SOURDOUGH DISCARD WHOLEMEAL PARMESAN CRACKERS

Hey guys! If you’ve been following me, then you know I’ve been in love with making sourdough bread after I recently tried it out for the first time.

Sourdough discard is something people generally trash but I found an interesting way to incorporate this into something very delicious and healthy. So I had put my discard to use and created these delicious Sourdough Discard Wholemeal Parmesan Crackers! Flavoured these with robust dried thyme leaves and full of super foods like flax seeds. Parmesan cheese added an extra oomph and bran makes it more fibrous and healthy. Sprinkling it with kosher salt turns this cracker into a perfect combination to serve with your favourite cheese! I tried these with a new cheese called Charnwood smoked paprika...and I absolutely loved these, and I bet you will too!

PREP TIME: 7 minutes

BAKING TIME: 20 minutes

PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour MAKES: 40-45

INGREDIENTS

• 185g sourdough discard

• 1 cup atta flour

• 1/4 wheat bran

• 25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

• 80g unsalted butter, room temperature but still slightly firm

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tbsp flax seeds

For topping:

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, for sprinkling

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing

METHOD

1. In a bowl, add sourdough discard, flour, wheat bran, parmesan cheese, butter, flax seeds, dried thyme and salt. Mix them all together to form a firm dough. Do not over work the dough, mix until just combined.

2. Divide the dough in half, shape them into two rectangles. Place one rectangle on a large parchment sheet or silicon mat and roll it to 3 mm thickness. Don't worry if your dough seems crinkly from the sides, try to make it as much smooth as possible while rolling. Repeat the same with the other piece of dough.

3. Stick the rolled dough sheets in the fridge for an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

5. With the brush, spread the olive oil on the rolled dough sheets. Sprinkle it with kosher salt. Using the pizza wheel, cut the dough into 2 inch by 2 inch squares or shape of your choice.

6. Lift squares with flat spoon and place them on lined cookie sheet keeping them 1 cm apart from each other. Bake it for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden on the sides. Remove and transfer on the cooling rack to cool completely. Preserve these in airtight container for up to a week.

COOK'S NOTES

• It’s easier to make this dough with hands but you can also use a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to mix the dough.

• I have used thyme, but oregano and rosemary goes really well too.

• Its important to rest the dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour as it makes the crackers more crispy.

• You can preserve these in airtight container for up to a week.

#sourdoughcrackers #Sourdoughdiscard #parmesancrackers #wholemealcrackers #easyrecipe #plantbased #bakesandbites #crackers #cheeseandcrackers

WATERMELON AND LIME POPSICLES

What better way it would be to quench your thirst in this sizzling hot summer...grab these watermelon lime sicles to arrest your senses back with these refreshing popsicles. It’s just 3 ingredients and fixed in minutes...so so easy and quick to make. Kids love it and so do the adults.

Please do write the feedback and post comments in the comments section below the recipe. It means the whole world to me to know someone out there is trying out my recipes. You can tag me on my Instagram page: instagram.com/simranskitchenoman/

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PREP TIME: 5-7 minutes

PASSIVE TIME: 4 hour MAKES: 7

INGREDIENTS

• 650g Watermelon chunks, skinned and deseeded

• 1/4 cup caster sugar

• 2 tbsp lime juice

Equipment needed:

• Ice pop moulds/ plastic or paper glasses 100ml capacity

• 7 paddle pop sticks

METHOD

1. In an electric blender, blend watermelon chunks, sugar and lemon until smooth.

2. Strain throughout fine sieve. Transfer in a pouring jug. Pour in the moulds or paper glasses. Set it in freezer for 2 hours.

3. Now, put the paddle pop sticks in the center and let it freeze for 4-6 hours or until fully set.

4. Dip the mould in water for 3 seconds and unmould to enjoy.

COOK'S NOTES

• Mint can be added for extra freshness to the popsicles. Blend few mint leaves along with watermelon and strain.

• Its best to use seedless watermelon. If you can't find seedless variety, carefully remove as much seeds as possible from watermelon before blending.

#watermelonpopsicles #popsicles #watermelonandlimepopsicles #vegandessert #easyrecipe #plantbased #summerdesserts #refreshingdesserts

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

These super easy to make shortbread cookies are a burst of flavour and colour. A perfect contrast of green and red colour from cranberries and pistachios gives you the festive vibe and are also very inviting to munch with a cuppa.

These light and buttery shortbreads give the right balance of sweetness and crunch from the fruit and nut used in the cookies. I try to keep a batch ready at the back of my freezer handy to make them for a lunch box snack at times.

You can also add some dark chocolate chips to add to the crunch and sweetness.

Make it during festive times and it can be a perfect little gift treat for Christmas, wrapped up in a bag and tagged with fancy ribbon.

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YIELDS: 25-30 cookies

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

BAKING TIME: 12-15 minutes

PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 1 1/4cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 egg, room temperature

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

METHOD

1. In a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in colour. Add the extracts and egg, and blend for 2 minutes until the egg is well combined.

2. In a large bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add cranberries and pistachios to dry mix.

3. Drop 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter mix and blend for 2 minutes until combined.

4. Add the remaining dry flour mix in two batches to the butter mixture and blend until it is well combined.

5. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly to make it smooth. Divide the dough in 2 batches. Shape one batch of the dough into a thick log, about 2 inch thick in diameter. Place the log on large sheet of cling film and wrap it tightly. Twist and knot the sides of the plastic wrap to secure from the ends. Freeze it for 1 hour.

6. Repeat step 5 for the other batch.

7. Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Remove the cookie dough out from the freezer, unwrap the cling film and cut the log into 1/4 inch thick discs. Place them on cookie sheet 1.5 inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges.

9. Transfer on to the cooling rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.

COOK'S NOTES:

• These logs can be prepared days ahead and stored in freezer.

• The wrapped dough logs will stay in freezer for up to 2-3 months. Discard the plastic and cut and bake as per the recipe.

• If preserving the cookie dough in freezer for later use, make sure these logs are wrapped tightly in the plastic wraps to avoid freeze burning.

• Baked cookies store well up to a week in an airtight jar.

• Don't over bake the cookies else your shortbreads will be slightly hard.

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