February 23, 2009

Sour Cream Potato Loaf and a Tomato Garlic soup



Sour cream and Potato bread
is my contribution to "Bread Baking Day #17" event which is started by Zorra of "kochtopf". For the month of February, Lien of "notitievanlien" blog is guest hosting this event, with her choice of "Bread and Potato" for us.
Thanks to both of you, enjoy hosting and I can't wait to see the round up and salivate at all the Potato filled Breads!! :)





Bread made with tangy Sour cream, Potato flakes and spices like garlic etc makes this loaf a delectable snack to have any time of the day. It's texture is very soft inside and bit crusty outside since we add a bit a baking soda along with yeast. It bakes to a gorgeous golden color speckled with herbs and spices, toasted thick cut slices are delicious to eat. Tastes better the next day, keep it wrapped in a gallon size Zip-lock bag.
You can use wheat flour and Oat flour to replace Potato to make it healthier and skip the spices to make it plain. Add 1-2 tbsp more sugar to make it a sweet bread. Choices are unlimited when you use the basic recipe and get creative! :))

Sour Cream and Potato spiced up loaf:

A super delicious slice for you, I can't tell you how aromatic this bread is!!

Here are the ingredients:
1/2 cup Sour cream,
1/2 cup Water (warm 80F)

3 tsp dry active Yeast to add to warm water and sour cream mix.

1/2 cup dry plain Potato flakes, (Flavored potato flakes has salt etc, will make the bread salty)
1/3 cup Milk (warm).

1 tbsp sugar,
1/4 cup softened butter,
3 cups white or wheat Bread four,
1 tsp Salt,
1/2 tsp Baking soda,
1/2 tsp garlic powder,
1 tsp dry Parsley,
1 tsp Chicago Steak seasoning for grilling, (you see in the collage which has mixture of dry onion flakes, red chilli pepper, pepper, crushed coriander and cumin seeds, mixed herbs etc. or you can use any spice mix you like)

To bake:
1. Mix sour cream and water well, heat for 40seconds in the microwave. When it's warm, add yeast and set aside for 5 mins to get foam or bubbles on top.
2. Add 1/3 cup warm milk to dry potato, mix well.
3. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixer with flat beater attachment, mix well. Add in the yeast mix and potato+milk mix and beat well.
4. Change to kneader attachment, knead this dough for 4 mins until you get soft and non-sticky dough. If the dough is too dry, add a tbsp of water at a time until you get the soft dough but do not make the dough sticky.
5. Take out the dough, put it in a non-stick loaf pan, cover and let it proof in a warm place until double, no second rising is needed.
6. Pre heat the oven to 375F. Uncover the dough, slice 1/2" deep gash on the top of the loaf and sprinkle some spice mix on top if you like.
7. Bake in the middle rack for 25 to 35 mins depending on your oven or bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
8. Cool on a rack and slice when cooled.

Serve this toasted thick slice for breakfast with butter or on the side with any soup. Also makes an excellent snack with cream cheese!
You can also divide this dough into 12-16 rolls instead of one big loaf to make smaller dinner rolls as well.
Enjoy! :)

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Neha of "Tasty recipes' Blog is guest hosting "SWC-Soups" event this month. SWC event is started by Lakshmi of "Taste of Mysore" blog. Neha has chosen "healthy soups with fresh vegetables" as a theme. Thanks to both of you. Here is my healthy and tasty Tomato Garlic soup with a Sour cream-Potato slice to dip! :))

Tomato-Garlic-Basil soup:

To make the soup:

1. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a deep pan, add 3 finely chopped garlic, saute for few seconds. Now 2 tsp plain flour and mix well and cook until it becomes golden in color to make a Roux. Add 1 or 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, whisk well.
2. Add 3-4 cups chopped fresh Tomatoes (cut and squeeze out the seeds to avoid tanginess), 2 slices of onion, 1 tbsp or more sugar, enough salt and pepper to taste, boil it until they are all soft and cooked.
3. Let the soup cool a bit, then put the whole thing in a blender. When you get a smooth soup, pour it thru' a strainer to get all the tomato skins and any solid parts left.
4. Put it back on the stove, heat it thru' or you can use the Microwave too. When done, add 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh Basil (or Thyme or Oregano) on top and a 1 tbsp fat free heavy cream or 1 tsp of Parmesan cheese or both! Garnish with a sprig of fresh Parsley.

