Tuesday Dinner: Mango Chicken with Homemade Garlic Naan

[tiaralynn]

Did I say Homemade Naan? Hell yeah I did! My husband was kind enough to start the bread machine going to make the dough before I got home from work, and we got started right away when I got home. We used this recipe but modified it based on some of the reviewers' feedback. We used only 3.5 cups of flour instead of the 4.5 recommended, and we

Comments

[amariem25]

That looks delicious. That pan you have is neat too, but how does it work? Do you have to heat up the top part on a burner before you put it on the bread/sandwich? Otherwise I don't see how the top would get hot enough. I may have to get one of those pans myself!

[tiaralynn]

It functions mostly as a press; it never seems to get hot enough to grill on both sides, so I end up flipping it anyway. I use the pan most often for grilling meats -- chicken, fish, burgers and steak are all amazing on this pan.

[grendel1097]

damn.. wish I had the energy to feed my carb craving with this tonight.

I'm confused, though. You say that you would use bread flour to make a lighter or more tender naan? Wouldn't the extra protein in it, versus AP, lean it towards being a little tougher?

[tiaralynn]

I was thinking it might make it chewier rather than tougher, but I don't know. Baking has never been my thing. Maybe that would be a bad idea?

[grendel1097]

I agree that it's "toughness" will depend on how hard the dough is worked before cooking it. But, it's still dependent on how much gluten can be created in the dough.

[grendel1097]

(forgot to add this to my reply)

It's not a bad idea. I've come across other ideas such as using browned flour (toasting it dry in a pan) which adds a nutty flavor to the dough, but you'll take a hit on protein content. Other ideas include using combinations of bread and AP, or other flours like whole wheat or whatever catches your eye.

I wish I baked more than my "talk" might indicate, but I'm not without some experience. ;)

[drphungus]

I've made naan from this exact same recipe before, too, and damn, it's good! While it is really time consuming (I make mine on a tiny George Foreman grill so it takes ages) I do find that it tastes just that much better than the store bought kind. Of course, it would probably make more sense to just go and order it from the nearby Indian restaurants, but I like knowing that it can be made at home.

[jollyjelly]

Wow, impressive. I am Indian and even my mom won't attempt to make naan from scratch. :)