Baking with Merry

Now-a-days, the ads on TV influences kids a lot and they would just like that demand whatever they feel to have, right then! With my kids, it would be a biscuit, a noodle/pasta, a juice or even a pizza.... It was one such demand that led me to bake a pizza at home. The first time I baked, I used a Maida based base with lots of cheese, but my kids preferred less cheesy!! So, the second time I baked, I used wheat flour for the base to make it more healthy and of course less cheesy!! So here are the recipes for both.... However, the toppings for the pizzas are left to you....    Let's go for the healthy one first!!! Whole Wheat Pizza Base Ingredients: Recipe Source: Sharmis Passions Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 1/4 cups Yeast - 1 tsp Water - 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup Sugar - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 1 1/2 tbsp Method: Preheat oven to 200 C. In 1/4 cup warm water, add yeast and keep it aside to bloom. In a mixing bowl, add the bloomed yeast, oil and salt

To keep myself motivated to bake, I joined a group on FB - Fondbites, Bake Along hosted by Subhashini Ramsingh, who is based in Chennai. She conducts professional baking and cake decorating classes in Chennai. Her classes are worth attending, though I haven't (but wish to in the future)..... Now, to start off, I decided to bake her Scottish Oatcake #19....... A very simple, healthy and less- caloric recipe, loved by adults, but not by the kids ;)...... A good in-between snack for weight watchers! Ingredients: Recipe Source: Fondbites, Bake Along Oatmeal - 1 1/2 cups Wheat flour - 6 tbsps Cornflour - 2 tbsps Brown sugar - 1 tbsp Salt- 1/4 tsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Hot water - 1/2 cup Method: Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Process the oats in a mixer on high for about a minute or so until it is powdered well. Add the powdered oatmeal, wheat flour, cornflour, sugar, salt and bak

The Mango season is here and is about to finish.... And I wanted to make something with them before they disappear from the market..... Previously, I had made a verrine , a milkshake  and baked a  cake , but never a pudding.... So when I saw this pudding recipe on Sharmis Passions , I knew this was it!!! I used Banganapalli mangoes..... Ingredients: Recipe Source: Sharmis Passions Mangoes - 2 medium Mango - 1/4 cup chopped Sago - 1/3 cup Sugar - 3 tbsp Milk - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup Condensed milk - 1/4 cup Method: Soak sago in water (till immesing level) for an hour. Rinse it to remove excess starch. Boil water and add sago to it. Cook sago till it is soft and transparent. Keep stirring otherwise it will stick to the bottom. Once cooked, drain the water and wash again in running water. Drain water completely and set aside. In a mixer, add mangoes , sugar and 1/4 cup milk and blend it to a smooth paste. In a bowl, add remaining 1/2 cup milk an