AceFoodDesk says here’s todays food and recipe for herbed nan bread enjoy with Kindness & Love XX A&M

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Herbed Whole Wheat Naan

Don’t you love it when a new recipe just delights everyone?

I had a big group of my family coming for dinner, and decided on a curry with all the trimmings. The curry was vegetable based for some, with shrimp on the side for those so inclined. Basmati rice, cucumber and winter radish raita, and curried green beans filled out the gaps in the plate. But I needed bread, and of course naan it would have to be. Naan is a traditional Indian bread that is usually cooked on the extremely hot sides of a tandoor oven while the meat is cooking. It has distinctive marks from the bubbles that appear from the intense heat. At best, it is tender and fluffy, even pillowy, and I’ve had some pretty wonderful naan in Indian restaurants. At worst, it is dry and lifeless. Although I never made it before, I was certainly going to give it a try.

So many ideas from which to choose!

The recipes were all over the place ingredient wise. Some used yoghurt, some eggs, there were yeast-free versions, and there was even baking powder in some. Some had all of the above! The thing they almost all had in common was they were made with all white flour, or just a token whole wheat. Being a novice, and not knowing at all what I was doing, I mixed and matched and played around and my very first attempt ignored them all and thought about what I like in a bread.

Let’s try it this way instead

However, I needed to make major adjustments. I swapped out olive oil for the butter, and I used an oat milk rather than dairy. My biggest change was swapping half the flour for a whole grain, white whole wheat, to give them a little more fiber and nutrition. They came out great. The next time I made them, I used 100% King Arthur white whole wheat flour, and used Vermont maple syrup rather than white sugar, and they were just as fluffy and tender. They were a lovely, really soft and delicious naan that ticked all the nutritional boxes in my book. Whole grain, low saturated fat, and with a beautiful texture.

The best recommendation

At the end of the meal, not a crumb left and everyone wanted the recipe. Not bad for a first attempt.

Now, let’s see what else we can do

My most recent batch was frilled up a bit. I chopped up some fresh herbs – thyme, tarragon, and parsley – and imbedded them into the dough while rolling out. After they were done, I brushed them with garlic infused olive oil as suggested in a conversation with Terry Gura at Comfort du Jour. This was a winner all around!

Cast-iron frying pan to the rescue once again

While this delicious bread is traditionally baked in that super-hot tandoor oven. My equipment of choice was my well-seasoned cast-iron frying pan, dry, and heated on highest heat of the burner. It worked like a charm. Lovely bubbles, and a quick ‘bake.’

Yes, it’s that good, and you can do it!

This recipe is easy and fast to put together for a yeast bread. It is very forgiving, tons of fun to make, and you don’t have to serve up an Indian feast to enjoy this! These are so delicious, I can’t image buying naan ever again. It’s that good!

100% Whole Wheat Herbed Naan

The bread:

• 1 tsp. yeast, instant rise or traditional
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 tbsp. dark maple syrup
• 1 ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. King Arthur organic white whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsp. beaten egg, or 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp. oat milk
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. minced herbs of choice

Garlic oil to brush on:

• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

            Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. Add the syrup and let sit until foamy, about 15 to 20 minutes.

            In the meantime, measure out the flour and salt into a large bowl. Beat the egg, oat milk, and olive oil in another small bowl. Once the yeast has activated, add that to the flour (hold back two tablespoons) along with the egg mixture. Stir it all up with a wooden spoon just until the dough comes together. If it is so sticky it sticks to your fingers, sprinkle on more of those last two tablespoons of flour. It should feel a bit tacky, but not actually stick onto your fingers. Turn it out onto the counter and knead just a few times to get it smooth. 

            Rinse out the bowl and grease it, then form the dough into a ball and let it rise covered for an hour or so, or until double in bulk.Ready for its nap.One hour later, doubled in bulk.

           Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and cut into six fairly even pieces. Take each piece and fold the corners under, the place the dough on a dry, unfloured counter, and using your cupped hand, make circular movements to form into a neat ball. Place them on a lightly floured sheet pan, cover with a towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.

            In the meantime, heat the olive oil gently with the garlic clove and set aside.

            Heat the cast-iron pan (or a griddle) on highest heat until little whisps appear. Place a dough ball on lightly floured surface, flatten it out with your fingers and sprinkle some herbs on the top. Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin very thin, about 6” X 8”. Roll each section out very thin to about 6″ X 8″ pressing the herbs into the dough with the rolling pin.Immediately place in very hot skillet or griddle. Bubbles quickly appear.

           Place in the pan and wait for bubbles to appear. This starts happening in less than a minute or so. Let it cook another half minute, then turn over if browned. Let this cook another 30 seconds, or until the bubbled side is browned. Turn back over and brush with the infused oil. Remove from the pan and finish with the others.

            I got into a nice routine where I rolled out the next flat bread when the first was cooking, so the pan kept working the whole time.

Serve as is. Great for dipping in a curry, or filling with something yummy! Beautiful texture, tender and pillowy, and perfect for sopping up a curry sauce or wrapping up some tempting veggies. Or, just call it lunch!

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Herbed Whole Wheat Naan