The relentless naan thread part 2... also long... but I think I nailed it.

Foghorn

So India Pale Ale isn't beer from India?

caliking

Is anything from India pale??? And that was beer going TO India.

Toxarch

I thought you were just trying to come up with an easier way to make naan without a tandoori oven. If you need a recipe for naan, I can try to get one. We are more Southern Indian so chappati is used. But I'm sure my aunt in India (or another relative) can get an authentic naan recipe if you need it.

Toxarch

Foghorn said:

So India Pale Ale isn't beer from India?

Like mentioned, IPA was shipped to India from Europe by boat. There is nothing Indian about an IPA except that most of it was shipped by the East India Company to British soldiers in India. The Brits drank Porters at the time which often couldn't make the 6 month trip and tasted horrible in the India climate. So they switched to a Pale beer loaded with hopps that the rich stored and drank. It could last for decades in a cask so that's what they started shipping to India for the military soldiers. Hence the IPA name.

Focker

BS I say!
I can pick up some cardamom and curry notes in my IPA, don't care what you guys claim. 

blind99

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense now. Next time I'm down on Devon I'll try again!

NPHuskerFL

Bump

caliking

Toxarch said:

I thought you were just trying to come up with an easier way to make naan without a tandoori oven. If you need a recipe for naan, I can try to get one. We are more Southern Indian so chappati is used. But I'm sure my aunt in India (or another relative) can get an authentic naan recipe if you need it.

A little of both, I guess. I want a good restaurant- grade naan, so that's what I set out to make. Without having to fire up the tandoor necessarily. 

If you can get your hands on a high-quality naan recipe, i'm all for trying it. 

caliking

blind99 said:

Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense now. Next time I'm down on Devon I'll try again!

I miss Devon. But some of the better Pakistani food (incl naan) was to be found around Orleans & Oak. There were a few dhabas (kind of a like a diner, but grungier, where a lot of Pakistani cab drivers would hang out) around there. Cheap but good grub. Baba's Palace, Pakizah, Kababish, Zaiqa were a few of them. 

caliking

Focker said:

BS I say!
I can pick up some cardamom and curry notes in my IPA, don't care what you guys claim. 

Its not really an IPA unless you can taste notes of chicken tikka masala in it

SciAggie

Could you bake the naan on the floor of a wood oven?
http://texasovenco.com/wood-fired-oven-as-tandoor/

20stone

SciAggie said:

Could you bake the naan on the floor of a wood oven?
http://texasovenco.com/wood-fired-oven-as-tandoor/

I understand from one who is knowledgable that "naan needs to see fire."  I would think that a wood oven would qualify. I would think even better if it is tall enough to put in a vertical steel or iron plate you could stick them to, so you would have even exposure to the topsides. 

One way to find out

caliking

SciAggie said:

Could you bake the naan on the floor of a wood oven?
http://texasovenco.com/wood-fired-oven-as-tandoor/

Absolutely! If you think about it, a WFO is a sideways tandoor. So it fulfills my purist/snob criteria that the naan must "see the fire" Plus, you can make several naans at once. 

And thanks for posting that link. Any discussion about tandoori chix, etc. that starts off by mentioning Kundan Lal Gujral and the iconic Moti Mahal, is off to a good start indeed. They did their homework. 

caliking

20stone said:

SciAggie said:

Could you bake the naan on the floor of a wood oven?
http://texasovenco.com/wood-fired-oven-as-tandoor/

I understand from one who is knowledgable that "naan needs to see fire."  I would think that a wood oven would qualify. I would think even better if it is tall enough to put in a vertical steel or iron plate you could stick them to, so you would have even exposure to the topsides. 

One way to find out

I would try on the floor first. Maneuvering a metal plate would be tricky. And if the baking steel is anything to go by, it will scorch the underside of the naan at temps >550°F.

I've seen pita baked on the floor of a WFO, so I'm pretty sure it will work out well. 

@SciAggie - I presume we'll see some pics next weekend?

SciAggie

@caliking Of the paella? Absolutely! I will designate a photographer. 
Also - I purchased my oven kit from Texas Oven Co. They were good to work with. 

