Several weeks ago I found a recipe for Naan, an Indian bread, that I wanted very much to try. It seemed simple enough, and the fact that it used yogurt and milk plus an egg, intrigued me.
The Naan rising.(It can rise anywhere from 1 hour to 4 days!)
The Naan shaped into long oval flats.
I have adobe tiles that I keep on the shelf of my oven. I do not remove them even when baking pies, muffins or anything for that matter. For pizzas and bread, I bake directly on them but with parchment paper beneath the dough. For the Naan, I bake directly on the stones.
And aren't they beautiful. Full, puffed up, crunchy, golden and with a flavor that is subtle, unique and delicious!The first couple of times I made them, I made them simply as bread to eat along with one of our more traditional meals. However, I vowed the next time to make an Indian meal that would rightly compliment this bread.
Mixed rice cooked with vegetables from last summer's garden; peas, onions, garlic and purchased organic carrots.
I had some organic chicken in the freezer, some sweet potatoes from the garden still in storage, and along with plenty of onions and garlic, this stewed in the slow cooker all day long.
And the meal was wonderful! Yes, we will be eating Indian food much more often now.Following is the Naan recipe which makes 6 large breads:
2/3 cups hot milk...(if using instant yeast you don't need the milk hot, merely warm, if using active dry yeast follow the recipe as is.)
2 tsp. each sugar, active dry yeast (instant yeast I use a scant 1/2 tsp.)
3 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. each salt, baking powder
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2/3 c. plain yogurt, slightly beaten (I use whatever I have on hand, often drinkable yogurt.)
1 large egg
Put milk in bowl, add 1 tsp. sugar, and all the yeast. (If using instant yeast, I skip this part and put the yeast directly in with the flour then add the liquid.) Stir to mix. Set aside until yeast is dissolved and frothy.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into large bowl. Add remaining 1 tsp. of sugar and the yeast mixture, the oil, yogurt and egg. Mix and form into a ball of dough. Knead dough on clean surface until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. (I have done this, but have also read that knead only until it is formed, then let rise, the longer the more flavor, which is what I do.)
Cover and set in warm place until doubled, at least one hour.
Heat oven to 500 degrees and heat a heavy baking try or upside down cast iron skillet in oven. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll each into an oval about 10" long and 5" wide (though next time I am trying circles.) If not going directly into a 500 degree oven, keep covered with a damp cloth.
I then put the breads directly on my tiles and bake for ONLY 4 MINUTES! Keep Naan warm by wrapping it in a kitchen towel. Enjoy!
If this sounds complicated to you, it is not. It takes barely any time, and the results will prompt you to do it often.
2/3 cups hot milk...(if using instant yeast you don't need the milk hot, merely warm, if using active dry yeast follow the recipe as is.)
2 tsp. each sugar, active dry yeast (instant yeast I use a scant 1/2 tsp.)
3 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. each salt, baking powder
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2/3 c. plain yogurt, slightly beaten (I use whatever I have on hand, often drinkable yogurt.)
1 large egg
Put milk in bowl, add 1 tsp. sugar, and all the yeast. (If using instant yeast, I skip this part and put the yeast directly in with the flour then add the liquid.) Stir to mix. Set aside until yeast is dissolved and frothy.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into large bowl. Add remaining 1 tsp. of sugar and the yeast mixture, the oil, yogurt and egg. Mix and form into a ball of dough. Knead dough on clean surface until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. (I have done this, but have also read that knead only until it is formed, then let rise, the longer the more flavor, which is what I do.)
Cover and set in warm place until doubled, at least one hour.
Heat oven to 500 degrees and heat a heavy baking try or upside down cast iron skillet in oven. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll each into an oval about 10" long and 5" wide (though next time I am trying circles.) If not going directly into a 500 degree oven, keep covered with a damp cloth.
I then put the breads directly on my tiles and bake for ONLY 4 MINUTES! Keep Naan warm by wrapping it in a kitchen towel. Enjoy!
If this sounds complicated to you, it is not. It takes barely any time, and the results will prompt you to do it often.
4 comments:
Thanks for the recipe Joanne. I am either drooling over your rugs or your breads, so it is great to have one of your recipes.
I hope you give this a try, it is so yummy and easy. When I do it, if I think we won't eat all up at that baking, I cut dough into 6 pieces, bake what I think we'll eat, and keep the rest in the fridge until I bake it fresh. It'll last in the fridge for DAYS. Now you can drool over your own bread!
I'm going to share this with Curt. We're going to fire the oven on April 2nd, cook some pizzas and perhaps try the flat bread! The pictures look so yummy...
Oh, I'm suddenly hungry, too. I have tried these before, but my results weren't so pretty. ( And the smoke alarm came on). I'm going to try, try again.
Post a Comment