Bread Machine (160 page)

Flatten each round with your palm, then stretch on one side to make an 8-by-4
¹
/
₂
-inch elongated oval shape. Brush the top of each
naan
with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with nigella seeds. Bake, one pan at a time, without turning, until golden brown and crisp in places, for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately while warm and fresh, or wrap in a clean tea towel until serving.

MIDDLE EASTERN LAVASH        
Makes 8 cracker breads

T
he paper thin daily flatbread of the Arab, Armenian, and Middle Eastern countries around the Mediterranean basin
, lavash
is basically a
naan
- or tortilla-type dough rolled very thin. It is baked on a
saaj,
which looks like a large upside down wok over an open fire. You can bake it in your oven on baking sheets and get a good rendition. When soft
, lavash
is good for wrapping around hunks of cheese and grilled meats. It keeps well in an airtight container, or in the freezer; just heat in the oven for a few minutes before serving to soften it up.

1
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/
₂
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
¹
/
₂
cups warm water

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or
  2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons bread machine yeast

¹
/
₄
cup sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Pour the water, butter, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. After 3 minutes of kneading, check the dough to adjust the consistency; you want a soft dough. Drizzle in a bit more water if needed.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut 2 or 4 large pieces of parchment paper to fit 2 to 4 large, heavy-duty baking sheets.

When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface; divide it into 8 equal portions and form them into balls. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes on the side of the work surface covered with a clean towel. Place one of the baking sheets in the lower third of the oven to preheat it for 5 to 10 minutes. With a floured rolling pin, and lightly dusting the work surface as needed, roll a dough ball into a flat 12-by-9-inch rectangular shape, as thin as possible (almost translucent). Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and gently unroll it onto the baking sheet. Brush quickly with cold water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake the single bread on the pan, without turning, until lightly browned and slightly bubbly, for 10 to 14 minutes. Slip the bread off the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Roll out and bake the 4 remaining breads, rolling out each one just before baking. Leave the breads on the rack to cool uncovered, if you like the bread crispy. If you like the breads soft, sprinkle with a bit of cold water and cover with a clean tea towel; when all the breads are baked, wrap in aluminum foil and let stand for 30 minutes to soften before serving.

WHOLE WHEAT PITA       
Makes 10 pitas

P
erhaps the simplest and most basic of all yeast breads to make is pita. Also known as Middle Eastern pocket bread, this small round of dough about the size of a tortilla puffs dramatically when baked in a hot oven. It can also be made in a size large enough for a whole family, and torn into pieces when it is served. Pitas are another ancient Mediterranean daily bread. Although pitas puff up in the oven, they collapse as they cool, leaving a pocket inside that is perfect for filling. Pitas should be eaten the day they are baked, as soon as they are cool. You can also wrap them in a clean kitchen towel just after they are made to keep them warm for a short time until serving.

1
¹
/
₂
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
¹
/
₂
cups warm water

Pinch of sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1
¹
/
₂
cups whole wheat pastry flour

1
¹
/
₂
cups bread flour

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons salt

1
¹
/
₂
teaspoons SAF yeast
   or 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be soft, but not sticky.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or heavily flour a peel. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with whole wheat pastry flour; divide it in half. Cover one half with plastic wrap to prevent it from forming a skin. Divide the first half into 5 equal portions and form each into a rough ball. Let rest for 10 minutes, covered, while dividing the second section of dough in the same way. This rest makes the dough easier to roll out.

Using a rolling pin, on the work surface dusted with whole wheat pastry flour, roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch circle about
¹
/
₄
inch thick. Move the dough circles by draping them one at a time over a flour-dusted rolling pin and place them on a floured kitchen towel to rest for about 25 minutes and puff slightly before transferring to the baking sheets.