SciAggie

caliking said:

Relentless Naan  (April 2017 )

Flour AP                                           360g

NaCl                                                   1 tsp

Dahi (i.e. yogurt, homemade)             60ml

Egg, large                                            1

Oil                                                   1 TBSP

SD starter                                            60g

Water                          as required, about 120+ ml. [150ml if eggless)

- Whisk dry ingredients.

- Mix wet ingredients. 

- Knead dough by hand for 5-10 minutes and let rest for 2 hrs. 

- Refrigerate for 2-7 days.
- Knead dough for 1-2 minutes

- Heat CI skillet until 450°F (ish)

- Roll or stretch naan out. Dust with flour as needed. 

- Dock the dough

-Spray water on one side

- Press wet side down into pan.

-Invert the skillet and cook on high flame for ~60 secs or until the surface is browned.

Enjoy!

I want to try flatbread in the wfo. Questions:
Can I use store bought yogurt?
please explain the docking,spraying, pressing steps more. 

Also, please excuse my ignorance - how is naan different from pita bread?

caliking

SciAggie said:

I want to try flatbread in the wfo. Questions:
Can I use store bought yogurt?
please explain the docking,spraying, pressing steps more. 

Also, please excuse my ignorance - how is naan different from pita bread?

Gary... how much longer are you going to wait??

 - you can use store bought yogurt. White Mountain Bulgarian yogurt is very good, and is available at HEB. If you have an Indian store near you, look for Desi Natural Dahi, which is also pretty good. I had unsatisfactory results with Greek yogurt. 

Docking - after rolling the dough out, poke it with the tip of a sharp knife or a fork. Like you would pie crust prior to baking it. 

Spray - the side that will go down against the cooking surface. This is usually done to help the naan stick to the walls of the tandoor, but I think the steam created when that wet side hits the cooking surface is a good thing. 

You shouldn't need a pan since you can cook on the the hearth/floor of your wfo. Or try a pizza stone on the hearth. A wfo is sort of like a sideways tandoor, so I'm thinking this will work out well!

Re: naan vs. pita bread, naan is usually 100% white flour, sort of blistered but not puffy, crispy on the bottom, but pliable. The good pita bread I've had in restaurants has always been chemically leavened, puffy, and made with varying amounts of WW in the dough.

Google spit this out:
https://www.breadstoneovens.com/blogs/news/wood-fired-naan

Ignore whatever they say about their dough, handling it etc. 

SciAggie

I’ll give this a go this weekend. 

caliking

SciAggie said:

I’ll give this a go this weekend. 

 The dough is best after 2 days in the fridge.

northGAcock

Great thread....have enjoyed reading though it all.

jtcBoynton

how is naan different from pita bread?

naan is an enriched dough (dairy). Usually cooked at much higher temps.

caliking

jtcBoynton said:

how is naan different from pita bread?

naan is an enriched dough (dairy). Usually cooked at much higher temps.

Naan is an enriched dough as well, I think. Oil, yogurt, egg are in it. 

SciAggie

Mixed some dough this morning. I only had Greek yogurt - hope that doesn’t matter too much. I’ll post results later. 

caliking

SciAggie said:

Mixed some dough this morning. I only had Greek yogurt - hope that doesn’t matter too much. I’ll post results later. 

If you’re making naans today, leave the dough out for a few hrs. Otherwise, you’ll find that it’s best after 2 days in the fridge. 

SciAggie

@caliking I thought I’d make it tomorrow. By the way, how many should this recipe make?

Also, this is a relatively stiff dough - is that right? At least compared to 80% hydration bread dough. 

caliking

@SciAggie if you roll out golf ball size wads of dough, it should make 10-12. 

Its stiffer than 80% hydration dough, but yours may be a tad stiffer than usual because Greek yogurt is denser than the yogurt I use. 

Also, the dough will keep in the fridge for a week, and even up to 2 weeks. It’s pretty tangy at the 2 week mark

SciAggie

@caliking Thanks. I may make a few tomorrow and then let some of the dough go until next week and see what that’s like. 

SciAggie

I have no idea if this is actually naan - but it tastes good. Some I didn’t dock -some I did. I just held them to the fire to get some toasting. @caliking How did I do?

20stone

Those look awesome!

SciAggie

20stone said:

Those look awesome!

Thanks. They were easy to cook. I’ll be making this regularly I think.