Easy Homemade Naan Bread

I love Indian food. But I'd be lying if I tried to tell you that I was more excited about chicken tikka masala or vegetables jafrezi than I was about the naan.

I'm all about the naan.

Naan is an ideal vehicle for eating: it's puffy and substantial, yet not so filling that it keeps you from enjoying the other parts of the meal. It's not wimpy, like pita bread (no offense). It's substantial. It's griddled with butter. I love it. 

And as I now know, you can make this magic at home. I have seen a lot of naan recipes which require baking powder, but I find it far easier to work with just yeast. I prefer my naan made with whole wheat flour, not only for health, but for flavor: I am addicted to that lightly nutty, fascinating flavor which it imparts on the carbohydrate discs. 

This bread is freaking awesome. I've used it for everything from making flatbread pizzas to serving eggs for breakfast. I hope it will bring you as much joy as it has brought me!

Easy homemade naan bread

• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water 
• 1 packet active dry yeast (0.25 ounces)
• 1/2 cup plain full fat greek yogurt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (can substitute all purpose flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• melted butter, for the griddle

Procedure

1. Combine the milk and 2 tablespoons of water. Add the active dry yeast. Give it a moment to start bubbling lightly, and add the yogurt, flour, and salt. Mix until it comes together into a cohesive mixture. If needed, add the remaining water.
2. Roll the dough into a ball. Place it in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it at room temperature to rise for an hour to an hour and a half. 
3. Gently deflate the dough, and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into 8 equal portions.
4. Roll each portion into a circle, approximately 5 inches in diameter.
5. Fire up a skillet larger than the bread and generously butter it. Once sizzling, place a round of bread on top. Once it begins to bubble on the surface, flip it and cook slightly less time than the first side. Using tongs, remove and place on a plate. Continue buttering the grilling surface before adding each new round of bread.

Do you love naan bread?

Bread with Corn and Avocado Honey

I need to tell you: my life is so totally sweet sometimes.

Like recently, I was contacted by the National Honey Board. It's true: I love the fact that I am someone who is contacted by the National Honey Board.

They asked if I'd like some cool honeys to sample and test out in my baking, and I guess you can surmise what my answer was. Yes! Of course! I love baking with honey. 

So they sent me this little package of some very interesting honeys...including buckwheat, tupelo, alfalfa, and AVOCADO HONEY. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Apparently these varietals refer to the plants which the bees buzzed around (that is my paraphrased version of what happens).

Whoa!

Here they are, all in my hand. When is the last time you had a handful of honey? 

Since I've been very into baking bread recently, I thought that using some of the honey as part of the recipe (and to top it, with butter) would be a fine idea. 

I wanted to try a bread with part ground corn, so I thought the avocado honey would be a nice complement.

So I mixed up my dough...

of course, this included the honey...

let it rise...

and baked it up.

Wow, my friends. I need to tell you that this was some of the nicest bread I've ever put in my mouth, and I've eaten my fair share of carbohydrates.

The mix of whole wheat and corn flour gave it a nutty yet lightly sweet flavor, and it had just a touch of a nubbly texture to keep things interesting. I can't say I tasted any soupcon of avocado-ness per se, but the honey definitely had a complex and rich flavor.

When topped with a pat of butter that melted instantly because the bread was still warm from the oven, and a dab of more avocado honey, it was just perfect. 

As a topping, the avocado honey was very interesting. It was almost like molasses honey--it was heavy and rich, but without the slight bitterness nature of molasses. Smoother. If you enjoy tasting different honey varietals (I do, it turns out!) this one is definitely worth seeking out.

Oh, and here's that bread recipe. Lucky you!

Bread with corn (not corn bread)

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Yield: 1 large loaf 

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tablespoon honey (I used avocado honey)
• 2 teaspoons salt (I got all fancy and used lavender rosemary salt)
• 3 tablespoons soft butter
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup coarse grind cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill)

 Procedure

1. Combine the water and yeast. Once the yeast begins to bubble lightly, proceed.
2. Mix all of the remaining ingredients with the yeast mixture in the order listed.
3. Knead, either by hand with a dough scraper or with a stand mixer, until it has progressed past a shaggy texture to a solid, slightly sticky mass. This can take up to 5 minutes by hand; less when using a mixer. It will never quite take on the smooth elasticity of the honey-wheat variation of this bread, but the extra moisture is necessary as the whole grains will absorb it. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise at room temperature until it’s quite puffy and doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
4. Gently deflate the dough with your hand (a gentle pressing, not a knockout punch), and shape it into a fat 9″ log (it may still be slightly sticky; I used lightly oiled hands). Place it in a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
5. Cover the pan, and let the dough rise for 2 hours or even overnight, or until it has formed a crown which extends 1 inch or slightly more over the rim of the pan. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. 
6. Bake the bread uncovered for 20 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top, and when knocked lightly, yields a slightly hollow sound.
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool. When completely cool, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. 

Bread with butter and honey: what could be finer?

Whole Grain Bread, Plain and Simple

Based on my recent posts, you'd think I just discovered bread. Well, I suppose I have. 

Typically a "now and again" breadmaker, I've begun to appreciate baking a loaf or two per week for my household. Not only is the taste very, very good, but there's a sense of accomplishment that I get from baking my own bread, and having the bread I baked in the house, that really can't be beat.

I have experimented further with my honey-wheat loaf and have come up with an even grainier variation, since I still had some of that hot cereal I used to make healthy-ish cookie bars. 

This bread is ever so slightly crumblier on the edges than its counterpart, but it still holds its shape for sandwiches or slicing, and has a nutty, wholesome flavor that is absolutely perfect when served warm.

My favorite way of serving it? With a healthy pat of sweet cream butter and a sprinkling of sea salt (for some reason, unsalted butter with salt is a whole different thing than salted butter). This recipe is worth having on hand for your winter baking!

Whole Grain Bread

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Yield: 1 large loaf 

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill hot cereal
• 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk granules

 Procedure

1. Combine the water and yeast. Once the yeast begins to bubble lightly, proceed.
2. Mix all of the remaining ingredients with the yeast mixture in the order listed.
3. Knead, either by hand with a dough scraper or with a stand mixer, until it has progressed past a shaggy texture to a solid, slightly sticky mass. This can take up to 5 minutes by hand; less when using a mixer. It will never quite take on the smooth elasticity of the honey-wheat variation of this bread, but the extra moisture is necessary as the whole grains will absorb it. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise at room temperature until it’s quite puffy and doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
4. Gently deflate the dough with your hand (a gentle pressing, not a knockout punch), and shape it into a fat 9″ log (it may still be slightly sticky; I used lightly oiled hands). Place it in a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
5. Cover the pan, and let the dough rise for 2 hours or even overnight, or until it has formed a crown which extends 1 inch or slightly more over the rim of the pan. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. 
6. Bake the bread uncovered for 20 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top, and when knocked lightly, yields a slightly hollow sound.
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool. Go ahead, give it a taste if you can’t resist (who can resist warm bread?). When completely cool, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. 

Do you prefer salted or unsalted butter on your bread?

How to Make a Classic Sandwich Bread Loaf

This is the bread that kicked off my recent bread-making obsession. It's so simple you might start making fresh bread weekly, like I have been!! Once you master this one, you'll also want to try my honey-wheat variation.

Full recipe and photo tutorial here. 

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Glazed Hawaiian Braid

CakeSpy Note: OMG! It's getting to be that time of year again. The Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming in November! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off as well as the 46th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited the 47th one early by sharing all of the sweet recipes in the running. I will focus on sweets! You can follow them by clicking the bakeoff tag below to see the recipes posted so far (as well as recipes from previous Bake-Off events). 

Is it cold where you are right now? It suddenly and relentlessly got cold here, so I am dreaming of the tropics. Cindy Nerat of Menominee, Michigan must have heard me, because she came up with this dreamy glazed Hawaiian bread as her entry to the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Sounds like a getaway breakfast is in order!

