" Unusual name for an unusual bread! And your crackers have my name on them. Like you, I prefer savoury snacks but bake for my husband and daughter mostly.

Sorry, haven't visited in a while and trying to catch up with all the backlog! :D

gtyuk said...

Saw Surrogates and Saw 6, loved both of them, who wouldn't like bruce willis :)? Bruce willis or Sean connery, these are one of those few bald headed guys liked by all ladies.....:):)

Bushman bread and the Onion-Chilli Crackers look delicious; the bread must be tasting wonderful with the whipped butter but I would prefer the olive oi/herbs dip on a hot slice equally !!!miam, miam !!!
All of us are sweet eaters at home, so, the Cinnamon Rolls would be a big welcome among us, they look gorgeous!!

have a nice week end!!!

Kalpana said...

Hey, posted the pic in my blog... :)

J said...

I was looking for those methi-onion biscuits too...thanks for posting them! Will bake them today.

ವನಿತಾ / Vanitha said...

Ashakka..Bushman bread looks awesome..and wonderful crackers too:)
Do watch 'Proposal'..gud comedy movie,, & my 2 fav books are Shantharam & thousand splendid suns..

Ann said...

Hi Asha, this Bushman Bread is very intriguing. "Bushman" is a term (nowadays considered a little derogatory) coined to describe the Khoi-San tribe that lives in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana/Namibia. They are a very nomadic people with little western influence. So when I saw this post, I reeled over backwards thinking "The Bushman eat this BREAD???? How on earth do they bake it, and where the &*^(*% do they get YEAST????"
Then I saw the Outback reference. Hmmmmm...so I guess its a term used in Australia too?
Small world...
I'm not a big fan of Outback restaurants, apart from that bloomin' onion, but I definitely want to give this bread a try! Thanks for sharing.... That secret restaurant recipes book also has me intrigued too.....

FH said...

Vanitha, I have watched "Proposal" (Sandra Bullock), very funny. I have read both Shantaram(have reviewed somewhere I think) and Thousand splendid sun (borrowed audio CDs from the library) too, love the books although took mnts to read Shantharam because it's so big! :)

FH said...

Ann, somebody else mentioned that too about African word "Bushman". Here, it is from the American style Australian restaurants. I had never heard that name too before I saw it in that book! :D
I do think it's referred to a Australian bread, most probably meant to like "Australian country bread" as in every European country has one of their own country breads. Tastes great though, whatever the name is.

ruchikacooks said...

Yeah, I just saw it on weather section, for once we are glad that we are out of east coast.Any chances of seeing a souper soup for next week ;)

A friend of mine suggested to do the disable click..Removed it now, you should be able to surf freely at ours.

FH said...

R, it's getting very very cold now, probably start snowing after 5pm. Usually, weather is good around here most of the time, Blue Ridge mountain stops the severe weather from us but if the chill comes down from Canada like right now, we are toast(iced?)!! :D

I had that right click disable in my blogs too for sometime, I couldn't edit my own post, so I took it out. Thanks girl. Enjoy your weekend.

Srivalli said...

Oh my God Asha, only after I read your posts, I get to know of so many events!..hehehe..the post is simply awesome..I love that bread..and yeah those crackers have been on my mind for long..

Interesting to note abt your kindle..how good is it?..I am not sure if you read, I published my eBook, now trying to convert it to kindle..so wanted to know abt the sw!..thanks..

Simi Mathew said...

Thankyou for dropping by my blog Asha ! Love the Bushman Bread- the texture and the color looks so perfect and I am sure it tasted heavenly too....

lissie said...

Asha, a beautiful gift is waiting for you in my blog...plz collect it.

Bushman bread looks perfect and delicious! yummy cinnamon rolls..feels like grabing one right now!

Gattina Cheung said...

Helle Asha, I'm always thinking of you!!! Those books from Todd Wilbur sound interesting, next time when we visit US I must go to bookstore take a look!... It must be very lucky to be your family (or even neighbor), as they can enjoy the wonderful aroma coming out from your kitchen all day long!
Keep on the good work, you are the best Asha!!! *hug from gattina*

Miri said...

The bread looks wonderful!!! :)

Thanks for the cracker recipe - will also look up the other ones

amna said...

all these items are new to me. the bread sounds and looks good!

FH said...

Sri, my dishes were appropriate for their event, so I send them to them. I don't really cook specially for any event now, if I have it already, I will send it! :))

Kindle is wonderful, I love it. reading in Kindle is very comfortable to my eyes and also books are convenient and fast to get. I don't buy PDF cookbooks, I prefer the books I can flip thru' in my own time. I saw a blog2print too, I might get my own book as well!

Cyberkitty said...

The bread looks really yummy..

I haven't seen any of the SAW movies. I find horror movies really scary and I am too squeamish so i don't watch them :)

Unknown said...

