Tajik Non

* Exported from MasterCook *

TAJIK NON

Recipe By : BAKERS' DOZEN (ALFORD AND DUGUID) SHOW #1A26
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup plain yogurt (2 percent or whole milk)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or hard white flour -- (2 1/2
to 3 1/2)

Topping:
Approximately 2 tablespoons finely chopped
shallot
Approximately 1 teaspoon salt
Water for spritzing

You will need a large bread bowl, a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, unglazed
quarry tiles or a
baking stone or one or two baking sheets, to fit on a rack in your oven, a
rolling pin, a bread
stamp or a fork or a wire whisk, a peel or a long-handled spatula, small
spray bottle for spritzing
(optional).
Place 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl, stir in sugar, then sprinkle on
yeast and stir to
dissolve. Place yogurt and one cup water in a saucepan, stir to mix, then
place over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until lukewarm. Add the yogurt mixture to the
yeast and water mixture
and stir. Add the whole wheat flour one cup at a time, stirring in one
direction only as you add the
flour. Then stir one hundred times (for about one minute) in the same
direction to activate the
gluten. Let this sponge stand, covered, for 10 minutes or for as long as 2
hours.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt over the sponge, then stir in unbleached flour
one cup at a time until
dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and
knead for 10 minutes, until
the dough becomes smooth and elastic, incorporating more unbleached flour as
necessary to
prevent dough from sticking.
Rinse out, wipe and lightly oil your bread bowl. Add the dough, cover with
plastic wrap, and let
rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
Position a rack in the top third of your oven. Arrange unglazed quarry tiles
on it, leaving a 1-inch
gap between tiles and the oven walls (to allow air to circulate).
Alternatively place a baking stone
or baking sheets on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Gently punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. If
you have time, let
rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Place shallots and remaining salt beside your
work surface,
together with a bowl of lukewarm water. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
Using lightly floured
hands, press each piece into a 3 to 4-inch round.
Work with one round at a time, leaving the others covered at the back of
your work surface.
Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out to a 6-inch round. With a
fork or bread stamp, or the
edge of a wire whisk, stamp a 1 1/2-inch diameter circle at the center of
the bread thoroughly, to
flatten and pierce it (to prevent it from rising). Sprinkle onto the center
approximately 1/2
teaspoon chopped shallot, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of water.
Quickly roll out and prepare one, two, or three more breads (depending on
the size of your
oven), then transfer prepared breads to the hot tiles, stone, or baking
sheets. Begin shaping your
next breads as the first batch is baking. Let bake for approximately 5
minutes, or until lightly
golden; you can also let breads brown to a deeper hue by leaving them in for
7 to 8 minutes.
Use a long-handled spatula to remove from the oven. Place on a rack to cool,
then stack and
wrap loosely in a cotton cloth to keep soft and warm. Shape and bake
remaining breads in the
same way.
Yield: 8 breads about 6 inches in diameter, with a soft raised rim and
flattened center topped
with shallots


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -