Recipe for bread in a pan
on Roundabouts in Delhi (India), 17/May/2011 16:58, 34 days ago
Craving fresh bread but have no access to yeast or an oven? What you need is bread in a pan.I wanted to share this recipe as it has quite frankly revolutionised my life. That probably says more about my life right now than it does about the definition of‘revolutionised’ but there are few things on this earth that make me happier than fresh baked bread so when I found out a way to make it that didn’t require the use of an oven (my cooking facilities consist of two gas hobs) and doesn’t taste half bad I was more than a little bit excited. I know that there might be others out there reading this blog that also have access to limited means of cooking and little or no access to fresh bread. So, in case you haven’t come across bread in a pan already, I thought I’d share the secret.I first discovered this amazing invention when I was in Darjeeling. They have quite a few Tibetan restaurants there and when you order your Thenthuk (noodle soup) it comes with Tibetan bread on the side. Now as much as I love curry I’m finding my appetite for spicy food in this hot weather has diminished somewhat. Tibetan food is less spice based and also tends to be much lighter as it doesn’t contain much oil or butter and the ingredients are mostly steamed or boiled. So I decided when I got back from my trip to Darjeelingto seek out the recipes for some Tibetan dishes. Imagine my delight when I came across the recipe for Tibetan bread and found that the only cooking implements required were a frying pan or saucepan and saucepan lid and some form of gas hob or homemade fire (for non-city dwellers). The ingredients also couldn’t have been simpler or cheaper; flour, baking powder, water and salt and it only takes 15 minutes to cook. It sounded a bit too good to be true but when I gave it a try it really worked.Of course there were a few failed attempts including the one I made that I took into work and gave to my colleagues which looked and tasted like an overly salted pancake. Everyone enthusiastically took a piece but then ate in stony silence which meant they must have thought it was really bad because they are not usually shy about giving feedback. I’ve tried some amazing dishes colleagues have made that have received heavy criticism from others or comments like, “it’s ok but you’ve made better,” or, “I prefer the one my mother makes.” It’s like partaking in a daily Master Chef competition at which I repeatedly fail. However, the ones that I’ve typically not brought into work have turned out pretty well. So here’s the recipe:Mixture:1½ cups flour1 cup water1 tsp baking powder½ tsp saltFor cooking:1tsp oil2tbsp waterMix together the dry ingredients then add the water bit by bit and beat the mixture until smooth. The mixture should be thick but should still run off the spoon relatively easily. Spoon the mixture into the heated pan and then drizzle 2tbps of water around the edge. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat then turn the dough over and cook for another 5 minutes. It should rise to about an inch thick, be slightly brown on both sides and doughy on the inside. So there it is, the amazing bread in a pan.(Dedication- this post is dedicated to Michelle Novak and the non-stick frying pan you donated to me and Zoe on your departure from Delhi. Thank you for saving us from having to eat any more meals made in the frying pan of death which burned our hands and charcoaled any food that went near it.)