Tag Archives: yeast

Stovetop Naan: Indian Flatbread |Basic Recipe Series|

I often hear my friends say that they are intimidated to try new recipes in fear of ruining the whole thing. They are mostly comfortable cooking the daily menu with less hassle and adventure. They keep their cravings to be satisfied in a restaurant or take-out food. For me it is always the other way round. Whenever I try something new out, I have to give it a try at home. At first I look up for recipes, tweak to suit my taste and ease, thus come up with my very own version. It is true that sometimes I fail badly, sometimes I alter method or ingredients in my next attempt but I keep on trying till I achieve success. So the key is to keep trying and have faith on oneself.

The other day one of my close friends requested me to give her some basic recipes to try at home, some detailed recipes so that she can follow every step without altering and get a sure shot success. From her proposal I got an idea to start a ‘Basic Recipe Series’ here so that the beginners, the newlyweds or anyone who fears to cook can benefit.

I shall try my best to give detailed list of ingredients, methods and try to keep it simple but you may not come up with flying colors in your first attempt so keep trying. I would love to help you if you go wrong.I know while cooking and specially in baking you need to follow recipes but I feel the best way is to follow your heart and use your common senses.

Today in the basic recipe series, I am sharing a naan recipe where you do not need any fancy tandoor or oven. You can completely rely on your good old tawa or skillet and enjoy the slightly stretchy yet soft naan with all the smoky goodness, just like the one from the tandoor restaurant. I don’t like the ‘bread’ like puffed up naan which nowadays are available in the grocery stores. These are soft yet pliable and can be rolled up into wraps with some grilled chicken bits or veggies.

So what are you waiting for? Tuck your hair, roll up your sleeves and march to the kitchen to try out this simple recipe. I am sure very soon you’ll impress your near and dear ones.

Scoop out your favorite curry with a piece of freshly prepared naan and enjoy as it melts in your mouth.

Stovetop Naan: Indian Flatbread

Recipe Makes 2-3 medium sized naan

1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plain yogurt at room temperature
2 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry yeast
¼ cup water at 110 F

First dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water, cover and let it stand for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile mix in the flour and salt and set aside. When the yeast is frothy add in the flour mixture along with the yogurt and oil. Knead to form dough. You may need some more water to knead the dough. Adjust water so that the dough is sticky and not dry.Oil your palms and continue to knead the dough for 5-8 minutes to form the gluten which gives the finished naan a stretchy texture. The dough should now feel soft and smooth. Form a ball and place on a greased bowl, brush the top with some oil, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise to double in size in a warm place (approx. 40-45 minutes).

After the dough has risen, place a heavy bottomed skillet or tawa on a stovetop at a very high heat. Meanwhile punch down the dough lightly and divide and roll into small balls. Roll the balls on a lightly floured surface into a thin round disc. Lift the rolled disc and stretch from one side to form a ‘tear’ shape. Dust off any excess flour and apply a little bit of water on one side of the rolled naan. Put the wet side down on the skillet and wait till you see big bubbles forming on the surface of the naan (approx.1-2 minutes) Flip and cook for another minute. Now place the naan with a tong directly over the flame to get some charred effects on the naan. Place the prepared naan on a plate and brush with butter. Repeat with rest of the dough. To keep the naan warm wrap with an aluminum foil.

You can cut the naan into halves while serving with your favorite curry. Enjoy!

Tips:

To get a soft naan, make sure that the dough is not too dry. Dry dough will lead to dry and chewy naan. Use warm water to proof the yeast. If the water is too hot the yeast will not rise resulting to flat dough. It is important to use yogurt at room temperature. If you are not comfortable handling the naan directly over the open flame, you can use a wire mesh as we use in making normal chapatti or roti.You can add toppings of your choice on the naan, like- crushed garlic, chopped coriander leaves, nigella, sesame seeds etc.

Stovetop Naan is Yeastspotted!

Panettone: Italian Christmas Sweet Bread

1 Reply

After the roasted butternut squash risotto, it’s now time for Panettone, an Italian specialty Christmas sweet bread. I first tried this couple of years back and I loved it. The thing that most intrigued me was its size and I loved the ‘fruitfulness’ with a cottony softness in every bite. This year rather than trying a store bought one, I thought of baking one at home.

Panettone is a cross between a cake and bread. The traditional way of baking is a very long process where you start with a sour dough starter and gradually proof the dough for several days and finally rise and bake. I was not very confident about the whole process so I gave this recipe a shot. This recipe is a quick version, though needs long hours of rising to give it a soft and fluffy texture. This is my first try and I am somewhat satisfied with the results. The cake had a darker crust as it was baked for a longer time. Covering the cake with a foil would have solved the problem but the texture and taste was awesome. I baked a big six inch and two small panettones. The small ones were just perfect.

