Category Archives: Bread

04/03/13

Making Lavash

Now THIS is something I’m very excited about: homemade lavash. Wrap up some of your best sandwich fixin’s in some of this, straight from the oven, and get ready for the blank stares of wonder. In my universe lavash is the ultimate “wrap” bread, far preferable to tortillas, not only because it’s more flexible and tender, but because it’s larger and can more easily enclose…lots of stuff. Try this and you’ll probably never go back. Start by getting your ingredients together. Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle.

Stir them and add the wet ingredients. This will be a very wet dough. Beat the dough for 4-5 minutes until it’s smooth and stretchy.

Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover it with a cloth.

Let it rise for an hour to an hour and a half until it’s doubled. Meanwhile, preheat your oven as high as it will go. 550 Fahrenheit is great if you can manage it. You’ll need a pizza stone for this.

Pull off a piece, about an eighth of the mass, and apply it to a well-floured piece of parchment. Flour the dough, flour the pin, flour your hands, flour your brain if it’ll help…

…and roll…

Roll a little, turn the sheet, roll a little more. Keep dusting the dough lightly as you roll, getting it as thin as you possibly can. This sheet isn’t as good as those little Armenian ladies made, but perfection isn’t required. Speaking of which, I decided in the end not to dock these (poke holes) or brush on oil or add seeds. You can do that, but to me this bread is perfect as it is.

To bake these, slide the parchment with the bread off your counter onto the back of a sheet pan. Open the oven and reach in with the pan, planting the far edge of the pan at the far edge of the stone.

Lean it forward a touch, then just pull out the pan.

90 seconds later, you’ll have something like this. Bubbly, dappled with tan spots on the bottom…perfect.

Use it right away or stack it, let it cool and get it right into a plastic storage bag because, being so thin, it stales very, very quickly. How does it taste? Let’s just say it’s spring break and my bread-finicky 9-year-old is home today with a school friend. I served them this for an afternoon snack, getting ready for “the face” and a plea for Doritos. She and her friend ate a sheet apiece, dipped in olive oil. Score one for the old man.

Filed under:  Lavash, Pastry | 11 Comments
04/02/13

Lavash Recipe

This is another very simple dough that you can have ready in less than two hours. It contains:

2 teaspoons instant yeast
16 ounces (about 3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) water
3 tablespoons olive oil

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, stir together the dry ingredients. Combine the water and oil and add it to the mixer. Keep stirring until the dough comes together, then turn up the mixer to medium high and beat for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will be quite wet…that’s a good thing.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic and let it rise until it’s doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat your oven oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (or 550, as high as the oven will go), setting a pizza stone on a middle rack. Pull off a piece of the dough and apply it to a well-floured piece of parchment paper. Keeping the rest of the dough covered. Flour the dough and the pin and roll it out as thin as possible.

Slide the parchment sheet with the dough off the kitchen counter onto the back of a sheet pan, then slide the parchment sheet onto the pizza stone. Bake the bread about 90 seconds until the bread is puffed with a few light brown spots on the bottom. Remove it from the oven and it eat.

Filed under:  Lavash, Pastry | 7 Comments
03/29/13

Making Matzoh

That, I don’t mind sayin’, is some handsome matzoh. I was stunned at how much it tastes like store-bought when I tried it, but it does. Still, there’s always a qualitative difference between what you buy and what you make, and it shows here. This may not be kosher, but it’s very light and fresh-tasting in the way that anything out of a box isn’t.

And if you’re wondering why a Scots-Irish Catholic buys matzoh in the grocery store, let’s just say that after spending a fair amount of time in New York City, I found that civilized life was next to impossible without matzoh ball soup. Start by preheating your oven to 500 or even 550 if it will go that high. Next get your ingredients together. Combine the water and the flour in a medium bowl.

Use a spatula to start bringing the dough together.

Once it’s in a ball like this, turn it out onto a floured board.

Knead it until it’s about like so, trying not to incorporate too much extra flour (it’s the moisture that creates the bubbles).

Cut the dough into five or six pieces. Yes, this bread comes together very, very quickly.

Apply one piece to a floured board…

…and roll.

Keep turning and flouring it a bit it so it doesn’t stick. You want it quite thin. The size and shape does matter all that much.

Apply the matzoh to a sheet pan. Actually the paper isn’t necessary at all I discovered. So skip that. But do poke holes all over (i.e. “dock”) the breads with a fork to keep the bubbles small.

Sprinkle on some kosher salt and bake.

Bake for 2-5 minutes until the matzoh are barely browned, then using tongs flip them over and bake another 2-5 minutes until they’re lightly browned and bubbly. Stack’em up and eat them!

