Jammers (Grand Central Bakery Jammers)

 Tomorrow being Thiruvonam, the biggest festival of the state of Kerala, let  me start by wishing all my blogger friends a Happy and Prosperous Onam.

As I have always mentioned in my posts, I am a big fan of cook books. These days flipping through baking cookbooks have become one of my favorite pass times, whether I make something out of it or not is a different question. The recipes should look really impressive and kinda easy to make, for me to come to that- "Try-it-out" mode. So this recipe here is something I came across from "The Grand Central Baking Book". This book contains some of the menu items available at the popular Grand Central Bakery; I have never been to the bakery myself, but reading this book is making me want to. So one of these days I am definitely going to  pay them a visit. The Jammers are really easy to make and a perfect addition to the breakfast menu. 

Makes 7-8 Jammers

All-purpose flour (Maida)	- 2 cups
Granulated Sugar	- 1 1/2 tbsp
Baking Powder	- 1 tsp
Baking Soda	- 1/2 tsp
Salt	- 3/4 tsp
Unsalted Butter	- 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Buttermilk	- 1/2 cup
Jam/Preserve	- 8 tbsp

1. Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) using a whisk.

2. Cut in the butter into the flour and use your hands or a mixer at a low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour texture changes to mealy. You should still see dime sized pieces of butter in the flour. You could refrigerate the mixture covered with a plastic wrap at this point, if you want to prepare later.

3. Make a well in the flour mixture and add in the buttermilk. Gently mix the dough until it comes together. Do not knead too much. The end product of this step should still have visible chunks of butter and floury patches. Add additional buttermilk (a tablespoon at a time), if the dough is dry and too crumbly.

4. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough using the heels and sides of your palm, about 1.5 to 2 inches thick. The dough will not look smooth at this point either, and that is what we want.

5. Using a biscuit cutter or a water glass cut into circles about 2  to 2.5 inches diameter. Roll out the leftover scraps and repeat cutting into circles.

 6. Using your thumb make an indentation at the center of the biscuit that goes almost to the bottom of the biscuit that is wider at the bottom. While doing this, support the outer edge of the biscuits with your fingers.

7. Fill in the indentation with a tablespoon of jam and put them 1 1/2 inches apart in a baking tray lined with a baking sheet.

8. Preheat the oven at 350 degree F and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

The jammers taste at their best when eaten warm. It is definitely a perfect breakfast and I would  also eat it as a snack anytime.