Bread Machine (159 page)
LA POMPE DE NOËL
Makes one 12-inch flatbread
T
his rustic dessert
fougasse
is one of the thirteen traditional desserts that are served on Christmas Eve in Provence. It is by far one of the oldest, yet most unusual, of holiday breads, and traditionally contains
huile vierge,
the choice top grade of French olive. I learned this recipe from master baker Diane Dexter when substitute-teaching for one of her classes at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco. I ate a similar sqeet
fougasse
when I visited Najac, the medieval French castle town in the Rouergue, where there is an annual
fougasse
festival. Orange-flower water, a traditional ingredient, is available at liquor stores and in the spice section of some grocery stores.
1
1
/
2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
1
/
2
cup water
1 teaspoon orange-flower water
1
/
2
cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
7
/
8
cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 medium orange
1
1
/
2
tablespoons candied orange peel, finely chopped
Candied Grapefruit Peel
1
/
2
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast
or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Place all the dough ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start.
Brush a 12-inch round pizza pan with olive oil. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the bread pan and turn the dough out onto the pan. With floured fingers, press and flatten the dough, lifting and gently pulling it to stretch it into the pan; it will be about 38 inch thick. Cover gently with oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 30 minutes.
Twenty minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the lowest rack of a cold oven and preheat it to 375°F.
Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil. With a small, sharp knife, cut 7 short diagonal slashes, right through to the bottom of the pan, 3 inches long and a few inches apart, like the spokes of a wheel. With your fingers, push the slashes open. Bake until crisp and brown, 20 to 24 minutes. Slide the hot bread from the pan onto a rack to cool. Eat at room temperature or wrap tightly in plastic to serve the next day.
W
hen asked about a bread that typifies Muslim Northern India and Afghanistan
, naan
—which is the name for this bread and also the generic word for bread in those areas—is the first one that comes to mind. It has become very popular outside this region, too; every Pacific Rim restaurant seems to offer
naan
because of its buttery flavor and moist texture. These long oval flatbreads are baked in a
tandir
oven, which is a deep clay floor oven. The shaped dough is placed on a
gaddi
(cushioned pad) and the
naan
are baked by slapping the dough onto the walls of the hot oven. One end of the dough hangs out over the fire, producing a pretty teardrop oval of bread about twenty inches long. Homemade
naan
are easy to bake in a conventional oven, and are usually made smaller out of convenience. Yogurt is a nice tangy addition to this dough, accenting the flour and replacing the fermented yogurt starter called for in many recipes. In India
naan
is made from white flour, but Afghan bakers use chapati flour, a very fine whole wheat flour that you can find in an ethnic grocery. Substitute an equal amount for the bread flour called for here. If you like, in place of the butter, use ghee, the clarified butter that is the preferred fat in India. Nigella seeds are sometimes called black sesame seeds or black onion seeds. They are traditionally sprinkled over the naan
. Naan
are meant to be eaten just out of the oven. Serve them with goat’s milk yogurt or soft goat cheese, as they are eaten in Asia every day, or to accompany roasted meats and stews.
1
1
/
2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1
/
2
cup plain yogurt
1
/
2
cup milk
2 cups bread flour
3
/
4
teaspoon salt
1
/
8
teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons SAF yeast
or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
1
/
4
cup whole wheat pastry flour, for dusting
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
Place the oil, yogurt, milk, flour, salt, baking soda, and yeast in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with melted butter. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the dough and place on a work surface dusted with whole wheat pastry flour; divide into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into thirds, and form the 6 portions into walnut-size balls. Let the dough balls rest on the side of the work surface while you work. With a floured rolling pin, roll each into a 4- to 5-inch flat uneven round or oval shape, about
1
/
2
inch thick. As they are shaped, place them on a baking sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel while you are rolling out the rest of the
naan
. Each should rest for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.