Spicy Naan

Today I have a variation of the recipe I posted yesterday, spicy naan! Spices are mixed into the flour before it is kneaded into dough. And sprinkled over the top. I was tying to recreate the taste of the spicy naan we had at Sanaa, the restaurant in Animal Kingdom Lodge in Disney World. We dined there this past summer and enjoyed their flatbread platter.

I made five different flatbreads garlic naan, spicy naan, plain naan, onion kulcha and aloo paratha. I served them with roasted red pepper hummus and cucumber dip. It made for an filling dinner and allowed us to revisit some of the enjoyable moments from our vacation.

The recipe for this naan is very similar to that of plain naan posted yesterday. The only difference is the addition of cayenne pepper and cumin and coriander powder to the dough.

You will need (4 naan)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. instant yeast
4 tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 fl. oz. warm water
1 tsp. cumin coriander powder
1 tsp. or adjust to taste cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. onion seeds (kalonji)

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl to form a dough. Follow the recipe plain naan.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day one of BM #69 for the theme flatbread.

Naan

Naan, the delicious flatbread leavened with yeast is a great addition to any menu especially if it hot out of the oven. There is a large variety of naan and I have a sampling of a few here in this space. This past summer we were on a vacation to Disney World and decided to dine in at Sanaa, the restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. They served a flatbread platter - different types of flatbread with chutneys, sauce and dips. I decided to recreate this platter in my house. I served it roasted red pepper hummus and cucumber raita.

There are five different flatbreads in my platter - Garlic naan, plain naan, spicy naan, onion kulcha and aloo (potato) paratha. Recipes for Garlic naan (first bread from left in pic) and aloo paratha (fifth bread from left in pic) can be found on this space. The others are new to this blog. I will post them one by one this week. The first is the naan, it is the third bread from the left.

You will need
For the dough
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. instant yeast
4 tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 fl. oz. warm water

This recipe is similar to the garlic naan recipe. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Now mix in the wet ingredients and form a dough. Cover and allow it to rise for about 2 hours. Transfer to a working surface and divide the dough into 6 portions. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F.

Once oven is preheated place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the second rack. Switch on the broiler on high heat. Take one portion of dough and roll it out on a floured working surface to about 6-7 inches in diameter. Pick up the naan in one hand, moisten the other palm with water and gently rub it over one side of the naan. Place the naan moistened side down on the heated stone/inverted sheet. Place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes watching closely. You can do two naan at a time.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day one of BM #69 for the theme flatbreads.

Pita Bread

Pita bread is one of the most popular Mediterranean bread and it is very easy to make. It is leavened bread that requires a very hot oven to help the bread puff up.

I had always wanted to make pita bread as my family loves it. My initial plan was to use my sourdough starter to leaven the bread but changed my mind as I forgot to feed it. I plan on making a version with my starter soon. Homemade fresh pita bread tasted so good with all the other accompaniments. I have so many recipes for which I use pita bread. I usually used store bought bread but now I don't have to.

You will need for 8 pita
3 cups strong white flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, yeast, salt and oil. Add the water and form a dough. If needed add up to a fourth of a cup of water. Knead well until the dough is elastic and soft. Cover and keep aside for an hour and a half or until it doubles in size. Transfer to a floured work surface and divide into eight equal portions. Smooth out each portion into round ball. Cover and let them rest for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place an inverted baking sheet in the oven while it heats. If you have a baking stone you can use that instead. Flour the working surface lightly and roll out one portion to a disc using a rolling pin.

Place the rolled out pita on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 3 minutes. It should puff up. If you like them brown turn over and bake another couple of minutes. Take the pita bread out of the oven and cool on a rack for a minute. Place in an airtight container to keep it soft.

Repeat for all the other portions of dough.

Tajik Naan

The naan from Tajikistan has got to be the most beautiful of flat breads. It is stamped with designs and made to look like a piece of art. The designs range from the overtly embellished suitable for weddings to the moderately embellished for every day consumption.

I saw a video of this bread a few months back and added it to my wish list. This bread takes time as the bakers spend considerable effort to get the intricate designs on the bread. They also use a range of stamps to transfer these designs. The trick is to stamp the designs deep enough to withstand baking but not cut the naan.

