Categories
METHODS

NAAN BREAD

500 g/1 lb flour
1 packet/10 g/0.3 oz dried yeast or 30 g fresh yeast

If you prefer to use fresh yeast and the recipe requires dried yeast, simply multiply the dry yeast quantity by 3, i.e. 7 g/0.25 oz dried yeast becomes 21 g/0.7 oz fresh yeast.
Another way to remember:
10 g/0.35 g fresh yeast = 1 teaspoon/5 ml dry yeast.

60 ml/¼  cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons/30 ml melted butter
1 teaspoon/5 ml salt
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar
¾ cup/180 ml warm milk
olive oil for coating the dough
garlic, finely chopped to sprinkle over the bread

You can add seeds of your choice, aniseed, poppy-seed, etc to give it a distinct flavor or brush with oil and garlic.

Dissolve the sugar in the warm water to activate the yeast., add the yeast and wait for it to froth.

Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt together in a separate bowl and make a well in the center. Add the melted butter, yoghurt and yeast, mix well, then knead it well until a dough forms. It should be quite elastic and may need a little extra flour, in which case, sprinkle over a little flour and knead again.  (This can be done in a food processor with dough hook attachment.)

Place the dough in a clean bowl that you have greased lightly with oil, also coat the dough with a little oil.  Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat your oven to 220°C/392°F.  Brush a baking sheet with oil.

Remove the dough, separate into 6-8 pieces and roll out into rounds or oval shapes, about 5 mm thick.  Place on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and garlic (your choice) and place in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve warm.

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.