Rivas Nana Bread Food

EASY NAAN BREAD

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large bowl, then add the sugar, baking powder and 1½ tsp salt. Add the seeds, if you like. Lightly whisk to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the flour.
• Add 1 tbsp of the melted butter, followed by the natural yogurt. Mix together with your hands. Once the yogurt and butter have been absorbed, gradually add 180-200ml water, 50ml at a time. Mix between additions, until it begins to come together into a dough. The water amount will depend on the consistency of the yogurt and butter - stop adding when you have a ball of dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hr. The dough will not rise but it is important to let it rest as this helps to make the naans less chewy and more fluffy.
• If making the garlic butter, mix the garlic with the remaining 1 tbsp melted butter and the coriander. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into eight, 10 or 12 even-sized pieces, depending on how big you want the naans. Roll into round balls, then return to the bowl, covered with a tea towel.
• Roll one of the dough balls out on a lightly floured surface into a round, oval or teardrop shape - roll with a diagonal motion to get an oval. Flip the dough over and repeat on the other side.
• Heat a frying pan. Dry fry the dough over a medium high heat until it begins to puff up and the underside browns in places. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the cooked naan from the pan. Spoon a little of the garlic butter over the naan, if using. Sprinkle over some coriander, if you like. Cover with a tea towel while you repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough.

NAAN

Steps:

• In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.
• Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and add the kalonji and fennel seeds, if using, and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.
• When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.
• Shape the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a teardrop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom. It should be 8 to 9-inches long, 4-inches wide at its widest point and about 1/4-inch thick. Once you've formed the general shape, you can also pick it up by one end and wiggle it; the dough's own weight will stretch it out a little. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough. (If you're making the gluten-free version, you'll have better luck pressing the dough out with your fingertips, than rolling.)
• Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.
• Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.
• After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, don't worry - that's typical of traditional naan! Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
• Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.

NANA'S BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray bottom of a 9 inch round pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add granulated Sugar and brown sugar; Beat until well blended.
• Add egg, egg whites and vanilla; blend.
• Mix in the mashed bananas, and beat the mixture on high speed for 30 seconds.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the cream, ending with the flour mixture.
• Mix in the walnuts.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared 9 inch round pan (or loaf pan).
• Bake until golden brown, and toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (About one hour).

NANA'S BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix shortening, sugar and egg together.
• Blend 1/3 cup water, vinegar and mashed banana and add to mixture.
• Mix in 1/2 cup nuts if desired.
• Sift together salt, milk, baking soda, baking powder and flour.
• Add to wet mixture.
• Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
• Always made with extra love at Nana's house.

CORNBREAD (SWEET & MOIST)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• First, add all of the dry ingredients together and mix - this will help keep the distribution of ingredients even. Use the cornmeal, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Then, add the remaining ingredients in any order and mix. Use the eggs, milk, creamed corn, shortening, and honey.
• Using a mixer or a whisk, combine all of the ingredients until well mixed. Note: These mix easily so using a whisk and some elbow grease does the job just fine.
• Add the mixture to a "prepared" baking dish. You can prepare any baking dish by coating it with cooking spray or - as I like to do - use a paper towel to collect some Crisco and simply rub the dish until it's coated.
• Bake at 425°F for about 40-45 minutes. To see if the corn bread is ready, insert a table knife into the center and pull it out. If it's dry, you're dish is done. If it's still got some wet batter on it - let it cook for another 5 minutes - checking in intervals. Be careful not to overcook. You want the top of the corn bread to be delicately browned, but not so browned that you now have a hardened crust, so just keep an eye on it during the last leg of baking.
• Now -- to use the butter!
• Immediately after you remove the corn bread from the oven, drag as much as 2 tbsp of butter over the top slowly, allowing it to melt as you brush the top of the corn bread. The 2 tbsp (especially if you're using slices of butter from a stick of butter) should be enough to adequately coat the entire loaf. This is an important step. You might think it's just for flavor, but the butter actually softens the top of the corn bread and keeps the texture from becoming too firm or stale. As the butter melts and seeps down into the body of the corn bread, it adds further moisture to the dish, without turning the corn bread into a soft mush like it sometimes can if you slap a spoonful onto an open slice.
• Let the corn bread sit for about 2-4 minutes, allowing the butter to do its job. Then serve!

NAAN BREAD

Steps:

• Put 125ml warm water into a bowl and sprinkle over the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar. Leave for 10-15 mins or until frothy. In a larger bowl, put the flour, remaining sugar, ½ tsp salt and baking powder. Mix together then make a well in the centre in which to pour the melted butter, yogurt, nigella seeds and yeast mixture. Stir well, then start to bring the mixture together with your hands. If it's very wet add a spoonful of flour but if it's dry add a splash more warm water. It should be a very soft dough but not so wet that it won't come together into a ball.
• When you're happy with the consistency, start kneading, first in the bowl, then transfer the mixture onto a well-floured surface and continue to knead for 10 mins or until smooth and elastic but still soft. Butter a large bowl, then shape the dough into a ball and place in the prepared bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into six balls and put them on a baking tray dusted with flour, then cover the tray with a damp tea towel. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Take one of the balls of dough and roll it out to form a teardrop shape that's approximately 21cm long and around 13cm at the widest part. When the pan is very hot, carefully lay the naan bread into it. Let it dry fry and puff up for about 3 mins, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 mins or until cooked through and charred in patches.
• Heat the oven to its lowest setting and put the cooked naan bread on a baking sheet. Brush with a little melted butter and cover with foil. Keep warm in the oven and layer up the cooked naans one on top of each other as you make them, brushing each one with melted butter or ghee as you go. Serve warm with curry or dips.