Bread on Arshad Siddiqui

Naan - I

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 17:07:00 +0100

Soft, fluffy and delicious — perfect alongside curries or grilled dishes. This version is baked rather than made in a tandoor, making it great for home kitchens.

Ingredients #

(Makes 8 small naan breads)

Plain white flour – 375g / 13oz
Baking powder – ¾ teaspoon
Salt – 1½ teaspoons
Full-fat milk – 200ml / 7fl oz
Sugar – 15g / ½oz
Free-range egg – 1 (you will only need half the beaten egg)
Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons

Recipe #

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and half the beaten egg.
Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and knead lightly until it forms a soft dough. Avoid overworking.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Pour the oil over the rested dough and turn to coat evenly.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece on a lightly oiled surface into a 9cm / 3½in circle. Optionally stretch into teardrop shapes or roll to 10cm / 4in circles.
Preheat a baking tray in the oven.
Place the naan on the hot tray and bake for 4–5 minutes, turning as needed, until golden and slightly puffed.

Serve warm with curry, chutneys or grilled kebabs.

Naan - II

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 15:41:00 +0100

A more recent version of my Naan Bread recipe.

Ingredients #

Water (lukewarm) – 3/4 cup
Yeast (instant) – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Plain flour – 3 cups
Baking soda – pinch
Yoghurt – 2 and 1/2 tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

Makes about 6 naans

Recipe #

Dough preparation #

Mix salt, sugar, and yeast into lukewarm water.
Leave the mixture in a warm place for 5-15 minutes to activate the yeast (timing depends on room temperature).
Combine baking soda with the plain flour and mix well.
Add oil and yoghurt to the flour mixture.
Add the yeast water gradually and mix to form a soft dough — don’t overwork it.
Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with cling film.
Let it rise for 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the temperature.

Baking #

Preheat your oven to 220°C (or equivalent) and leave the baking tray inside for 20 minutes to heat.
Divide the dough into 6 equal balls.
Roll each ball out into a round or teardrop shape.
Optionally, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and gently press them in.
Place the naans on the hot baking tray and bake for 3-5 minutes, turning halfway through, until puffed and golden.
Remove from the oven and brush hot naans with butter immediately.

Enjoy warm naan with rich Nihari or your favourite curry!

Kashmiri Czot

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:29:00 +0100

Also called Kasher Czot, Kashmiri Czot, or Kandur Czot, this humble bread is a quiet pillar of Kashmiri life.

A Kashmiri’s day is incomplete without czot — the warm, lightly chewy flatbread that graces every breakfast table, often with a simple spread of butter or jam. This medium-sized everyday bread is crafted by the kandur, the local baker, who prepares it fresh each morning in a tandoor (hot clay oven). With swift skill, he presses finger impressions into each round of dough before gently placing it against the inner walls of the glowing oven.

Sheermal

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:11:00 +0100

Sheermal is a fragrant, slightly sweet saffron milk bread — rich, golden, and soft — traditionally enjoyed with a cup of kehwa or served alongside kebabs. Infused with kewra and saffron, it’s a royal treat from Mughal kitchens to Kashmiri bakeries.

Ingredients #

Plain flour – 500 g
Salt – 10 g
Butter – 65 g
Caster sugar – 25 g
Milk powder – 50 g
Egg – 1
Cream – 20 g
Kewra water – 20 g
Milk – 220 ml
Saffron – a few strands soaked in 2 tbsp lukewarm water
Yeast – 1 tsp

Method #

Use the Panasonic bread maker on Setting 22 to knead and rise the dough.
Shape and roll the dough to about 1 cm thickness.
Brush with milk or cream and bake until golden.
Enjoy warm with tea or as a festive side.

Bread

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Bread #

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