Bread in the clouds

(above and inset) Tri-colour cloud bread

Is it a bale of cotton or is it candy floss? It's cloud bread! Lockdown kitchens across the globe have been churning out the oddest trends; first it was Dalgona coffee, then there was focaccia art, next came pancake cereals, and now, it's cloud bread.It's the stuff of dreams; crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, reminding this writer of the tufts of clouds that fill the sunny autumn skies in the city. It all reportedly started with a TikTok user in LA who experimented with corn starch, sugar and egg whites. Soon, netizens warmed up to the trend, with yummy close-up videos of bakers pulling apart colourful cloud breads to reveal it's cotton-candy-like insides doing the rounds.

Goregaon-based homeopathy doctor and baker Pooja Sawant-Mohandas, who had some fun with the three ingredients, tells us it's easier than baking regular bread which requires proofing. "The mantra to get it right is to beat well, till you get peaks. That's how you get the soft, meringue-like texture," says Sawant-Mohandas, who runs the home bakery Pooja's Bake By Heart, adding, "It's semi-sweet, and can taste eggy if you don't add flavouring."

Tri-colour and rose cloud bread

Rose cloud bread

Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes

Ingredients
. 3 egg whites (at room temperature)
. 2.5 tbsp powdered sugar
. 1 tbsp and 1 tsp corn starch
. 1 tsp vanilla essence
. 1 tsp rose syrup
. Food colouring of your choice
Note: The measurements are for each bread.

Method
Pre-heat the oven at 150 degree Celsius. Whisk three egg whites till they are light and fluffy. This takes hardly two minutes if you have an electric blender. Whip in two-and-a-half tbsp powdered sugar, one tbsp cornstarch, followed by another tsp. Tip in one tsp of vanilla essence or rose syrup (for the rose cloud bread). Now, whisk the batter till you get stiff peaks. For the tri-colour cloud bread, you need any three kinds of food colours. Divide the batter into three parts. I used a drop of orange, green and blue food colouring gels in each. Mix in the colour in each batch till you get stiff peaks. Pour the batters onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper; layer one colour on top of another. Form a round ball of the batter and smoothen it. Bake it in the pre-heated oven at 150 degree Celsius for 30 to 35 minutes. Once done, let it cool down and dig in. Serve with whipped cream.

Tip: Knock yourself out with cool flavours such as butterscotch strawberry, coffee, mint, bubble gum, etc. You can serve it with berries or other seasonal fruits.

Gotta loaf it

. Masterchef Junior contestant Ariana Feygin has some sweet and savoury cloud bread recipes.
Log on to @arianafeygin on Instagram (IG)

. If you are on a strict diet, this page has a low-carb, keto-friendly recipe.
Log on to @ruledme on IG

. Love colours? Try the rainbow, cotton candy cloud bread with this recipe.
Log on to @soflofooodie on IG

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