Glazed Hawaiian Bread

• Prep Time: 15 Min
• Total Time: 1 Hr
• Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (4 oz)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange extract
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crusty French loaf

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the coconut and 2 tablespoons of the macadamia nuts; set aside. In medium bowl, mix mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the orange extract until well blended. Stir in pineapple, remaining 1/2 cup coconut and remaining macadamia nuts.
3. Carefully unroll dough on work surface; press to form 12x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough rectangle into thirds; transfer to cookie sheet. Unfold dough rectangle. Spread mascarpone mixture down center of dough in 4-inch-wide strip to within 1/2 inch of short ends. Using kitchen scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Fold strips of dough diagonally over filling, alternating from side to side, stretching dough as needed.
4. Bake 22 to 32 minutes or until tops of strips are golden brown. Cool about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 4 to 5 teaspoons of the reserved pineapple juice until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over braid; sprinkle with reserved coconut mixture. Serve warm.

Homemade Honey-Wheat Bread. Yes.

Right now I am so into this bread. No, it's not dessert, but since it's baked, and since it is so, so, SO good, I deem it worthy of sharing with you.

To me, bread is one of those foodstuffs that gives me a huge sense of accomplishment to make all by myself. When I do it, I feel like king of the mountain, Martha Stewart, Alton Brown, and Portlandia character--all at once (someone please draw a portrait of that?). I'm also amazed, every time, by how not-impossible it is. I would say easy, but managing all of those rise times, etc, can be kind of tricky. But no, it's not hard to make your own bread. This is, of course, a fact that I forget almost immediately after I bake a loaf, then forking over $5 or more for a fancy loaf at Whole Foods or Sage Bakery until I feel like making bread again (this is usually a six month cycle for me). 

But this loaf has me hooked. I came across it at the Bake For Good event by King Arthur Flour, where I learned to master the basic sandwich loaf (as well as the secret to perfect pie crust--check that out here!). Ever since, I've been messing with it a little bit, and this recipe is one of my recent successes. Only lightly sweet, this loaf is appropriate for any type of sandwich, but I love it best when it is lightly toasted (or fresh from the oven, in which case it remains untoasted so I can enjoy the residual heat) and smeared with chunky peanut butter, a zigzag of honey, and sea salt. This is my happy place. 

Want to join me? Here's the recipe. 

Honey-Wheat Bread

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Yield: 1 large loaf 

• 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur Flour)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk granules

 Procedure

1. Combine the water and yeast. Once the yeast begins to bubble lightly, proceed.
2. Mix all of the remaining ingredients with the yeast mixture in the order listed. Knead, either by hand with a dough scraper or with a stand mixer, until it has progressed past a shaggy texture to a smooth, slightly elastic-feeling dough. This can take up to 5 minutes by hand; less when using a mixer. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise at room temperature until it’s quite puffy and doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

3. Gently deflate the dough with your hand (a gentle pressing, not a knockout punch), and shape it into a fat 9″ log.
4. Place it in a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
5. Cover the pan, and let the dough rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has formed a crown which extends 1 inch or slightly more over the rim of the pan (the picture below is toward the beginning, not the end, of the rising time). Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. 

6. Bake the bread uncovered for 20 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top, and when knocked lightly, yields a slightly hollow sound.
7. Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out onto a rack to cool. Go ahead, give it a taste if you can’t resist (who can resist warm bread?). When completely cool, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature. 

What would you put on this bread? 

Well Bread: Strawberry and Cinnamon Bread Using A Breadmaker from Ben of Breadmaker Reviews

Are you still using your breadmaker to make regular old bread, like a jerk?

Well quit it, and use your breadmaker to bake up something sweet, starting with this Strawberry and Cinnamon Bread.

This is a guest post and recipe from Cake Gumshoe Ben, a passionate foodie with a penchant for cooking outdoors (especially in the Australian summertime) who has a unique day job: he reviews and puts together buying guides for kitchen appliances. Here's what is known in the biz as a "plug" for his website: 

At Breadmaker Reviews we aim to provide you with not only great, in-depth reviews on breadmakers, but valuable information that will help you know exactly what to look for and where to get it.

but most importantly, here's the recipe. You're welcome.

Strawberry & Cinnamon Bread using a Breadmaker

• 1 packet frozen, sweetened strawberries (About 300g), thawed
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Procedure

1. Drain the juice from the strawberries, setting aside about 1/2 of it.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, sugar, eggs, oil, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. (You can use the kneading function on your breadmaker to do this part but ensure you do the next step by hand.)
3. Very lightly fold in the strawberries and the juice set aside earlier. Don't overdo this part as you want the strawberry flavour to streak through, rather than be dissolved in the bread.
4. Add the ingredients into your bread pan, place it into the breadmaker and select the quick bake cycle (medium crust texture if available).
5. Remove pan from breadmaker immediately after baking and allow to cool before removing bread.

