tuesdays with dorie / baking with julia: oasis naan
In my continuing quest to find bread recipes that fit into a working girl’s schedule, this week’s selection for Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia, Oasis Naan, fit the bill.
This is a flatbread with savory toppings. The flour canister was emptier than I expected, so I made half a recipe. Four breads would be enough for our household of two anyway.
It was easy enough to mix up and knead in the morning before work. No machinery was required for this one, a completely unplugged recipe. I stirred yeast into warm water, then added flour and salt gradually until the dough was stiff.
Dough Before Kneading
Then, I “vigorously” kneaded the dough, adding flour until it was smooth and elastic and a whole lot less sticky that when I started. I needed to add more flour than called for, but perhaps that was due to the humid weather. At that point, I set the dough in the refrigerator to rise while I was at work.
Dough After Kneading, Before Rising
After work, first thing, I took the bowl out of the fridge to warm up. Then I put my pizza stone in the oven and let it heat up to a high temperature. The dough was divided and rolled between my hands into four balls. Then, with the rolling pin, I rolled the each ball into a 6-inch disk. Each disk was moistened, and then, “with determination”, I used a fork to prick the center of each one. Finally, I sprinkled each bread with kosher salt, chopped scallions, and some seeds. The recipe gave the option of cumin or caraway. I had both on hand, so, for the first round, I made one of each I preferred the cumin, so the last two were topped with cumin seeds.
I have never mastered the art of using the floured back of a baking sheet as a baking peel. My doughs did not slide, but stuck, to the baking sheet. I had to use a spatula to help transfer. My breads lost their round shape in the process. This method also lacked precision. I was baking two at a time, and they ended up touching, both times. If you have any tips on how to make this work, I’d love to learn.
So, the verdict? I like how easy this was and enjoyed the taste. To be honest, I was a little disappointed at how puffy it was because I was expecting a flatter flatbread. Mine was more like pizza dough. Perhaps I didn’t use enough determination to flatten the center of my bread. I’ll be checking out the other links to see how to improve my technique. You can too here at the Tuesdays with Dorie “Leave Your Link” post for this recipe.
ffwd: lentil, lemon, and tuna salad
This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie, the first one for June, is starting the month off right. A definite winner, Lentil, Lemon, and Tuna Salad had three big takeaways for me:
1. The final salad was delicious. It makes a good addition to the lunchbox. I like the taste of tuna, but sometimes, in tuna salad, the flavor gets lost in all that mayonnaise. Here, the tuna was an equal partner with lentils. The tastes all blended nicely, and slightly nutty texture was a pleaser too. I found this lasted well in the fridge (and then the lunchbox) for a few days without getting soft.
2. I tried out a new ingredient: preserved lemon. I didn’t have time for a shopping quest last week, so I didn’t purchase the preserved lemon. I did find this recipe to make my own facsimile. How can you lose with Mark Bittman (my secret crush)? This was a “quick” version, so the lemon was diced before “preserving”. I made it the day before and it should keep for a couple weeks. I’m a big lemon fan and the flavor of the salted lemon peel did not disappoint. I used about half a cup, finely chopped, in the tuna salad. I’ll use the rest to try out some Moroccan recipes I’ve passed on in the past for lack of preserved lemon on hand.
3. The dressing for this salad is one I’ll use again and again this summer. The addition of grainy mustard and olive tapenade to a simple vinaigrette infused the dressing with a touch of Provence. I loved how it matched up with the lentils, but know that I will use it with other salads (white bean salad and green bean salad are at the top of the list). I love finding components of one recipe that I can reuse in others. Dorie’s book is chock full of these.
I cooked the lentils the way I usually do, with chopped onion and bay leaves. They only need to simmer about 15 or 20 minutes to be perfect for salads.
I’ll be short this week. I’m leaving later this morning to spend the weekend in New York City with my sisters and wanted to write up this post before I depart. If you have any suggestions on things to do or places to see (or eat), please share. I can read comments while I’m away.
For those of you that follow my bee (mis)adventures, I am happy to report that I’m back in normal comfort zone. The bee sting itching has subsided, and other than the ugly bandage over the worst bite on my foot, I’m no worse for the wear. As they say, “Stay Calm and Carry On”.
If you’re looking for the recipe for the delicious Lentils, Lemon, and Tuna Salad, you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table. You can also read through others interpretations of this recipe (and others) on the Leave Your Link post for this recipe at French Fridays with Dorie.
A Plateful of Happiness 