Making Great Food on a budget
Michelle Phetlhe | Monday February 15, 2021 15:58
Most of us found ourselves in the confines of our homes wondering what to do and how to do it. I personally found myself spending a lot of time in the kitchen, as did many others. Cooking and modifying recipes to ensure everyday there was something exciting and different to put out for the family was the order of each day.
It now seems like a distant memory, yet haunting as COVID-19 cases have been on the rise since the New Year and a lockdown may be imminent. The lockdowns didn’t bring about only gloom and doom though. They inspired most of us into a creative frenzy of exciting, unnerving but definitely adventurous times. For me, this brought about innovation and creative concepts such as Chellzkitchen on Facebook. This is a page I created and curate. I share food pictures, meal preparation ideas and recipes and also encourage others to share their thoughts in an interactive manner where we learn from each other.
Personal Development and Experiential Eventing are in my DNA, as I believe we all have untapped potential and this includes in the kitchen. Rather than selling food as many asked, my passion led me to host intimate cooking classes aimed at empowering individuals with an interest in food, cooking, good times and networking. Now we have almost come full circle since lockdown 1.0 and we begin this year in high spirits.
January or JanWorry (as many believe is a better description for the month), has over time earned the infamy of being perceived as the most difficult month of the year for countless reasons. January presents itself as somewhat of a reboot button. Many set themselves up with resolutions they are not ready for, it’s back to school, back to work, and back to trying to be better versions of ourselves, quite often whilst dealing with financial challenges, causes of which are individually unique.
I have found the kitchen to be a great source of energy. It is essentially the hub of every home. Without breaking the bank, it’s possible to create some of the most hearty, healthy meals and lunchbox ideas for the kids. Make Cabbage Fashionable! It already is synonymous with Jan either way. Make Mopako Fashionable! Bring out those ‘skaftins’ and be the envy of your lunchtime partners.
We are far from being out of the woods and still find ourselves under curfews and uncertainty of possible lockdowns. Since the extension of the curfew, in our home we have found it increasingly difficult to make the store before they close. There aren’t enough hours in a day or we can’t remember which store closes at what time as these have changed for the time being. For us, like the average household, bread is a staple in one form or another. Over and over again I have been saved by 2 Ingredients Nutriday Plain Yogurt Bread.
The dough is very diverse in application and can be used for a Bread Loaf/Rolls, Pizza Base, Naan, Pita, Bagels and Doughnuts. Adding yogurt is an easy kitchen hack/trick for the softest, fluffiest bread you will ever make.
Using yogurt makes the dough rise quicker than usual, so you get your bread out faster. Once baked you can freeze and then toast from frozen. Nutriday Plain Yoghurt has many benefits for the body, skin, hair as well as for women’s intimate health. It is good to always have a tub in the fridge.
We have had great success in the cooking classes having used two ingredients dough to make Naan and Bagels. I have made my boys at home rolls on several occasions.
This bread recipe is foolproof and I have excited anticipation of how things will turn out in your kitchen. Try this bread and share your experience on our Facebook Page ‘Chellzkitchen’, where you can get more recipes, inspiration and ask questions!
2 Ingredients Bread
Ingredients
2 cups Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Danone Plain yogurt
Wash
Egg white from one egg +1 tsp water
or Milk
Toppings (optional):
Sesame seeds
Grated cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven 190°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine egg white and 1 tsp water. Mix with a fork to loosen egg wash. Set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients in bowl and stir to combine.
Add yoghurt to dry ingredients.
Mix dry and wet ingredients well using a fork or pastry cutter, making sure ingredients are well mixed.
Using your hands, gather dough into a ball. If it is too dry, add 1 tsp of water and mix again until it comes together.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough about 10 times and form into a slightly flattened ball.
Cut dough into 4 -6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Brush rolls with egg wash or milk, making sure to brush around all the edges. Sprinkle toppings over rolls if desired. Bake for 25 minutes on an upper rack. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing, preferably longer. Store in a sealed bag for 1-2 days.