Heat water to lukewarm. Add sugar and mix well. Empty the packet of instant dry yeast. Mix well. Cover and keep it in a warm place for the yeast to activate for 10 minutes. I kept it in the microwave.
In a big mixing dish, add all purpose flour (maida), boiled and mashed whole red lentil (masoor), milk powder, oil (add 1 tbsp and save the other), parsley, salt, red chili powder, and black pepper powder. Mix them well.
After 10 minutes the yeast is activated and is risen and become frothy.
Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour the activated yeast mixture.
Get the dough together. It will be sticky.
Now start kneading the dough. Knead it in a vertical direction with help of your palms and then bring it together and knead again in the vertical direction for 10 min. The dough should be sticky. ( If it becomes too sticky add the extra flour gradually till all the dough comes together.)
After 10 min the dough will all come together and will look as shown.
Smoothen the dough by applying the remaining oil.
Grease a big bowl with oil. Put the kneaded dough in it. Cover it with a cling wrap and put it for rising in a warm place. (I kept it in a microwave). Keep it for one hour. This is the first proving of dough.
After one hour the dough will double in size. Remove the cling wrap.
Lightly punch the dough down with your fist. (This process will remove the air and bubbles from the dough.)
Get together the dough on a work surface and roll it in a circle. Then start folding the edge inward and make a roll. Put this rolled log in the greased loaf tin. Cover and let it rise for 45 minutes. This is 2nd proving. I wanted to make a braided loaf and so I divided the dough into three parts as shown.
Rolled thin into three logs. Start making braids. Pinch one end together. Now first overlap the left side roll on the middle dough. Then the place the right roll over the left overlapped roll. Now take the middle roll on left side and bring it up for overlapping the right roll. take the left roll and overlap on the middle roll and continue further this way making the braids.
The braided log is ready.
Put the log in the greased loaf tin. Cover and keep it for 2nd proving i.e. for rising for 45 minutes in a warm place.
After 45 minutes the dough rises. (I should have kept the braided dough out and not in the loaf tin to retain the shape of the braids).
Brush with milk over the top surface. Sprinkle the flax seeds.
Now preheat the oven to 200 C. Bake the loaf in the tin for 25 min or till golden. Remove the tin and let it cool. Apply butter on the top edge while still hot. It gives a nice glaze to the bread.
After the tin is cooled, unmould the baked bread. (Since I kept the braided bread in the tin, it lost its shape and after rising became like a loaf).
Cut into slices and enjoy with butter, hot tea, coffee or soup. I also made butter sandwich and gave my son for his lunch box the next day. Andy my husband a peanut butter veggie sandwich.