Note: You can use 1 cup of canned Tomato sauce to replace the fresh Tomatoes if you like.

Serve the Tomato Garlic soup drizzled with fat free cream and Croutons or slice of toasted Sour cream and garlic bread I have posted above. Enjoy! :)

75 comments:

Lien said...

Hi Asha, what a wonderful idea to add those spices in your bread! Love your soup too.
Thanks for participating BBD #17!

FH said...

You are very welcome Lien! I enjoyed baking it and Aroma of spicy Potato bread is unbelievable, great toasted with soup as well! :)

Purnima said...

Wow that bread sure looks full of health..oats! :D

Deepthi Shankar said...

Lovely bread there .. I like the ingredients you have used in that soup

Meeta K. Wolff said...

lovely looking bread ahsa! love the sour cream in this!

Anonymous said...

looks wonderful..the loaf in the pan looks just so tempting....since we get potato flakes here, i must try this one..

FH said...

Purni, didn't add Oats at all in this bread but added dry Potato flakes. But you can replace Oat flour for that! Are we in a hurry today? :)

Deesha, simple but delicious soup, my daughter loves it!

Bread is tangy Meeta, really good toasted!

Do try A. Potato makes this bread very soft inside, almost falls apart if you hold it too tight! :D

Ashwini said...

wow potato flakes and sour cream..yummy..That bread must have tasted yumm with all the herbs..Lovely color of the soup..Nice combination ..

Divya Kudua said...

Baking bread is still a dream for me..I really dream of baking a perfect loaf someday..mera number bhi aayega..;-).Lovely soup too!!

Laavanya said...

Sourcream, potato & garlic.. just the ingredient list has my mouthwatering. Great combination and the soup looks fantastic.

EC said...

Potatoes...not again, Am trying very hard to reduce the use of potatoes in cooking, anyways since I dont bake anything, I would be less tempted to try the bread..The soup looks awesome..perfect to make one feel warm during winters

FH said...

Ash, great with soups! :)

Divya, baking is not that hard at all as most think. Once you try, you will love it even though sometimes first attempts will not be that good. Select a basic bread recipe and bake away! :)

FH said...

Laavanya, mixed Steak spice seasoning has all the ingredients already, makes it easy and very flavorful! :)

EC, that's true! As much as we love potatoes, they add lot of carb to the diet. Once in a while it's okay, this bread doesn't have that much but helps the bread stay soft! :)

Cham said...

Sour cream and potato, the bread is very flavorfull! What a great soup to go with, love the bright color!

FH said...

Thanks Cham, hope you try girl! :)

Pavithra Kodical said...

I have sour cream at home which is nearby to expire. I was looking for some cake recipe in which sour cream is used. But now i have changed my mind and will make bread:) This bread is so versatile and addition of spices makes it delicious too.Soup makes a good combo.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Wow, some yummy bread and hot soup to slurp, can't go wrong, rite ?? They both look lovely Asha!

AnuSriram said...

Bread Looks awesome! I can sense the beautiful aroma.. Soup looks fantastic. Well clicked! Hmmm... Yummy! Soup and Bread makes a wonderful combo!

Smita said...

oooohh this reminds of the tomato cream soups that we get in India...Does this recipe come out like that?

FH said...

Pavithra, house smells like Iyengar bakery Khara bun when you are baking this bread, add green chillies if you want, enjoy! :)

Thanks Maya. We loved both of them, yummy indeed! :)

Anu, spices in bread is always wonderful, I prefer savory bread to sweet bread any day! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
the bread looks spongy and delicious with all the spices.the soup has got a rich red colour.

shalini

FH said...

Smitha, it does taste like that, I didn't add too much cream in this one. In restaurants, they do add cream which makes it creamy and tasty. Try it. Add sugar to balance the tanginess! :))

Trupti said...

wow Asha.. bread & soup looks very delicious.
I have one question ..which brand's flour do u use for bread & cake?

Archy said...

Bread and soup perfect combination, love both.. soup with nice orange color and dressing, so tempting.. !!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

gosh, this is a killer combination.. i love tomato soups.. so comforting...

and i don't like cinnamon in general.. so i dont use it in anything except in north indian gravies and rice dishes..

i cant stand it in pies and pastries :P

FH said...