Panettone

To bake this panettone you need a panettone mold but a cake tin with parchment paper is just fine. If you like to bake breads then you will love this recipe. Give it a try and enjoy with your family this Christmas.

Panettone: Italian Christmas Sweet bread

Recipe makes : an eight inch panettone or six inch and two small panettones.

3 cups all-purpose flour and more for dusting
3 eggs
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup warm milk
1 packet of yeast
6 tablespoons of butter
½ cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup of raisins
½ sweetened dried cranberries
¼ cup candied citrus peels
¼ cup tutti-frutti
Egg wash (an egg yolk and milk well combined) to brush the top

In a small bowl take the warm milk and water and add the yeast and one tablespoon of sugar. Cover and let it rise for 5 minutes. When the yeast mixture is frothy make a sponge by adding ¼ cup flour to the yeast mixture, stir well and cover with a cling wrap and let it rise for thirty minutes in a warm place. In a big bowl sift the flour and set aside.

Now in another bowl whisk the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, orange zest and the sponge and mix well. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture and gradually add the flour and mix until well incorporated. Now add the fruit mix. Flour the surface and take the dough out and lightly knead and form into a ball. The dough will be very sticky but that is fine. Oil a large bowl and place the dough ball and cover with a cling wrap and let it rise until triple in size in a warm place for about 3-4 hours.

After the first rise lightly grease a panettone mold or a cake pan. Take the risen dough out of the bowl and give it a gentle knead and form a ball and place on the greased cake pan or the mold. Brush the top with butter, cover with cling wrap and let it rise in a warm place until triple in size for second time. At the end of the rise, preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. With a sharp knife make a cross on the top of the panettone and brush with an egg wash. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven or until a tooth pick inserted into it comes out clean.

Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Tips:

Baking a panettone takes a lot of patience but it is worth it. Always let it rise until triple in size which will give the panettone a fluffy and soft texture. Allow the final rise upto the rim of the mold.

Panettone is Yeastspotted!

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls with Honey Butter

4 Replies

It’s autumn, “the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. This is my most favorite season of the year when everything is bright and colorful around me. The smell of the scented candles, the bounty of vegetables and fruits in the markets, the fallen leaves, and the crisp in the air, the pumpkin pies and the spiced latte, all announce that the autumn is here. I am amazed by the colors that are painted by Nature and are reflected in all its creations. The bright red, orange and yellow hue of the leaves make a dramatic effect and so much I love it.

Last Sunday I visited the farmers’ market and was overwhelmed, seeing the fresh organic veggies and fruits that are ripened to the core. The honey crisp apples, the persimmons, oranges, butternut squash, winter squashes filled my basket in no time.

Most of the fruits are being eaten raw and the veggies are transformed into some special fall recipes (recipes coming soon).

This recipe is for sure a fall recipe. Though I love pumpkin (the variety that we get in India), but all these years I was intimidated by the idea to use pumpkin in baking. This year I was confident and gave it a shot and am glad that I did. These soft pumpkin and cinnamon spiced rolls of goodness are a must try. I loved the smell when they were baking; the whole house smelled like fall.

I love to bake and I mostly bake breads so I am excited to share a bread recipe for the very first time here.

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls with Honey Butter

Recipe: makes 16 rolls

Recipe adapted from ‘Better Homes and Gardens’

2 ½ -3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 table-spoon active dry yeast
½ cup canned pumpkin
½ cup water
¼ cup non-fat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
A pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
Honey butter

To make honey butter

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups of the all-purpose flour, pinch of salt and yeast and set aside.

In a medium saucepan heat and stir pumpkin, the water, milk powder, butter, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon powder over medium heat until warm(120 F to 130 F) and butter just melts. Add the pumpkin mixture and the egg to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixture on low-speed for thirty seconds, scrapping sides of bowl constantly. Now beat on high-speed for three minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the whole wheat flour and the remaining all-purpose flour as much as you can.

Now turn on to a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until double in size.

When the dough is rising make the honey butter. In a small mixing bowl beat the butter and honey with an electric mixture on low-speed until light and fluffy.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease the sheets.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough and divide into two portions. On a lightly floured surface roll each dough portion into a twelve-inch circle. Spread with honey butter. Cut each dough circle into 8 wedges. Now to shape the rolls, begin at wide end of each wedge and roll toward the point. Place point sides down, two-three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover again and let it rise until nearly double in size.

At the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 375F.Uncover and bake the rolls for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Serve warm.

Tips:

You can cover and chill the unbaked rolls in the baking sheets until ready to bake for 2 to 24 hours.Bring the rolls to room temperature and once they double in size,uncover and bake as directed.

Linking this to :Yeastspotting