Naan Bread - Take 2

 

There really isn't any reason to attempt a new recipe for naan bread.  I like this one just fine.   But it is a little labor-intensive and takes a bit of time when you're cooking the bread one piece at a time in the skillet.  So I thought I'd try this oven version.

There are a lot less ingredients than the other recipe, and I didn't give it much hope of competing with the original.  But we tried it anyway:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup
• warm Water

• 1/4 cups
• White Sugar

• 1 tablespoon
• Dry Yeast

• 1
• Egg; beaten

• 3 tablespoons
• Milk

• 2 teaspoons
• Salt

• 3 1/2 cups
• All-purpose Flour

- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/295/naan-bread#sthash.9uaptNqY.dpuf

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup warm sugar

1 TBS active dry yeast

1 egg beaten

3 TBS milk

2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour

 

• 1 cup
• warm Water

• 1/4 cups
• White Sugar

• 1 tablespoon
• Dry Yeast

• 1
• Egg; beaten

• 3 tablespoons
• Milk

• 2 teaspoons
• Salt

• 3 1/2 cups
• All-purpose Flour

- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/295/naan-bread#sthash.9uaptNqY.dpuf

• 1 cup
• warm Water

• 1/4 cups
• White Sugar

• 1 tablespoon
• Dry Yeast

• 1
• Egg; beaten

• 3 tablespoons
• Milk

• 2 teaspoons
• Salt

• 3 1/2 cups
• All-purpose Flour

- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/295/naan-bread#sthash.9uaptNqY.dpuf

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl mix the yeast and sugar into the warm water.  Stir gently and then let sit until frothy on top.  

Whisk in egg, milk, and salt.  Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough is well mixed.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes.

Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and let rise for 30-45 minutes (if your house isn't warm enough - mine never is!- place bowl in a warmed but turned off oven covered with a towel).   The dough should be doubled in size when it is done.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Split the dough into 10-15 balls and place on a board to rise again (about 20-30 minutes).  Put a light coating of oil on a cutting board or surface and roll out each ball.  Place the flattened pieces on greased or tinfoil-covered cookie sheets and place in the oven.  Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and cooked through.

In a bowl whisk water together with yeast and sugar. Let the ingredients sit for about 10 minutes until frothy. - See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/295/naan-bread#sthash.9uaptNqY.dpuf

VERDICT

Making this in the oven was certainly a lot easier than making the breads one piece at a time.  But the same flavor wasn't there as the original recipe that calls for Greek yogurt and olive oil.  In spite of that... my family liked this recipe better.  My husband called it the best bread he's ever eaten.  I suppose we just have different taste buds.  I'd be interested to know what YOU think!

Skillet Foccacia Bread

 

Now that I've shared my tale of woe at being laid off, you can forgive me for going completely off script and making recipes that are more time consuming and more complicated that my usual M.O.  But I've also discovered that some of the recipes that I once avoided like the plague are not nearly as complicated or time consuming as I thought.

Take this skillet foccacia.  Yes, it is a yeast bread which means having yeast on hand, kneading the dough for 5 minutes, and letting it rise.  Time consuming.  But the end result?  It may just be worth it, my friends.

INGREDIENTS

for the dough:

3/4 c warm water
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
2 c all-purpose flour ( divided )
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 TBS fresh herbs (garlic, thyme, rosemary, etc... whatever you have on hand) You can also substitute with 1-2 tsp dried herbs

for the parmesan butter brush:

3 Tbsp unsalted or salted butter, melted
1 Tbsp grated parmesan  
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Place water and sugar in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until sugar dissolves.  Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir few times. Let sit until foamy ( about 5 minutes).

Turn the mixer on low speed and add 1 cup of flour and salt. Mix until combined.  Or... if you don't have some fancy schmancy stand mixer you can use a bowl and a spoon. 

Add oil and mix well. Gradually add as much of the remaining cup of flour as you can ( it can be only 3/4 of it) and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Add in the fresh or dried herbs.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 degrees F and when it's ready turn it off. Keep the door closed.  Grease the skillet.

Place dough onto a floured surface (use the remaining flour from the second cup) and fold the dough few times until you feel it's smooth and not sticky anymore. Shape into a ball.  Roll out the dough into a size of your skillet.  Place in skillet. Stretch up the sides. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  

Take the skillet out of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers.  Mix melted butter, parmesan and seasoning in a small bowl. Brush the dough with half the butter.  