The main thing is they they’re crispy all the way through. Unlike a lot of flatbreads which are soft and supple on the inside, matzoh are cracker-like. If yours are still pliable after the initial baking you can return them to a low oven (250 or so) for 20 minutes or until they’re completely dry.

A popular variation is to substitute oil for some of the water. Use about a third cup olive oil plus a half cup of water for the liquid, since flour doesn’t absorb oil like it does water. The resulting matzoh will be more flavorful and will brown a bit more in the oven.

Filed under:  Matzoh, Pastry | 6 Comments
03/29/13

Matzoh Recipe

If I’ve learned anything this week it’s that “simple” flatbreads aren’t actually simple. I shouldn’t be surprised at that, since I’m constantly repeating the maxim that the most elementary recipes are the hardest to pull off well. As the number of ingredients in a recipe decreases, the importance of ingredient quality and technique increases. Further, many flatbreads are tied deeply to cultural norms I know little or nothing about. Clearly I have a long way to go if I really want to master this week’s subject matter.

Still, since I’m already tramping clumsily through the garden of tradition, I think I’ll take reader Elizabeth up on her challenge of making some matzoh. The proportions of matzoh are easy to remember: 2-1 flour to water by volume. Add salt if you wish. For me that will translate into two cups of flour and one cup of water.

Preheat your oven to 500 or 550. Combine the flour and water and knead them into a soft dough, about five minutes. Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces and roll each piece as thin as possible. Transfer them to a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt (though this recipe is not kosher, for those who may be wondering), and dock all over with a fork. Bake 3-4 minutes until they’re only lightly browned, the flip and bake another 3-4 minutes until they brown at the edges and on top a bit.

Filed under:  Matzoh, Pastry | 14 Comments
03/28/13

Making Chapati

Some little old Indian ladies would have had a lot of fun watching me today, bobbling chapati while smoke poured out my kitchen windows. But I had fun! And I made some very good chapati. Not world class to be sure, but delicious. These tender breads are really fun to make and considering how fast they come together, they’re small miracles of economy: 45 minutes from start to finish! Start by assembling your ingredients.

As several readers have pointed out, chapati should ideally be made with atta, a soft wheat flour from India (the fresher the better). If you can find that, use that instead of my flour combination, and simply use water instead of the water-milk combo. Otherwise, combine the water, milk and yogurt if you’re using it. Put it into a small saucepan and heat it until near simmering.

Meanwhile combine the flours and salt in a medium bowl.

Add the wet to the dry.

Start bringing the dough together with a spoon or spatula.

When it starts to form large clumps get in there with your hands and knead.

When you get a ball like this, turn it out onto a work surface. Try to resist flouring it if you can since the dough should be a bit wet and sticky.

Knead for maybe five minutes until it’s smoother and more elastic. Wrap it in plastic or cover it with a cloth and let it hydrate for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile set a cast iron skillet on the stove, and start it warming over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile separate the dough into eight equal portions (about 2.3 ounces for the meticulous out there). Roll the pieces into balls and drape damp towel over them.

Press one of the balls down on a floured surface and sprinkle more flour over the top.

Roll it out to 7 inches or so in diameter.

You want it nice and thin because otherwise it won’t puff. About like so.

So, with the pan heated, brush on some oil or ghee and apply the chapati. Let it cook a couple of minutes until small brown spots appear on the bottom.

Flip the chapati over. After about 30 seconds you’ll see bubbles of steam coming up.

Using your spatula, press down on the bubbles gently to try to get the rest of the top crust to release. Why is this important? Because two thin layers are less rigid than one thicker layer. That’s the genius of this bread.

As long as the bottom isn’t burning you can let the whole bread pillow up. This can be done over an open flame if you like. Me, I have an electric cooktop so it doesn’t work as well. I tried it over an activated element, but it was so hot the chapati caught fire in seconds (that’s where the smoke entered the picture). As long as you can get most or all of the top crust up off the bottom, you’re in good shape.

Transfer the chapati to your stack and apply a little melted butter or ghee. Lord that brush has about had it, hasn’t it? I need to take a trip to the paint store.

Anyway. These are wonderful. I made a batch with all white flour and they did rise and pillow better. However I recommend the half whole wheat version because of the flavor advantage. But feel free to experiment as you see fit!

Filed under:  Chapati, Pastry | 13 Comments
03/27/13

Chapati Recipe

Even easier than naan, chapati — also know as roti or fulka — is another go-to South Asian flatbread type. It’s enjoyed in India, Pakistan and many places beyond. The main difference between chapati and naan is that chapati are unleavened, so they’re even quicker to make. They also call for whole wheat flour, which gives them a nuttier taste.

