Naan Bread

My hubby and I have been on and Indian food kick as of late. Every chance we get, we sneak off to our favorite place, Shalimar Fine Indian Cuisine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

While I never tire of Chicken Tikka Masala, Vegetable Biryani and Samosas, I can't get enough Naan. I love the stuff.

My obsession with the bread necessitated that I find a recipe to make at home. As luck would have it, I struck gold with my first attempt.

The Naan recipe that I used came from Manjula's Kitchen : Indian Vegetarian Recipes. I am looking forward to trying many of the other recipes on the website.


Naan Bread

4 c. flour
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 pinches of baking soda
4 Tbs. oil
5 Tbs. plain yogurt
1 1/2 c. warm water

This recipe makes 12 Naan.


Dissolve the yeast in the water and let it stand for 10 minutes.


In the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.


Combine the oil and yogurt in a separate dish.


Add the yogurt mixture to the flour and blend at medium speed until it resembles coarse crumbs.


With the mixer still running, add the water/yeast mixture. The dough will become quite sticky.


Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough, adding a little additional flour if needed, until the dough becomes soft and smooth.


Place 1 Tbs. of oil in a large bowl. Roll the dough in the oil to coat, cover and let raise in a warm place for 2-3 hours. The dough should be nearly doubled in size.


Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. and place a baking or pizza stone inside. Allow it to heat up for at least thirty minutes. Manjula advises that the heated stone will come close to replicating the temperature of a clay tandoor.

After thirty minutes have passed, turn on the broiler.


Once the dough is risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth.


Divide the dough into 12 equal parts.


Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch oval shape.

Before putting the Naan into the oven, pat both sides of the rolled dough with lightly wet hands. Place two Naan on the baking stone in the oven.

Allow the Naan to bake for approximately 2 minutes, depending on your oven. The Naan should be golden brown on top.

I opted to flip my Naan and allow the bottom to brown for a little less than a minute.


Place the cooked Naan on a baking rack to cool. You can brush them with a little clarified butter or ghee if desired.

Follow the same process for baking the remaining Naan. It is a good idea to allow the oven to reheat for a minute or two between batches.

The process was much easier than I anticipated and the Naan turned out perfectly despite my lack of a tandoor for baking. I hope that you will give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed.

Baguette with Brie, Honey and Black Pepper

The hubby and I took the boy on an action packed trip to New York City last month. We had a blast. You can read all about our trip over at my other blog. Just click on the September archives.

New York is a city that is known for it's amazing cuisine. One of the highlights, for me, was eating at Les Halles, the French Brasserie where Anthony Bourdain cut his teeth. The food was nothing short of amazing.

My boy, who ordered the restaurant's version of fish and chips, loved the whole dining experience. Since returning home, I have been asked countless times to recreate "that yummy appetizer."

Here is my version of Croûtons de Coulommiers rôtis au miel et poivre (Brie topped with honey & cracked black pepper). It couldn't be easier to make. I hope you will give it a try.


Take several slices of baguette and arrange them on a baking sheet. Top the baguette with a slice of Brie, a drizzle of honey and a grind of fresh black pepper.

Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is lightly toasted.

This tasty bite has quickly become one of my favorite breakfast indulgences. It goes perfectly with a piping hot cup of coffee.

Crescent Rolls

My dear friend has had the privilege of marrying into an amazing family. You know, the Norman Rockwell kind of thing... four living grandparents, devoted parents, aunts and uncles, and plenty of cousins for her daughters to play with. She is truly fortunate.

Another benefit of this wonderful family is the food. On more than a few occasions, my family has had the pleasure of joining them for a holiday meal. What a treat! Although all the food is delicious, I always look forward to the big basket of crescent rolls, or "Sunday Hot Rolls" as they like to call them.

The rolls are really quite easy to make. Although, with two extended raising periods, they do require a little advanced planning. I hope you will give them a try. They are certainly worth the effort.

Crescent Rolls

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. salt
4+ c. flour

In the bowl of your mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes or until it is creamy. Add the sugar, eggs, oil and salt. Gradually add the flour stirring until combined. Add enough flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and supple. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and let raise for 8 hours or overnight.


Punch down the dough and knead for a minute or two. Divide the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Cut the rolled dough into squares and then into triangles. Roll the dough into crescents and place on a baking sheet. Cover and raise for 3-6 hours.


Bake the rolls at 375 degrees F. for 6-8 minutes.

Cranberry - Walnut Bread

One of my favorite things to eat is good crusty bread. You know, the kind found at the finest bakeries in New York. I can't resist it.

There is a wonderful bakery in Nashville called Bread & Company. They make a delicious assortment of crusty breads. My hands down favorite is the Cranberry-Walnut Bread. The only problem is that they charge $12.99 for one measly loaf. $12.99! Can you believe it?

For many years, I have been looking for a recipe that could duplicate Bread & Co's tasty loaf. At long last, I think I have found it. While perusing "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread," I struck gold.

Cranberry-Walnut Bread

3 c. unbleached flour
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. buttermilk or any kind of milk, at room temperature
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 to 1/2 c. water, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped
1 egg, whisked until frothy, for egg wash

1) Stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), slowly adding just enough water to make a soft, pliable ball of dough.

2) Roll the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and smooth. You may have to add a little flour while kneading. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl and let raise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.


3) Punch down the dough and knead for 1-2 minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and lay on a baking sheet. Cover and let raise for 45 minutes.

4) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the loaf with the egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

My only revision to the recipe will be to add more cranberries and nuts the next time. I prefer my bread to have a higher dried fruit/nut content. That said, the bread is delicious. So long Bread & Company!

French Toast

As promised, I rose early and cooked a pile of French toast using the Semolina Bread I made yesterday. My son, of course, was delighted.

I always add a teaspoon of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla to the egg and milk mixture. It gives the French toast such a nice flavor. When it comes to cooking, only real butter will do.

This French toast is so good, I could eat it plain. But my favorite thing to do is drizzle it with pure maple syrup. Yum!

Semolina Bread

My son was home sick from school today. Pour little guy. His only request... "Will you make me that yummy bread that I like to eat as French toast?" How could I resist.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "The Silver Palate Cookbook." While baking homemade bread is rather time consuming, it is well worth the effort. This loaf is dense and hardy. Perfect for dipping in spaghetti sauce, alongside a bowl of soup, made into a sandwich or turned into French toast.

Semolina Bread

2 c. lukewarm water (105-115 degrees F.)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 c. semolina flour
1 Tbs. salt
2-3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. olive oil
3-4 Tbs. cornmeal
1 egg
1 Tbs. water

Pour the water into a mixing bowl, stir in the yeast, and let stand for 10 minutes. Add the semolina flour and salt and stir well. Add 2 c. of the flour and stir to make a sticky dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and allow to rest for a few minutes. Begin kneading the dough, sprinkling it with the remaining cup of flour. After about 10 minutes, the dough will be smooth and elastic and will have absorbed more or less of the last cup of flour.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Pour the olive oil over the dough and turn it several times to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside until the dough has tripled in bulk.

Punch down the dough, knead it for a few minutes, and then return it to the bowl. Cover and let it raise again until doubled.

Punch down the dough again and cut it in half. Shape each piece into a long thin loaf about 24 inches long. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and arrange the loaves on the sheet. Cover and let raise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Beat together the egg and 1 Tbs. water. When the loaves have risen, brush them well with this egg wash. Slash the loaves decoratively on top with a sharp knife, making diagonal cuts.

Slide the baking sheet into the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the loaves are browned and sound hollow when the bottoms are thumped. Cool on a rack.