Bread making 🍞

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  • MarthaMartha Shipmate
    I've been enjoying making Indian breads recently - naan and roti. Neither are complicated but I don't usually get time to do it.
  • Martha wrote: »
    I've been enjoying making Indian breads recently - naan and roti. Neither are complicated but I don't usually get time to do it.

    I like making naan too. Do you cook in the oven or on the hob?
  • MarthaMartha Shipmate
    The recipe I had cooked it under the grill. It only takes about 2 minutes each side.
  • SparrowSparrow Shipmate
    Gee D wrote: »
    You beat me to it. Ever had a jarful of the stuff explode in your kitchen?

    Yes! Many years ago my Dad tried making it. It went off in the middle of the night and left a large stain on the kitchen ceiling.

  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Martha wrote: »
    The recipe I had cooked it under the grill. It only takes about 2 minutes each side.

    Could you share that? I love nan and the shop-bought ones are never a patch on fresh. While I don't have a tandoor, I have a fairly fierce grill.
  • Martha wrote: »
    The recipe I had cooked it under the grill. It only takes about 2 minutes each side.

    Interesting! The recipe I use called for cooking in the oven, but I now use a frying pan on the hob (gas, medium high).

    Mine is:
    5 floz milk
    5 floz natural yoghurt
    1 tbsp veg oil
    1 egg
    dried yeast
    pinch of salt
    1 tsp sugar
    garlic
    coriander leaf
    about 1lb of plain or bread flour

    Mix the milk and yoghurt, warm in the microwave. Put in a bowl and mix in the oil, egg, sugar, salt, yeast, garlic and coriander. Gradually add the flour, stirring with a spatula and then knead until all the flour is absorbed. Add more if the dough is still sticky. Cover and leave to rise until doubled. Heat a dry pan on the hob, giving it time to get to temperature. Separate 1 1/2 inch balls of dough and roll them out to the size of the bottom of the pan. Lay the naan in the pan and start rolling the next, flipping it once bubbles appear on the surface. Give it about half the time on the other side and then place on a cooling rack. Keep going until you run out of dough (probably get about 8 dinner plate sized ones out of this).
  • MarthaMartha Shipmate
    I guess any flat hot surface does the job. Another recipe I have starts them off in the oven and finishes them under the grill, but that seems too much hassle.

    This recipe is from Anjum Anand. It's not as enriched as yours, @Arethosemyfeet

    300g plain flour
    3/4 tsp dried yeast
    3tsp caster sugar
    Scant 1 tsp salt
    130ml warm water
    4 tbsp melted butter, plus more to brush over
    4 tbsp yogurt

    Stir dry ingredients together. Add butter, yogurt and then water gradually until it comes together. Knead for 6-7 minutes. Cover and leave to rise for 2-3 hours.

    Preheat grill to highest setting and place a baking tray underneath it. Divide the dough into 6 and roll out each ball to less than 1 cm thick. Top with seeds, coriander, or whatever if you want, and brush the top side with melted butter. Put on the hot baking tray and grill for a few minutes until the top side has brown spots, then flip and finish off. Brush the underside with melted butter when you take it out. I usually cook 2 at a time and roll out the next 2 while they're cooking.
  • I make bread by hand, 3 two pound loaves at once for many years. I was down to my last one-quarter tea spoon of yeast. There's no problem if you have some yeast.
    (1) Mixed half of the the water with equivalent amount of flour plus a bit, 1½ cups water with almost 2 cups flour left on countertop for a day after stirring 100 times in the same direction, which I used to think is superstitious, but apparently this leave longer molecules of protein intact verus broken.
    (2) One more day later, added the rest of the water (1½ c) and about 2½ cups flour. Left for another day.
    (3) Then mixed into a non-sticky dough, and 2nd rising baked.

    Still no yeast available. So I thought why not start with mixing bowl. Thus, repeated the same as above within the not cleaned mixing bowl bits as the starter. But put it in the fridge after step 1 because wasn't ready to work on more loaves. Took it out when ready for step 2. I'm on my 6th go now without added yeast. Lacto bacillus, the sour dough bacteria has increased. I don't like strong sour dough flavours, so added a ½ teaspoon of lemon juice which seems to control their numbers. I may never buy yeast again.
  • TrudyTrudy Heaven Host, 8th Day Host
    I've been making naan on the stovetop in a cast-iron pan and it's been working out well.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    edited June 2020
    When we lived in Canada we had a succession of bread machines, and I used to make batches of three French sticks about twice a week (David loved bread, and didn't think a meal was complete without it). We used to buy our flour in either 10kg or occasionally 20kg bags from Costco; I think the 10kg ones were about $8. I haven't got round to buying a machine since I got back (post-lockdown you can't get them for love or money).

    However, my sister managed to get some yeast, and the other day she made a couple of "no-knead" loaves that seemed ridiculously simple - just mix the ingredients in a bowl, wait for a bit, transfer them to loaf tins and bake - and they were absolutely heavenly, so I'm going to have a go tomorrow.

    Maybe I won't need to buy a bread-machine after all ...
  • MarthaMartha Shipmate
    I made pitta bread to go with falafel for dinner tonight. Most of them puffed up nicely, but a few didn't. Does that mean they were too thick, or didn't get hot enough? I thought I had a pitta recipe but I didn't, so I just made my usual pizza dough recipe and went from there.
  • No idea on the pitta front, I'm afraid.

    My last batch of bread I solved my too-thick crust issue by making a "tent" of foil over the loaf tin. Came out with a lovely soft crust and stopped my 4 year old demanding the crusts cut off her sandwiches.
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