11.5 ounces(2 cups) atta (Indian whole wheat flour, OR
5.5 ounces [1 cup] whole wheat flour plus 5 ounces [1 cup] all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup) water
4 ounces (1/2 cup) whole milk (or yogurt-milk combo)

Combine the flours and salt in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle) and stir. Meanwhile, combine the water and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Combine the hot water mixture with the flour mixture and work them together to form a soft dough (add more milk if needed). Knead the dough until it’s smooth, then set it aside to rest so the flour can fully hydrate.

When you’re ready to prepare the breads, divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape the pieces into balls. Roll them by flattening each ball on a lightly floured surface and applying a rolling pin. Roll them into roughly 6-inch circles, trying not to work in too much extra flour, lest you make the chapati dry.

Apply the chapati to a cast iron skillet. As the bread starts to puff, press it with a spatula to spread the bubbles around and release the “top” crust from the bottom. Flip it when it brown spots appear on the griddle side. Griddle the other side until lightly browned, then transfer to the chapati to the burner itself for a few seconds, it will puff up like a balloon.

Butter the finished breads and keep them warm until serving. Chapati can be kept, wrapped for up to two days.

Filed under:  Chapati, Pastry | 10 Comments
03/26/13

Making Naan

You know what I really love about flatbreads? They’re great low-investment laboratories for testing out dough formulations. A little more water here, a little more fat there, and suddenly you’re creating your dream…naan in this case. But the fun doesn’t stop with the formulae. You can bake flatbreads all sorts of ways: in the oven, on the stove, on the grill…you name it. So don’t take what I’ve done here as the definitive naan method. Try your own. I’ve just done what I happen to like. Use this tutorial as a starting point for further improvisations. Start by assembling your ingredients.

Combine the flour, yeast, salt, baking powder (a modern touch which gives naan a little extra body) and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle. Why do I favor a machine here? Because you can make a wetter dough more easily with one, and I like a wetter naan dough as it creates bigger bubbles, i.e. a more open crumb. How does that work? you may ask. Well, with a machine you can knead a wetter dough without the temptation to work in extra flour as you go (machines don’t get irritated when their fingers stick together).

Combine the yogurt and the milk. Plop. Use skim milk and nonfat yogurt for a leaner, more pita-like naan, whole milk and a full-fat Greek or Middle Eastern yogurt for a more tender and more flavorful end product. Some people like an egg in the wet mix for more body. If that’s you, make sure to subtract 1.75 ounces of liquid.

Add in the oil and stir it all together.

Combine the wet with the dry.

Mix until the dough starts to come together, then switch to the dough hook.

Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will stick to the bottom.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Let it rise 2-4 hours.

Until it’s like so…about doubled. Preheat your oven as high as it will go: 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 550 if your goes that high.

Divide the dough into six equal pieces (they’ll weigh about 3.3 ounces each if you’re using a scale).

Remove the balls to a lightly floured board and roll them out into ovals about 8-9 inches long.

Stretch one end to get that teardrop shape if you’re a stickler for details. Lay them out on a sheet pan. Brush or drizzle on oil and salt.

The best thing to do at this point is to slide them one by one onto a baking stone, as that will crisp the bottoms quickly. Here I just left them on the pan since I was in a hurry. I baked them for 4-6 minutes. This was the result. Not half bad but a little light on the top. Why not just keep baking until they brown all over? Because much beyond this point and the breads will dry out in the oven, creating crackers. Since I like mine a little browner on the top…

…I throw them under the broiler for about 20 seconds. That’s naan I can get excited about. It puffs and crisps instead of being merely spongy. Oh baby that’s what I like!

If this doesn’t float your dhow, by all means improvise. There’s time before dinner tonight, no? Ready…break!

Filed under:  Naan, Pastry | 2 Comments
03/25/13

Naan Recipe

Naan present some of the same challenges pizzas do: how to cook both the top and bottom to charred deliciousness in a home oven? It’s a bit of a dilemma given that both types of flat bread are traditionally baked in extremely hot wood or coal ovens (a tandoor in the case of naan, a wood oven in the case of pizza). This technique, that combines a hot oven with the broiler, is my preferred solution. Alternately you can grill naan or fry them in a cast iron skillet, both popular techniques. You’ll need:

11 ounces (2 cups plus two tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
a generous pinch of baking powder
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup) milk (room temperature)
4 ounces (1/2 cup) yogurt (room temperature)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) olive oil
More oil and coarse salt for a topping

In a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle (beater) combine all the dry ingredients and stir them to combine. Combine the milk, yogurt and oil in a a small bowl or a measure, and stir them to combine. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and turn the machine on to medium-low. Mix until the dough starts to come together, then switch to the dough hook and knead for 4-6 minutes until a soft, smooth and somewhat sticky dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise until doubled, 2-3 hours.

