Saturday 11 May 2024

Naan and pita

Lifelong attempt to get naan bread right. I managed it once, but never repeated the feat! I’ve searched the internet for hints, I’ve now decided it isn’t relly in the exact recipe, the cooking technique is just as important (or more so!).

I’ve had a lot come out more like pita bread in that they get one big bubble (so a pocket) rather than the multiple bubbles so distinctive of naan.


The conclusion I have come to is that you need a bit of a dryer dough for naan than pita, and a hot enough surface to cook before it gets a chance to blow right up and ideally this is helped by it sticking to the cooking surface.

These ones came out great…

200g bread flour (or plain flour)

4 tbsp yoghurt + cold water to make up to 125g

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

2.5g quick yeast


Knead everything together for 10 mins in kitchenaid or by hand

Put in a covered bowl in fridge (overnight or just a few hours)

2 hours before you are ready to make the naans take out of fridge and rise for an hour, then divide in to 4 (or more if you want smaller naan) pieces and make into balls and cover. Leave at room temperature until doubled in size.

Roll out and cook

I cooked on a pizza stone on the cadac bbq with the dome lid over them. The stone was 270°C when i put them on, before slapping them on I ran the top side under the tap to wet and help it stick…








Monday 11 March 2024

Fun with the solar thermal panels

 We’ve been having a bit of a nightmare with the solar thermal panels. Just replaced the propelene glycol

Out of the bottle it is 


In the system it is 


This is because we have washed the system through with water a few times and it is impossible to get all the fluid out the system!

Hopefully still has low enough freezing point


It’s a right fag pumping it all out and back in again!