I do not have the tools that are used to create the complex impressions so I improvised. I used steel spoons, bowls, cookie cutters and icing tips.

Even my daughter could not resist and had to give it a shot.

Though my embellished naan looked nowhere close to the real thing it gave me a chance to really enjoy the making of something as simple as everyday bread. It must be this inner joy that has kept this tradition alive in Tajikistan for hundreds of years.

Though there are a lot of videos online on how this naan is made I could not find an authentic source for the ingredients. I finally found a version in Sasha Martins Global Table Adventure. The ingredients she used are similar to the Indian naan.

This naan is leavened with yeast and a tangy flavor is introduced with the yogurt. It is traditionally cooked inside a tandoor vertically stuck to an inside wall. I baked it in a hot oven for about 8-10 minutes. I brushed some of them with an egg/milk wash before popping them in the oven and the color on those was deeper than the others. They all tasted just as good. I completely ran out of wheat flour. I only had half a cup so I used bread flour instead.

You will need
1 1/2 packet yeast
1 cup water
 3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt

Heat the water. In a mixing bowl combine the water with the milk to form a lukewarm solution. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the bowl and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to create the sponge.

Sift the flours and salt. Add them to the sponge and form a dough. Knead well for 15 minutes until the dough is soft.

Shape it into a ball and leave it covered until it doubles in volume or about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Transfer the dough to a floured working surface. Punch the air out gently and divide into 8 portions. Keep the portions covered to keep them from drying out. Using a rolling pin roll out one of the portions into a disc. Keep it aside and work with another portion of dough. Roll out 4 of the portions and then return to the first one. The disc should be puffy.

Using your imagination and your tools work out designs on the discs.

Sprinkle with a little water and bake for 5 minutes. Turn the baking sheet around in the oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Take the naan out of the oven and cool on a rack. Repeat for all the portions of dough.

Serve hot for breakfast or dinner.

This is my entry for week four, day three of BM #38 for the theme Naan.

Afghani Naan

A few weeks ago I was walking through the neighborhood Indian store when I noticed a table I had never noticed before. On this table were stacked different types of flat bread wrapped in plastic packets all of them over a foot in length. I ventured closer to take a look. The bread was baked locally in a bakery and sold through the Indian stores. One of the them was the Afghan naan.

I was fascinated and wanted to know how this was different from the Barbari naan. I found a blog by Humaira who lives in California. Her blog has some very interesting information about Afghanistan. You might want to browse around. She has a recipe for Afghan bread that can be cooked in the household oven. This recipe is adapted from her blog. The trick according to her is to keep the oven humidity high. She achieves this by spraying water into the oven. I have read that a pie dish full of hot water is placed on the lower shelf of the oven when European dense bread is cooked. It helps to give the bread a crispy crust. So that is what I did.

We ate the naan as if it was regular Indian flat bread but I had leftovers. The next day after school my daughter sprinkled some grated cheese on it and nuked it for 15 seconds. She then topped it with some salsa. I have to say that was delicious.

You will need
2.5 cups bread flour
1/2 packet of 1/4 oz. Fleischmann instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
2.5 tsp. olive oil
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. nigella seeds

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the oil. Add the water a little at a time and make a dough. It will be a little sticky. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Cover and let it double it volume for an hour or two.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminium foil and place it in the oven. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into two. Flour a working surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle about a foot long. Add nigella seeds on the top and roll over it to allow them to stick to the dough.

Heat a cup of water in the microwave for about a minute. Pour it into a pie dish and put the dish on the bottom rack of the oven. Now to transfer the dough to the heated baking sheet. Fold the dough in half once and then again to a quarter. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the dough on to the aluminium foil.

Open up the fold to spread it out again.

Score three lines on the dough ensuring they do not go all the way through and put in the oven. Let it bake for 5 minutes.

Turn the tray around and let it bake for another 5 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

Take it out of the oven and wrap it in a towel to keep it from drying out. Repeat with the other portion of dough.

This is my entry for week four, day two of BM #38 for the theme Naan.

