Comments on: Curry Leaf Bread

By: Janani

Janani — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 04:59:12 +0000

Monica, I grew up in bangalore too! I relived all my times at bangalore’s iyengar bakeries reading this post. i have flour and yeast and my pantry and have been looking for a good nudge to start baking bread. this one did it for me. thanks for sharing the recipe

By: harmonious

harmonious — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:36:15 +0000

Just made this bread this past weekend. It is fantastic. Topped it with some curry chicken salad. Wow.

By: Luis Villa

Luis Villa — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:09:47 +0000

I’d love to try this recipe, but fresh curry leaves are impossible to find in Mexico where I live. My wife brought some dry curry leaves from a trip to India. Will they work for this recipe? Should I put them in hot water first to rehydrate them?
thanks!

By: CT

CT — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:35:16 +0000

Thank you for the interesting recipe. I made it yesterday with only the substitution of fresh grated turmeric for the dried powder. I used King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour (1# 5.3oz was the weight of 4 level cups); mixing and kneading in the Kitchen Aide with dough hook.
As written, the recipe gave me a very stiff dough. I added about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of water which helped but still noticed a slow rise and essentially zero oven spring.
The bread has a rich aroma and a fairly dense texture. The milk gives it a soft crumb, so I would not use it for something like sandwiches, though it tastes good toasted.
All in all, I would make it again, but would try to get the dough a bit lighter, hoping for a better rise.

By: faustianbargain

faustianbargain — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:25:42 +0000

gah. mustard seeds..not leaves. doh!

By: faustianbargain

faustianbargain — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:24:58 +0000

thanks for this, monica. i have baked many varieties of indian spiced yeasted breads. here is my twist to it. two things i do slightly different..buttermilk and secondly, a little bit of cornmeal. i make the dough with chopped green chillies and make smaller bite sized bread instead of shaping it like a loaf. you can also place a small ball of aloo stuffing(like inside a masala dosa)…with curry leaves and a little bit lemony with mustard leaves. it will be exactly like the potato buns from the bangalore iyengar bakeries..variations: fennel, cumin…etc etc. cheers!

By: the good soup

the good soup — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:29:26 +0000

Hi Monica, on the curry plant- I’m assuming that’s the small plant that looks somewhat like a rosemary bush?- do you have any particular uses for it, if not as a substitute for curry leaves? I’ve always wondered, as it grows very easily in my garden but remains neglected (culinarily).

By: RG

RG — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:09:59 +0000

My mom has a curry leaf plant in her backyard. Its a spice that is in practically every dish she prepares and curries just arent the same without this tempering spice. Often times when she has come to visit me she brings along a plastic bag full of curry leaves. If I were as talented a cook as she I would whip up this curry leaf spiced powder but alas Im not – they end up in my freezer. Next time around I am def going to put some of those to use to make this recipe. Thanks for the idea!
RG

By: Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:35:49 +0000

I know an Indian woman who is exceptional cook, but uses her oven as a storage space for pots and pans. Occasionally she’ll try one of my cakes and remark that I should show her how to make it, but teaching baking to a 75-year-old who rarely measures ingredients or uses the oven sounds pretty daunting.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:52:02 +0000

sounds yummy!

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:11:08 +0000

This is kind of a general question on flavored bread.
If one wanted to alter the recipe to start with a sponge and an overnight rest, would it be best to use only flour and yeast as the dry ingredients in the sponge, and then mix the spices in with the rest of the dry ingredients when completing the dough, or does it not matter?

By: Apple

Apple — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:57:50 +0000

This looks absolutely awesome – I’ll try it this weekend after I hit up the indian grocery =) A quick question about the flour measurement – is it a sifted or unsifted 4c?

By: Shabaritha

Shabaritha — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:14:31 +0000

Oh thank you Thank you Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have tried to make similar kind of bread with dhill but it always turns out dry. Can’t wait to try out your recipe.

By: Debra

Debra — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:20:27 +0000

This is so exciting. I’ve recently discovered curry leaves at our Indian grocer and would love to try this bread with a simple curry some night. Thank you for sharing this!

By: Natalie Sztern

Natalie Sztern — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:31:35 +0000

I have a problem with bread which is why I don’t bake it and try very hard not to buy it: butter is my problem…I can eat a loaf of bread and butter all by myself and I don’t realize it until it is too late…I know its psychological; like a drug.

By: Tags

Tags — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:55:06 +0000

Nari Bhatia’s nursery in River Edge, NJ is a great place for Indian ingredients. Nari was featured on Ruth Reichl’s “Adventures with Ruth,” and after fish missionary Jon Rowley, he’s my favorite subject of that show.

http://www.bhatia-nurseries.com/

By: Abigail Blake

Abigail Blake — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:50:44 +0000

I’m always looking for more uses for the curry leaves we grow. Never thought of bread but will definitely put it on the to do list.

One bonus of growing your own curry leaf plant is that you will find that it constantly puts out lots of little suckers so you can keep your friends supplied with curry plants too.

By: Tinky

Tinky — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:28:54 +0000

Wow! Can’t wait to try this. And Monica, I’m bad with the weights too; I just fluff and go. Now find a curry-leaf plant….

By: Ria Mathew

Ria Mathew — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:56:50 +0000

I completely agree with Monica when she says baking is not something you grow up with, in India. Luckily my whole family bakes. My mom was and still is the baker in our community! I am glad that I could learn it at an early stage. But most of the homes depend on bakeries for their breads, cakes and cookies. And if someone did bake a cake, it is then a celebration!

The bread looks delicious. I had already bookmarked this recipe when I was browsing through her book. All I need is some fresh curry leaves because my curry leaf plant is in a dormant stage as of now, due to winter.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

By: Tweets that mention Curry Leaf Bread | Michael Ruhlman -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention Curry Leaf Bread | Michael Ruhlman -- Topsy.com — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:55:16 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ruhlman, Monica Bhide and others. Monica Bhide said: My Curry Leaf Bread is on Michael Ruhlman's blog!!!!!!! Many, many thanks @ruhlman –>>> http://j.mp/egvl01 [...]