Shalini, I added a bit of Paprika pd, it gives color and not much heat.I think I have forgotten to add there, will add! :)

Trupti, thanks. I use White Lily for plain flour (cake etc)and King Authur or Gold Medal for white or wheat bread flours. Good quality flour makes the difference specially when baking! :)

FH said...

Archy, I would mix some cream in the tomato soup to make it creamy but event host says low or no fat! So, had to garnish just on top! :D

Mahimaa, are you talking about US sweet Cinnamon, right? Dalchini is spicy hot, suitable only for Indian dishes but US or western Cinnamon is sweet smelling, like they add in Cinnabons. I love that in desserts but not the dalchini. But I know some don't like Cinnamon at all! :D

Meera said...

Wow!! That bread looks perfect!!! very innovative.

Varsha Vipins said...

Wow..what a lovely bread..I cant wait to try it..:)..I have some doubts..an amateur baker doubts..:D
Mw-ing to 40 secs is ok??cos I have heard beyond 20 will kill the yeast..??..Also we dont need to double rising here??..just one time is fine??

Varsha Vipins said...

one more thing Asha dear..y do we add sour cream?does it hav some special reason?

Uj said...

Bread looks great.. perfect slices... Tomato soup seems to be perfect for this weather. I usually add coriander leaves.. will try with basil next time :)

Daily Meals said...

Like the potato loaf and soup...

amna said...

i make a pretty similar tomato garlic soup :)

Raks said...

Loaf and that soup,if you give me now,I will finish in a minute!!!:D
Tomato and garlic with basil makes a nice combo!

Raaga said...

both look great and the combination is absolutely divine. Its really hot here now and I think I should try bread baking soon.

Neha said...

Lovely bread n such a lovely soup(the color is so inviting), perfect combo..
Thanx for sending..

Vani said...

That potato bread sounds delicious, Ash! Happy Shiva rathri (though it's the day after!). I got inspired by you and made some habba oota too. Nothing elaborate but it sure felt good! :)

Anonymous said...

It's cold outside today..i wish i had this soup in front of me now..:)
this is the first time i am hearing about potato flakes..bread looks awesome! :)

FH said...

So sorry I didn't reply before girls. I was typing for tomorrow's post at FH furiously and I didn't a have word typed until today!

Thanks Meera! :)

Varsha, you heat ONLY the water+sour cream mix in the MW until warm to 80 to 90F and than add the yeast to this and rest for 5mins. DO NOT add yeast and heat in MW. Very hot water will kill the yeast.
No, once you add it to the loaf pan and rise until double, you can bake straight away, no second rising necessary!
Sour cream is thicker,cramier than Yogurt but you can add same amount of yogurt or buttermilk to it as well! :)

Uj, this is western style Tomato soup,so Basil or chives etc will do. For Indian style soup, you can add cumin pd and cilantro! :)

FH said...

Thanks Vijaya! :)

Nagu, post it. More the merrier as I always say! :))

Haha! Raks, I would do, I have no leftovers for my lunch today either!

Raaga, like us here you don't have to rise the bread in the "warm" oven, lucky girl! :D

Glad you liked Neha, enjoy girl! :)

Vani, I just finished typing all those habbada oota recipes for tomorrow at FH too. Phew! Didn't have a word in that post until today, was scared I wouldn't complete.
Yeah, I made ajjis special dishes for this Shivaratri, it was great. Can't wait to see your's too, hope you took photos! :D

FH said...

Kalpana, nothing like soup and toasted bread for winter meal, right? I love it too! :)

Varsha Vipins said...

Thanks so much for the replies Asha..:)

kamala said...

Beautiful color Ashaji..Feels like grabbing loaf and soup..Feeling so hungry.

FH said...

You are welcome Varsha. I was a bit late to reply but glad you got your answers! :))

Thanks Kamala. I love soup and bread too, specially in Winter! :)

Preety said...

hearty bread with soup is always a winning combination..hey asha is this bread remain soft for upto a week because whenever i tried any bread recipe they tend to become hard the very next day so i aws not sure what i am doing wrong..any tips??

FH said...