Morning Mix: Peanut Butter Streusel Morning Bread Recipe

Confession: I sometimes, ah, mix it up.

It's true: I'm not adverse to using a mix every now and again. And I kind of have a guilty little spot of love in my heart for Cinnamon Streusel Quick Bread, a recipe made with Betty Crocker's Streusel Muffin Mix. 

It's not that streusel bread would be so hard to make without a mix...but there's something special about this one. What is it that you've hidden in the mix, Betty Crocker?

And as I discovered recently, when you add a generous helping of Mighty Maple peanut butter to the streusel topping, its deliciousness factor is increased, like, tenfold.

So here it is: my dirty little secret, my favorite mix for making a sweet breakfast bread.

Peanut Butter Streusel Morning Bread

-makes about 4 servings, in my house-

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 1 Box Betty Crocker cinnamon streusel muffin mix
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 4-6 tablespoons fairly smooth-textured, full fat peanut butter (I love it with Mighty Maple by Peanut Butter and Co.)

 Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom of 9x5-inch loaf pan with shortening, or spray bottom with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, stir Muffin Mix, flour, water, oil and eggs just until blended (batter may be lumpy). Spread batter in pan. 
3. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave until it is thick but pourable. Mix the streusel topping in, give it a quick stir (it doesn't have to be completely incorporated) and pour it on top of the batter. Don't worry about making your coverage super-even: it's nice to find big chunks of peanut butter here and there.
4. Bake 38 to 43 minutes or until top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched. Cool 15 minutes. Run knife around edges of pan before removing; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing, about 45 minutes.

Sweet Loafing: Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips Recipe from Cake Gumshoes Denise and Steve

When readers Denise and Steve came into my store, they told me that they had been on a 30 mile bike ride that morning. My response was something along the lines of an aghast "on purpose?". But I quickly forgave them for their inherent sportiness, because guess what: they brought me banana bread. With big ol' chunks of chocolate. Even the vaguely healthy applesauce in its construction couldn't cancel out that decadence.

Well, Mr. Spy and I deemed this an ideal breakfast bread, and I eagerly set to recreating the magic in my own kitchen, this time made with butter, chunks of milk chocolate, and a mix of walnuts and pecans. I really don't have to tell you it was delicious, do I?

It's a very easy recipe to personalize and make your own; here's Denise's base recipe so you can choose your own adventure with it.

Oh, and by the way, here's the cute custom painting I did for Denise and Steve while we talked about our favorite pastries!

Dense, Delicious Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

With serious thanks to Denise and Steve

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour, or you can do a mix of 3/4 c white flour and 3/4 c wheat flour)
• 1 tsp sea salt (kosher salt is okay too)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 c mashed banana (3-4 very ripe, Denise usually uses 4 for extra moist
• bread!)
• 1 c sugar (can reduce to 3/4 c, or 1/2 c)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c melted, cooled butter (I use canola oil, or a heaping 1/3 c apple sauce to be really healthy! and do use a little extra apple sauce to keep bread moist)
• (optional) 2/3 c chopped nuts (I used a mix of pecans or walnuts)
• 2/3 c chocolate chips for banana chocolate chip bread (Denise lists this as optional--I vote necessary)

Procedure

1. Mix all of the above together in a big bowl. Don't overmix--just mix until incorporated.
2. Bake at 325 degrees F for around an hour, check center with toothpick; if toothpick comes out clean, it's done.

Labor of Love: Poilâne Bread at Metropolitan Market

Although this feature is not specifically dessert-based, we at Cakespy believe that if something has to come before dessert, it had better be good. So, as a bit of a Labor Day Special, we are happy to report that Metropolitan Market is now flying in bread from Poilâne Bakery, which is a bit of an "it" bread in France (for those not in the know, it's the bakery featured in Peter Mayle's book Confessions of a French Bread Baker) once a week, so now you too can enjoy your pain quotidien without actually, you know, having to make it yourself. Visit metropolitan-market.com for locations.