{"id":2263,"date":"2008-11-11T11:26:15","date_gmt":"2008-11-11T18:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecurry.com\/blog\/?p=2263"},"modified":"2012-03-06T11:32:43","modified_gmt":"2012-03-06T18:32:43","slug":"poee-mildly-spiced-goan-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ecurry.com\/blog\/breads-buns-rolls\/poee-mildly-spiced-goan-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Poee: Mildly Spiced Goan Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"poee-1\"<\/p>\n

Goan cuisine\u00a0has very strong Portuguese & Iberian connections. The\u00a0 art of baking bread was brought to Goa by the European Missionaries. The\u00a0bread came to be such an essential part of a Goan breakfast that there came a time, “towards the end of the Portuguese rule, when every village had its own local bakery.” Goan bakers adapted\u00a0the European influence\u00a0and added local ingredients to their bread giving it a very distinct Goan flavour. They used to use toddy instead of yeast for leavening.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Known as ‘poee<\/strong>‘, it is a\u00a0what what like a Pita \u00a0bread,\u00a0butterfly shaped and\u00a0 airy\u00a0inside. It is very soft and spongy within. It is sold in markets and bakeries\u00a0all over Goa. They are eaten with many savoury dishes like “Black Eyed peas in Spicy Goan Curry<\/strong>” (will post this later), but may be eaten with any Indian or non Indian dishes. The name seems to have some controversies.. being also called as “pao” or “poli” . But I suppose “poee”, “pao” & “poli” are all breads alright, but of different kinds and shapes.<\/p>\n

This recipe is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s “Flavours of India”. The moment I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.\u00a0\u00a0Since most leavened breads use eggs or some kind of dairy too, this looked so easy, with the ingredients as simple as salt & flour with the addition of yeast. I have used part Whole Wheat Flour, as opposed to the use of refined flour in the recipe. I have also added some light spice for some light flavors.<\/p>\n

I am sending to Vegan Ventures, Round 2<\/a> hosted by Suganya from Tasty Palettes.<\/span><\/p>\n

& To Susan’s Yeastspotting.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Makes 6 breads.<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
    \n
  1. 1\/2 teaspoon sugar<\/li>\n
  2. 1.5 teaspoon dried yeast<\/li>\n
  3. 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour, plus extra for dusting<\/li>\n
  4. 1.5 cups of All Purpose Flour<\/li>\n
  5. 1 Teaspoof of Ajwain (carom seeds)<\/li>\n
  6. Nigella\/Kalonji Seeds to Sprinkle on top<\/li>\n
  7. Salt<\/li>\n
  8. Water<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n


    <\/div>\n

    Preparation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Dissolve the sugar in about\u00a01\/2 cup of luke warm water &\u00a0sprinkle on the dried yeast. Stir well and set aside for 10 minutes to allow a frothy head to develop.<\/p>\n

    Sift the flour & salt in a large bowl. Combine the carom seeds.\u00a0Pour in the yeast mixture, along with 1.5 cups of\u00a0 water. Mix well at first using a spoon, then hands to incorporate all the flour to for a dough. If it looks too dry, add a little more water.<\/p>\n

    Turn \u00a0dough on a well floured surface and knead well for about 5-\u00a010 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Dust regularly with flour to avoid it sticking.<\/p>\n

    Place it back into the bowl,\u00a0cover the bowl with a cloth or cling wrap & put in a warm place to rise for\u00a0about 1 to 1.5 hours\u00a0or until the dough has doubled in size. ( I put it inside the unheated oven).<\/p>\n

    Pre heat oven to 425 degree F. Turn dough out onto floured surface and briefly knead again.\u00a0Divide \u00a0the roll into 6 equal sections.<\/p>\n

    Slightly flatten each section, slash down the centre of each round with a sharp knife and\u00a0spread out both to the right & left as if you were opening a book.\u00a0 They will roughly look like\u00a0butterflies without antennaes.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Place butterflies on a baking sheet,\u00a0brush them with very little\u00a0oil ( just enough to make the seeds stay), sprinkle\u00a0the nigella seeds and lightly press. Allow to rise again for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

    Bake in over for 10 – 15 minutes until golden browned.<\/p>\n

    \"poee-3\"<\/p>\n

    Anyway who can resist a basketful of hot baked breads ? I have written above that Poee is to be eaten with some Spicy Curry, but the way they turned out, I could not stop myself from trying it out with just plain butter and it tasted heavenly!!<\/p>\n

    \"poee-2\"<\/p>\n

    It did turn out very fluffy and soft on the inside and crusty on the outside.<\/p>\n

    \"poee-4\"<\/p>\n

    Other Bread Recipes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Spiced Rum Sweet Bread<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Spiced Apple Ginger Bread<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Vegetable & Fruit Whole Grain Bread<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

    <\/div>