No. You did not read the title wrong.
It is a No Bake Naan.
I have to admit, I was being sort of a lazy mother lately by
buying bread instead of making it at home because I was really busy with work.
Those were really busy times. For the first two weeks, Amiko did not complain.
We bought bread at the travelling street vendor who passed our house every
morning and afternoon. They too, had wheat loaf. Though I always had my very
much reasonable doubt on how much wheat flour they incorporated in the loaf and
sadly, blindfolding myself, I ignored the facts that they used a sensible
amount of preservatives. Amiko’s complaints started slowly like a swift sarcasm
which I did not pay attention to, for I have the self-activated invisible
earplugs whenever she started to whine and complain. But then again, I simply
could not let my family suffer for my incompetence in not providing enough time
just to bake a loaf or two every two or three days.
So I asked Amiko whether she wanted to bake a loaf together
or not. She said she did not want to see another loaf for.. eternity! Yes, she
is a drama queen indeed and she got it from her grandmother. But she would
settle for Pita or other Indian bread plus some curry. The other extra
condition is that she wanted it to be filled with cheese and rosemary.
And oregano.
And thyme.
Oh, how the list went on!
Nevertheless I was in a mood for bread that day and I was up
for any experimentation. As if a light
bulb appeared right on my head, I remembered that I had seen a pita pan used by
people in Middle East. Some needed electricity and some could be use right on the
stove. Overall, it looked like THIS. Then it got me thinking, perhaps I should try using my grill pan. If the pita
pan has grills and a lid, then I should be able to use a makeshift one.
It was time to make the dough. I started with my standard
pita dough which does not involve wheat flour. Kneaded, left to rise, and off
to the grill pan. Silence. Nothing happened. No puffing, no nothing. The pita
just laid flat dead on the pan. So off I was again reading my notes on cooking
and found my Naan recipe. The difference between Naan and Pita is that Naan
uses egg and yogurt while Pita is pretty much simple without. Naan is rather
oval and Pita is round. But who cares about shape as long as it tastes good.
Well, not me of course. One thing in common between Naan and Pita is that they
both puff up beautifully in a 235C oven.
Logically, egg will give an oomph to any dish and creamy
stuffs, yogurt in this context, will make the dish taste richer but rather
heavies it down a bit. So my idea is to use egg and omit the yogurt. Combine the
Naan and Pita recipe to make my own bread. The result is a bread that puffed up
like a balloon on the GRILL pan even without cover.
Here is my recipe.
Ingredients:
-250 gr high gluten flour (if using wheat flour, then it’s
170 gr to 80 gr of wheat flour)
-1 tsp instant yeast
-1 egg
-120 ml water (add a bit more if you’re using whole wheat
mixture)
-3/4 to 1 tsp salt
-1/2 tbs olive oil
-100-200 gr grated cheese
-1 tsp Herbs of your choice, plus more to mix with the cheese
fillings if desired
Methods:
-Mix flour, salt, herbs, yeast in a bowl
-In a separate bowl mix egg, water, oil.
-Knead and leave it to rest in a lightly oiled bowl until
doubled for about 1 hour. It will take longer if you’re using wheat flour.
-Once doubled, put it on a lightly floured surface and cut
to 6-8 pieces.
-Use a floured hand, flatten a dough to make a round shape
just like making pao and fill it with (herbed)cheese. Seal it and roll it to an
oval or round shape. No need to get artistic here.
-Prepare your grill pan and lightly oil it.
-Set it on medium heat and once it is hot enough, grill your
Naan for about 2-3 minutes each side.
-Serve with your curry or eat it plain.
I swear I was bursting with laughter. The little rascals were
puffing so high I was afraid they might break. I reckon the cheese helped to
separate the mid section and create that wonderful pocket. I am still in awe
till now at how easy to make this and how little clean up it left me with. This is a breakthrough for lazy moms! But be forewarned, you will want to eat this
again and again and again. So like I always say and will never get bored of saying
it; Make your own bread. Life is too beautiful to be spent with store bought
bread. Unless you buy it on a well respected boulangerie that still stays true
to the spirit of making bread from the heart and use zero preservatives.
From my lovely kitchen to you, Have Fun!
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