Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Naan Bread (Dan Lepard)


If I need to try out an recipe, it is always a habit for me to check out Dan Lepard's first.  His recipes are not just good but also reliable, I have learnt a lot from him.  So here I am now and again, using his recipes.

Talking about the bread,  Naan is one of the extra side dishes that I always have whenever I have Indian food here.  It has been a long time since I wanted to learn how to make them.  I am glad I have finally made it.
Dan's Naan here delivers such a favourable coconut aroma that carries on the next morning when I opened up the wrapper!

They are so soft, not dry at all,  the texture is really wonderful. I barely did any kneading at all, very easy indeed.  We had some with the curry, the remaining Naan I wrapped in plastic bag, put some foil over it and kept in the freezer for later use.

Recipe: The Guardian ( Dan Lepard)
Ingredients
200ml warm water
7g fast- action yeast
200ml coconut milk
550g strong white flour
2 tsp salt
Sumflower oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Nigella or cumin seeds ( I did not use)
Extra flour for shaping



well-risen dough
It must have something to do with the coconut milk, it is kind of gluey at this stage
just oil hands to do your job here.




divided into 6 




love the flavour of the coconut milk and also the aroma from the flour itself,
I love gluten :)




Method ( makes 6 or 9 small naan):
1.  Pour the water into a large mixing bowl, stir in the yeast and leave till dissolved, then whisk in the coconut milk.

2.  Add flour and salt, mix well to a soft dough then cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Oil workbench and lightly knead the dough, cover and leave for an hour.

3.  Lightly flour the workbench, divide into balls, let them sit covered for about 20-30 minutes, so the dough beocme easier to roll out.

4.  Have a wok ready and hot on the hob, mix the crushed garlic with 2 tbsp oil. If you have a wok lid, it will keep the steam in and help make the naan lighter. Roll out one of the dough balls into a rough triangle, about 5mm thick, then pick it up and quickly flop it against the sides of the work.

5.  As it cooks, lightly dab garlic oil on the upper surface of the dough using a pastry brush or teaspoon, then sprinkle with nigella seeds. Adjust the heat so it bakes and puffs without burning too much on the base. Once it's half baked, use tongs to carefully flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough.

6.  Let it cool, wrap well and freeze. When ready to serve, simply reheat from frozen in a  pre-heated oven until hot.


Alteration:
Note: I baked it in the oven instead.  I followed up to No 3 above and proceed to the following way:
1.  Pre-heat oven 200C / 400F /Gas 6. Place a roasting tin half-filled with water at the bottom of the oven.  It provides moisture in the oven which prevents the naan from drying out too quickly.

2.  Put the naan on a greased baking tray, bake on the top shelf for 7 minutes, then turn the naan over and cook for another 5 minutes.  While the naan is cooking, shape the next one. If your tray is big enough, you may be able to fit two at a time.  Remove the cooked naan from the oven and cover with a cloth to keep it warm.






 





























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