Nan- e- Barbari (Persian Flat bread)

A few years ago we watched a very cute Iranian movie on Netflix called 'Children of Heaven' by well known director Majid Majidi. If you get a chance watch it with your children. In it there is a scene where the little boy picks up flat bread from a local bakery. That foot long flat bread looked like Indian naan only bigger and with grooves.

On digging deeper I found out the name of the flat bread - Nan-e-Barbari. The bread is Persian in origin and it is nothing like the Indian naan. The bread is leavened with yeast but an interesting addition is a Romal or covering of a glaze made out of baking soda over the top. This gives the crust a lovely color and texture.

I have wanted to try this bread for the longest time. This week I finally got the chance. I made the loaves close to a foot long but nowhere near the three feet you see in stores and pictures. While I read a lot of recipes and collected hints from all over the place I adapted the recipe for this bread mainly from here.

You will need
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 1/4 oz. Fleischmann instant yeast packet
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

For the glaze
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. flour

1 tsp. nigella seeds to sprinkle on the top

In a mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix in the maple syrup and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. This creates the sponge.

Sift the flours, baking powder and salt. Add them to the sponge a little at a time. The dough will be sticky. Knead it for a few minutes in the bowl and then transfer to a floured working surface. The dough is kneaded using the whacking method. Holding on to the dough by one end  raise your hand pulling the dough with you and whack it on the working surface. Fold it in half away from you and release. Grab the perpendicular end of the dough and repeat. When needed use a dough scrapper to release the sticky dough from the board. Do not use additional flour.

You will notice a different in texture as the dough turns from sticky to smooth and elastic. As you continue the dough will look and feel softer. After 5-8 minutes shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean oiled mixing bowl. Cover and allow it to rise to double its volume, should take about an hour.

Prepare the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring the solution to a boil and allow it to thicken for about 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow it to cool completely. Transfer the risen dough to a working surface and divide into two portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place each in a separate bowl and allow to rise for an hour. Transfer one of the balls of dough to a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Cover the dough with the glaze and press it down to form an oval. With you fingers form the grooves. Sprinkle with nigella seeds and brush the glaze all over the top. Repeat for the other ball of dough.

Cover and let the shaped naan rest for 45 minutes. The naan will rise a little. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day one of BM #38 for the theme Naan.

Garlic Naan

Soft and browned to perfection with a distinct garlic taste, Garlic Naan is one of the most popular variation of the Indian flat bread.

Garlic naan has been made popular by Indian restaurants that serve them fresh with their buffet. They go well with sides that have gravy or those without. My daughter loves to munch on a hot naan without adding anything to it.

This naan is leavened using yeast and requires a couple hours to rise. However, it cooks very quickly under the broiler taking all of 2 minutes.

You will need
For the dough
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. Fleischmann instant yeast
3 cloves garlic
4 tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 fl. oz. warm water

For the topping
10 leaves cilantro, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced

Sift together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic and mince. Add it to the flour. Add the yeast.

Now add the wet ingredients except water. Add water a little at a time and form a wet, sticky dough. Use a little flour to knead into a soft but sticky dough, about 10 minutes if kneading by hand. This is the hardest step as the dough is very sticky. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl greased with oil and allow it to rest covered for about 2 hours or until it doubles in volume.

Punch down the dough and divide into 6 portions. Using a little flour roll each portion into a ball and keep aside for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F.

The dough would will rise again.

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the second rack from the top. Switch to broiler on high heat. Flour a working surface and roll one of the six portions of dough to about 7 inches and about 1/4 inch in thickness. Sprinkle some of the garlic and cilantro over the top. Roll lightly to press into dough. Repeat for another portion of dough.

Take some water in a bowl. Pick up the naan and place it on the palm of your right hand with topping side down. Dip your free left palm in the water. Moisten the plain side of the naan with your wet palm. Now carefully place the naan on the hot inverted baking sheet. When you are done the topping should face up and the moistened plain side of the naan should touch the pan.

Repeat for the other naan. Broil on high for about 2 minutes watching to ensure the naan does not burn. It should puff up and brown on the top. Take it off the baking sheet and fold in a cloth towel.

Repeat for the remaining naan. Serve hot with a side of your choice.

Submitting this as my second entry for this week for the 2014 52 Week Challenge for the theme Garlic.