Place skillet with dough in the preheated oven and bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with remaining butter. Let cool until safe to the touch and slice. Serve. 

VERDICT

  

Yum.  Don't be afraid to make bread from scratch.  This is delicious!

Homemade Naan Bread

If you follow this blog... you know I'm not a high-maintenance chef.  This recipe is almost too much for me.

Almost.   

Yes, it requires letting the dough "rise" for 45 minutes.  But compared to store-bought Naan bread this won't set you back $4.99 a pop.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp	dry active yeast
1 tsp	sugar
1/2 cup	water
2.5-3 cups	flour
1/2 tsp	salt
1/4 cup	vegetable oil
1/3 cup	plain greek yogurt
1 large	egg

 

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

Place the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. (I added about another 1/2 to 3/4 cup as I was kneading). The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.

(At this point I added in minced garlic & rosemary into the dough.  You can add any herbs you want into the dough- but I'd suggest adding them before you allow the dough to rise.)

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray (or pour in a few TBS of olive oil). Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface . Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!

TIPS: For the most bubbles, don't roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. I experimented with different skillet temperatures and found that a medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough and does not burn the surface.

VERDICT

I know, it sounds kind of fussy.  But aside from the yeast you probably have everything in your pantry already.  Or maybe you do have yeast in your cupboard.  I sure as heck didn't prior to making this recipe. Ain't nobody got time for that!  Or maybe we do.  15 minutes of prep with the dough, then another 15 minutes to bake up the dough in a skillet and you're done.

We made the bread into pizza :)

 

Jalapeno and Cheddar Corn bread

I was never a fan of corn bread.  The dry, crumbly texture did not appeal to me.  At.  All. 

But my husband is a genius in everything he cooks, corn bread is no exception.  His trick?  Using a cast iron skillet.  By warming up the heavy pan for 5-10 minutes before adding the mixture the bottom gets nice and crunchy (and it doesn't stick to the pan when it's all done).

When I decided to make cornbread as a side for the Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avacado Cream Dressing I knew I had to go big or go home.  It's hard to beat the man at his own masterpiece.

But I think I did it.  Here's how:

INGREDIENTS

1 box jiffy cornbread mix (yes, I know it's a cop out to buy the box mix and not make it from scratch.  I'm just not that kind of cook who has all afternoon to make dinner.  I need it done in half an hour.  If you want to make it from scratch, there are plenty of recipes out there.  Many of them better than mine.  But you're not here for time consuming, you're here for quick, easy, and tasty.)

1 jalapeno, minced

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed

1/4 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Make cornbread as directed, mixing only until combined (leave it lumpy!)  Add in the cheese, honey and jalapeno.

Pre-heat a cast iron skillet in a 400-degree oven for at least 5 minutes.  When heated, add the cornbread mixture and cook according to package directions.

VERDICT

This is not some crumbly cornbread from a Ponderossa buffet.  This cornbread is amazing.  And even though it's from a mix, it tastes like you put a lot more effort into it.

Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits

I'm trying to go low carb for the weeks leading up to our cruise.  Trying.  It's just not my thing.  I love pasta.  And rice.  And bread.  And I really needed something to make with the Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup on Monday night.  I mean, the soup was 87 calories a cup.  I just didn't think it would be very filling without something to go with it.  And this recipe does come from skinnytaste.com, so even if it is a carb it is low in calories.

...and in spite of me being rediculous trying to justify it, these were really good.  And really easy.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp salted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 cups baking mix (Bisquick or similar)
• 3 oz shredded parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup fat free milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a small pan, add oil and half the garlic; sauté on low heat about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add chopped rosemary.

In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix, parmesan cheese, and remaining garlic. Stir in milk and mix (do not over mix). Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls (about 1.5 oz each) onto prepared cookie sheet.  Make 14 biscuits.

Bake for 10 minutes. Brush or drizzle biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

VERDICT

Quick, easy, and practically a diet food.  Except for the fact that you won't just stop at one roll.  Or two. And... they reheat really well the next day. 

NUTRITION

Servings: 14 • Serving Size: 1 biscuit • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 113.8 • Fat: 5.4 g • Protein: 4.0 g • Carb: 12.6 g • Fiber: 0.0 g • Sugar: 1.9 g
Sodium: 268 mg

Thanks to the brilliant cook at Skinnytaste for this recipe!