When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and set a rack in the upper third of the oven. Divide the dough into six portions of equal size. Using a pin, roll the balls out into an oblong shape, about 8 inches long. If you wish you can tug them into the traditional teardrop shape, though it’s not strictly necessary. Transfer as many will fit onto a lightly greased sheet pan and reserve the rest for a second baking.

Brush or drizzle some oil on each naan and sprinkle on some coarse salt. Bake the naan on an upper rack for 12-14 minutes until they puff up nicely. Turn on the broiler and toast the tops of the baked naan until the tops blister and blacken a bit. Repeat with the remaining naan. Serve warm.

Filed under:  Naan, Pastry | 17 Comments
03/08/13

Making Baozi

Two leaveners give baozi a cloud-like fluff that’s a perfect compliment to a sweet barbecue (or bean paste, or custard) interior. Sampling one straight from the steamer you could almost convince yourself that you’re eating some form of savory cotton candy. Such is the magic of steam baking. What you lose in color and crisp you gain in other-worldy lightness.

I confess that boazi intimidated me a little at first, I was worried about the shaping step. But a decent top crimp is well within the grasp of the average baker. And heck, if it fails you can just pinch it closed and steam the buns upside down instead. No shame there. They taste just as good. Start by preparing the filling of your choice and assembling your ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle). Stir them together.

Add the wet ingredients and stir on medium until a shaggy dough starts to come together.

Like so. Switch to the dough hook and knead for five minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a cloth and let it rise for 90 minutes.

At which point it will look about like this:

Divide the dough into 12 roughly two-ounce pieces. Shape those into balls by rolling them like so. If they’re not perfectly round do not sweat it.

Since the balls are a little slippery, you’ll probably need to wet your work surface so you generate the right sort of friction. Here I’m wiping the board with a wet paper towel. It makes a big difference.

Once all the dough is rolled it’s time for the shaping. There’s only one trick to rolling boazi dough, which I’ll show you in a moment. For now, focus on rolling the dough out into circles. Starting with the first ball you made apply it to a lightly floured board and get busy with the pin.

Give it a few rolls, then a quarter turn and roll some more. Depending on the nature of the gluten in your flour, the dough may snap back some. Just keep rolling.

Now for the one trick. A good circle of boazi dough is thinner at the edges than it is in the middle. This very thin outer edge make the crimp easier to execute. It also makes the crimp prettier. So starting about an inch from the edge, roll out ward, pressing hard. The dough might smear a little under the pressure, that’s OK.

Rotate the dough slightly, roll outward. Rotate a little more, roll outward. Trust me, it gets faster and more natural after a bao or two. Once it’s rolled, apply about a tablespoon of filling to the center.

I wish I’d had a helper to photograph both of my hands for the crimp. Basically you want to pinch the dough, gather up a little, pinch it, gather a little more, etc. The motion is quite simple. This video goes a great job of showing it. This same crimp comes very handy for lots of other pocket pies, like pasties and empanadas.

Work your way around, pinching firmly so the bao doesn’t open during steaming…

…tum tee tum…

…until you’ve got something like this. Kinda cute, right? This was my last and best one.

The others weren’t terrible, but not exactly world class either. Hey, these things take practice, am I right? Let these proof for half an hour.

Place each on a small square of parchment paper to keep them from sticking, and put them in a steaming device of some sort. This Chinese steamer I bought for $12.95. I’ll get plenty of use out of it because these buns amazed Mrs. Pastry. Give them plenty of room. Four would have been better here since they increase in size by about 100%.

Steam them for 20 minutes until they’re extremely plump. Serve them warm, straight from the steamer and get ready for the oohs and ahhs.

Filed under:  Baozi, Pastry | 13 Comments
03/04/13

Baozi Barbecue Pork Filling

Reader Sally supplied me with the basis of this recipe, which I ultimately decided to change in favor of a sweeter hoisin-based barbecue sauce. Thanks, Sally!

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces pork, in strips
2 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 ounces (1/4 cup) water
2 tablespoons lard or peanut oil
2 scallions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

Combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Marinate the pork in this mixture for half an hour. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the marinated pork strips on a cooling rack and bake them for 1 hour. Cool the pork and cut it into small dice. Heat the lard or oil in a sauté pan or wok. Meanwhile combine the flour, cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside. When the lard is hot, add the garlic and scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the pork and heat it through. Add the marinade to the pan, bring it to the boil, then add the starch slurry. Remove the mixture from the heat.

Filed under:  Baozi, Pastry | 5 Comments