Preety, regular bread made from basic recipe does get a bit harder as it dries, like French bread/Baguette which is softer only on the day you bake, next day it only fit for croutons or bread salad.
I also keep all the bread I bake in Zip lock bag, once it's completely cools down, stays softer than keeping it in the bread box.
This bread has Potato which makes it really soft and keeps about 3-4 days. It's so delicious, it won't stay longer than that anyway! :D
Hope you try this.

Preety said...

thanks asha..i will get the ingredients and will give this a try

Bharti said...

A perfect meal!

Andhra Flavors said...

Wow asha, great idea adding spices to bread. soups looks wonderful.

Priya Suresh said...

Got hooked to ur bread n soup Asha...really superb n healthy..soup makes me hungry..

Shama Nagarajan said...

looks yummy

jayasree said...

What an aromatic bread it must be.. Perfect to go with that bowl of appetizing soup.

Purnima said...

U caught me..was back here to read the entire write up..commented as kids were around only after a glance at pics of loaf..instead of "you can" I interpreted it as "I used" :D Lovely soup which I didn't see last time..now fursat sey going thru the write up..4 days holidays here..national day,liberation day + two days ka happy weekend! :D

FH said...

Preety, Bharti and AF, enjoy and thanl you! :))

Priya, Shama and Jayasree, they both make a great lunch any time of the day! :)

Hahaha! Purni, I guessed that too, with young kids at home it's hard, I know! Once my kids leave home, I am free to cook, clean and blog as i please until atleast 3pm and then it all starts again.
Enjoy the holidays, need to break away sometimes! :)

Poornima Nair said...

Hey Asha...Thats a great combination...the bread and soup looks perfect...

FH said...

They always are comfort food in Winter, Poornima! :))

Vishali said...

wow Asha,

The soup looks awsome...good for this chilly weather here...

I must say u have got lot of patience and excellent cooking skills in creating such mouth watering recipes you have..ur husband is so lucky to have you :)

Cheers,
Vishali

FH said...

Thanks V, do my best! Soup and bread are the best in Winter.Aren't they? :))

Vishali said...

Yes Asha...I am newbie in blogging and have to learn many like baking and more.

FH said...

Oh, I thought it's another Vaishali I know. Enjoy blogging. Once you start baking, it's hard to stop, hope you will bake soon! :)

krystyna said...

Both recipes are great, and what I needed. Thank you so much!
I like Tomato soup and your recipe brings something new.
I try to avoid bread, but really I like bread. From store is not good. I'm going to bake this bread. It smells soooo good.

Best for you, dear Asha!

FH said...

You are welcome Krystyna. Don't disappear for too long, come back to blogging soon. Hugs to you! :))

Vibaas said...

Asha, they both look so yum. That bread is tempting me to attempt baking it :) i think i'll try it.

Unknown said...

Wow...Awesome combination love the bread and the soup :)

vidhas said...

Lovely Bread and lovley soup. Perfect for the event,

Adlak's tiny world said...

wow asha lovely bread and soup. so healthy dear. send me some.

zorra said...

Yum, I would like to have a bowl of your soup and a slice of your bread.

FH said...

Hope you do Vibaas, worth a try! :)

Thanks Ramya and Vidhas! :)

Will send ASAP, Adlak! ;D

Zorra, isn't that yummy to have now, specially in this cold weather? :)

GStaples said...

Your bread and soup look delicious! I like the idea of you saying to look for plain potatoes, as it is saltier.

FH said...

Thanks scraps. Flavored potato flakes like garlic and Parmesan ones have lot of salt already, don't want to add those here. It's better to use just plain flakes and adjust the salt ourselves! :)

Unknown said...

That looks hearty :) It snowed here today and I loved the idea of having soup this time:) The Sour Cream Potato Loaf looks tempting too, I have a lot of sour cream left in my fridge. But dont have dry Potato flakes though, maybe I will search for a suitable substitute like Onion flakes?

FH said...

Roopa, if you don't have Potato flakes, skip it and add flour, not a problem and yes, you can add a tbsp of onion flakes but not too much. Enjoy! :)

notyet100 said...

omg combo looks so yum,..;-) loved the sour cream loaf

FH said...

Try it girl, it's really soft and yummy! :)

Magic of Spice said...

This looks delicious:)