indian 'bake' bread?

[ct4640]

we have been making indian fry bread tacos which have been great but we're looking for something similar thats baked that we could have more often. the fry bread has baking powder. might try a little with saf yeast next recipe and some with baking powder and see what happens in the oven.thinking of using a bit more hydration too or some melted butter for a little looser dough, starting off on parchment then on the stone once it firms up a bit. didnt know it thats the way to or if someone here has a suggestion. any help would be appreciated . thx

[rcbaughn]

By use more often do you mean baking a bread that has better storing qualities than the fry bread you've been making? The only bread that I can think of that would work well for a rolled taco that is still a bit thicker like indian fry bread is a pita. Here is a link to thefreshloaf.com and the method they use for baking it -

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread

You could use butter instead of the olive oil if you wanted, but you'd have to back off the water just a small amount since butter has 20% water usually I believe.

[ct4640]

 thanks for the link rc .we weren't wanting to store any, just wanting to make a baked version so it would be healthier and we'd be able to have it more often.
i'm sure i'll have to fiddle with the butter to water ratio  to find the sweet spot but its worth a try

[pizzaneer]

Hi Ct-  sounds you want to make these to have around for ease of use.  This recipe calls for grilling, but I think you can certainly adapt it for making in an 500-degree oven, parbaking them.  After they are made, you can top them with whatever you like, bake it, and have a tasty near-instant personal size "pizza".  (There's been some debate about what constitutes a real pizza, but let's not go there.  This is easy, convenient and good for a quick lunch.)

Naan Bread

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

[ct4640]

thx pizzaneer that looks very promising. will have give that a try as well as the pita. both look great.

[Chicago Bob]

ct,
Are you wanting to use these for tacos? Maybe try a small batch of one of the "emergency' doughs.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8297.0.html

[Jet_deck]

I thought Naan called for yogurt.

[pizzaneer]

You know, it's interesting. If you look at the stats, you will see that 90~% of our content is coming from North America, but over 60% of web traffic is coming from India, yet I don't recall reading any posts at all from members in India.

If there's any Indian members who have an old family recipe for Naan bread, that would be really great.

[ct4640]

yes bob tacos are the goal. wife likes the fry bread, we're just trying to get away from all the grease. wow  thats alot of info. i've been lurking here for a few years and  reading pete's stuff is what helped me with ny and papa johns dough and schooled me on the dough calculator and using vwg. i bet all  these would be great. thx everyone for the fantastic help

[Cass]

but over 60% of web traffic is coming from India

Proxy servers.

[Chicago Bob]

Indian fry bread is something that comes from the Southwest, correct? I saw a diners & dives show with it...fried in a cast iron skillet, right?

[pizzaneer]

Maybe theres a regional thing I don't know about, but I thought it was this:

https://www.google.com/search?q=naan+bread&hl=en&safe=off&qscrl=1&prmd=imvnse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=K6BYUICXCqq70AHFq4CYBw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1151&bih=648

Aha!  A quick Goodsearch later, and here we are...

Navajo Fry Bread Recipe - Indian Fry Bread Recipe
by Cynthia Detterick-Pineda

Fry bread is wonderfully lumpy (puffed here and there). It can be served as a dessert or used as a main dish bread. Our family will often take them and stuff them, much like one might use bread or tortilla to dip into their food.

Recipe Type: Quick Bread, Native American
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min 
 

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying
Extra flour to flour your hands


Preparation:

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump.

Flour your hands well. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy Fry Bread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using your floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter.  Don’t worry about it being round. As Grandma Felipa would say “it doesn’t roll into your mouth.”

In a deep heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. You can check if you oil is hot enough by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large heavy pot.

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes to cook.  Place the cooked Fry Bread on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Indian Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

[ct4640]

thats it bob. it's fantastic.the fry bread is great but the frying is what we wanna cut out.the great thing about indian tacos is you can make a mountain of the toppings. my  and i wife  like them better with chili instead of taco meat