The authentic bread sticks are made the same way bread is made - with yeast or sourdough. But I took a short cut method and didn't use yeast. Instead, I used a combination of baking soda and lemon juice which made the recipe quick without compromising on the texture. You can see a hollow inside the stick.
Ragi or Finger millet is rich in calcium, vitamin D, iron, polyphenols and fibre therefore I used 50 percent ragi (the original sticks had 13 percent ) in the sticks. The nutrients mentioned are all very essential for the healthy growth of your child. So these sticks make for an excellent teething biscuits for the babies.
I didn't want to add any milk in the sticks but instead of adding plain water , I added soaked foxtail nuts or makhanas paste to it. It improved the nutrition profile of the snack and prevented it from turning into tooth breaking hard .
This is a low fat snack too as only 1/2 tbsp of ghee is added in the dough. However I have brush some melted butter on sticks before rolling these in sesame seeds , poppy seeds mix.I try not to compromise on flavour when baking healthy so it good seasoning is essential for me. I used some garam masala , pinch of black salt , dried tomato powder in the dough. ( For improved flavour, cheese or Mexican, chinese seasonings can also be added to it. )
These have crispy texture and are low in calories . They go well with a bowl of soup, or favourite dip or with tea . My hubby liked it smeared in butter with his tea.
A Wholesome Bread stick with the goodness of Ragi , whole wheat and foxtail nuts. Easy, no yeast Recipe
Heat 1/3 cup water in a vessel and add foxtail nuts to it . The soaking will make the makhanas soft for making paste.
In the meantime, mix whole wheat flour, finger millet flour/ragi, baking soda, salt in a bowl .
Add garam masala, dried tomato powder to the dry ingredients and any other seasoning or masala you like to use and mix well. (It is very important to add some masala to this for flavour. See notes for recommendations)
Add in sweetener to it and give a mix
Now take the soft makhanas in a mixer and make thick paste
Add 1/ 2 tbsp semi solid ghee, lemon juice and makhana paste to the dry ingredients and mix well
Add rest of the water gradually to form a dough . There is no need to knead the dough.
Bring the dough together and place on a clean surface. It should be soft and smooth. If you see cracks then wet your hands and fix the cracks.
Divide dough into small equal size balls. I ave weighed each ball and they are 15 grams each.
Take a ball ans start rolling it with both the hands
Make a big stick with even thickness. If you think the dough is dry and cracky wet your hands and try again.
Repeat the steps for rest of the balls
Brush melted butter on all around the sticks
In a tray , sprinkle poppy seeds and sesame seeds and prepare the other baking tray by lightly greasing it with oil or lining it with parchment paper
Place the butter coated sticks on the sesame seeds tray and roll it so it coats well on the stick
Place seeds coated sticks gently on the prepared baking tray .
Repeat the steps for all other sticks
Bake the sticks in preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius in convention mode or both rods on for 25 minutes .Rotate tray after 12 minutes for even baking. Take the tray out of oven when they are done.
Let cool in the baking tray for 5 minutes. Transfer on a wire rack for complete cooling.
Store in air tight container once cooled.
Notes:-
(1)Add masalas like Dabeli masala, chaat masala, chaach masala, pav bhaji masala , mexican seasoning or italian sesaoning, garlic powder would also go well with this.
(2) you can lukewarm water to form dough
(3) Foxtail nuts or makhanas are added for improved nutrition . If you want to skip it, substitute with 1/3 cup plain water or milk
(4) If you are not a fan of ragi then you can reduce some amount of it and use more whole wheat flour, any other millet flour or amaranth flour instead.
(5) you can skip the sweetener altogether from the recipe.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat 1/3 cup water in a vessel and add foxtail nuts to it . The soaking will make the makhanas soft for making paste.
In the meantime, mix whole wheat flour, finger millet flour/ragi, baking soda, salt in a bowl .
Add garam masala, dried tomato powder to the dry ingredients and any other seasoning or masala you like to use and mix well. (It is very important to add some masala to this for flavour. See notes for recommendations)
Add in sweetener to it and give a mix
Now take the soft makhanas in a mixer and make thick paste
Add 1/ 2 tbsp semi solid ghee, lemon juice and makhana paste to the dry ingredients and mix well
Add rest of the water gradually to form a dough . There is no need to knead the dough.
Bring the dough together and place on a clean surface. It should be soft and smooth. If you see cracks then wet your hands and fix the cracks.
Divide dough into small equal size balls. I ave weighed each ball and they are 15 grams each.
Take a ball ans start rolling it with both the hands
Make a big stick with even thickness. If you think the dough is dry and cracky wet your hands and try again.
Repeat the steps for rest of the balls
Brush melted butter on all around the sticks
In a tray , sprinkle poppy seeds and sesame seeds and prepare the other baking tray by lightly greasing it with oil or lining it with parchment paper
Place the butter coated sticks on the sesame seeds tray and roll it so it coats well on the stick
Place seeds coated sticks gently on the prepared baking tray .
Repeat the steps for all other sticks
Bake the sticks in preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius in convention mode or both rods on for 25 minutes .Rotate tray after 12 minutes for even baking. Take the tray out of oven when they are done.
Let cool in the baking tray for 5 minutes. Transfer on a wire rack for complete cooling.
Store in air tight container once cooled.
Notes:-
(1)Add masalas like Dabeli masala, chaat masala, chaach masala, pav bhaji masala , mexican seasoning or italian sesaoning, garlic powder would also go well with this.
(2) you can lukewarm water to form dough
(3) Foxtail nuts or makhanas are added for improved nutrition . If you want to skip it, substitute with 1/3 cup plain water or milk
(4) If you are not a fan of ragi then you can reduce some amount of it and use more whole wheat flour, any other millet flour or amaranth flour instead.
(5) you can skip the sweetener altogether from the recipe.