Hello Asha after a long time in your blog.......Bushman bread and sugar rolls looks great.

Yasmeen said...

I'm eyeing on the bread and crackers,simply superb :D

Kalpana said...

Hey, I did not mention Rava Idly anywhere... I think you misunderstood or clicked the wrong blog... take care dear!!!

Swapna said...

I loved the bread and the rolls... great post Asha...

Myvegfare said...

That bread is so eye-catching, I am so happy that you are still blogging!!, with inviting recipes, the crackers are looks so crispy and nice may be next week I will try this, and the cinnamon rolls look great, I know it will disappear if I make them, I have been thinking of making some pastry dough, I have some recipes which need the dough, I am still postponing as I want make the pastry of my own!! God! knows when,,, Like Julie & julia you are a big inspiration for me to read books, I used to read a lot, now I read a lot of cookery books!!, I am get into the habit of reading books again, My daughter is insisting me that I should read two books of her favourite choice 'A catch in the rye' & 'To kill a Mocking bird'.

FH said...

Thanks to all of you for your comments, enjoy the weekend! :))

Kalpana, a big OOPS! Thought you are referring to Rava Idli pics. Saw your Republic day photo, gorgeous!

Jaya,both those books are classic, my daughter had those for High school English class, loved reading them both. Enjoy!

Spice said...

All recipes are wonderful...but specially like the bread...already tried crackers once but now as u have reminded, may be once more now...

FH said...

Thanks S, bread is delicious, hope you try. Crackers, I am craving for more now, may be I will bake some today! :D

FoodLovers said...

bushman bread is inviting asha ...
cinnamon bread is yummy ..
iam sure onion crackers would also taste yummy

Nehal said...

The Dip looks yummy!!! Oh yes, and I am going to try making the crackers soon.

FH said...

Enjoy the baked crackers, FL and Nehal. Have a great start of the week! :))

Dershana said...

that bread looks beautiful! the cracker sounds like the khaara biscuit we used by from our neighbourhood baker while at bangalore.

asha, i loved that flax seed molaga podi you made, i made it with a few other ingredients thrown in. it came out fantabulous. thanx :-)

Sujatha said...

Onion Chilli Crackers sound too good, Asha! Perfect snack for tea time.. I also like your bread.. gorgeous color and texture!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

i am so tempted to try these crackers.. delicious recipes.

Divya Kudua said...

Love the bread Ashakka..lovely brown colour.I've always wanted to try out the Onion crackers..looks too good:):)

Shionge said...

Just wanna come to fix my hunger pang but most importantly to give you a big big HUG...MUAH :D

Thanks for checking on me too Asha...thank you, thank you.

ruchikacooks said...

You are so lucky ashaji even when watching a movie half the time I am mentally making a list of things to do once the movie is over :) I had a stormy weekend almost had an accident went to eat sushi to celebrate that it did't happen and then got sick 'coz of the food:(

Pavithra Kodical said...

Bushman bread looks beautiful, i am unable to resist the temptation..Cinnamon rolls and Onion crackers looks perfect.Thanks for the recipe :)

FH said...

R, glad you are all safe. We did a 360degree spin too on the road last Saturday, almost hit a truck. Luckily we are safe too.
Hope you recovered from Sushi. I have never eaten one so far, bit scared to eat raw seafood although my husband insists that they are good. Take care.

Pavithra, crackers are yum, must bake some more again! :)

Ash said...

Hey Asha,

thanks for sharing your love on my post..... It really means a lot.... I simply loved that bushman bread.... It looks so tempting & mouthwatering.... Tempting me to taste it once..... Hmmmmmmm!!!!! Yummy!!!! I bet.....

All the pics are adorable..... Simply mind boggling......
U R A G (GENIUS)!!!!!

Ash...
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

Laavanya said...

Oh that description of the bread makes me want to try it. We love the bread they give at macaroni grill as well - is herbed and delicious.
The cinnamon roll is definitely a breeze and a glaze on that would make it a lower fat cinnabon am sure.
I tried baking crackers once but it didn't turn out good = must try this recipe.
Take care asha and stay warm.

Raks said...

Bread and cinnamon rolls looks so yummy and crackers sound good too Asha! Nice entries for the events!

FH said...

Thanks to all of you girls, enjoy life and family. Hugs to you all! :))

swapna susarla said...

Hi Asha
The cinnamon buns looks yummy!!My hubby loves them.Wanted to try at home but never could!!You are my inspiration for this one.
Thanks.

Neha said...

I just made this bread yesterday (without the colors, coz I didn't have any - so doubled the cocoa powder, used maple syrup as a sweetner) and it turned out amazing!!!! thank you!!

FH said...

Neha, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, bread is tasty, makes a great breakfast or snack. Maple syrup sounds wonderful. Enjoy! :)