Topic: Clive's "Blow Torched" Naan Bread recipe

[Clive77]

Would the heat gun not produce a similar result if held closer?

Not in my experience...it turned it into a pitta bread unless it had anything to do with he thickness of the naan. I will try again though to see as the heat gun does seem to have potential.

[chriswg]

Naans for me are the final frontier. I can recreate everything in my normal takeaway order perfectly apart from the naans.

I agree that as with most Indian cooking the method is more important than the recipe. I just don't know if it's possible to recreate at home. I doubt BIR's would spend thousands of pounds on tandoors if they could get the same result with a tawa and a grill or blowtorch.

It's not going to stop me trying though. As I see it there are two key elements, a very hot ceramic surface to stick it to, and very hot dry convection based heat on the outside. I don't think a gas BBQ could manage the searing heat needed but a charcoal one could. I have a few ideas to try if we get come more nice weather!

[Clive77]

Naans for me are the final frontier. I can recreate everything in my normal takeaway order perfectly apart from the naans.

I agree that as with most Indian cooking the method is more important than the recipe. I just don't know if it's possible to recreate at home. I doubt BIR's would spend thousands of pounds on tandoors if they could get the same result with a tawa and a grill or blowtorch.

It's not going to stop me trying though. As I see it there are two key elements, a very hot ceramic surface to stick it to, and very hot dry convection based heat on the outside. I don't think a gas BBQ could manage the searing heat needed but a charcoal one could. I have a few ideas to try if we get come more nice weather!

Couldn't agree with you more Chris and that just about sums it up for me too. I've tried the gas bbq too but the result wasn't very conclusive at all. At the end of the day getting as close to a genuine Tandoor naan as possible is the best we can hope for but it'll never be identical. Its a bit like pizza...the ingredients can be identical but if you don't have the right oven you'll never really get the same result as a pizzeria...food for thought!

Clive.

[DalPuri]

Just had a thought about making naans without a tandoor.
If there's any budding DIYers out there who happen to have a clay chiminea kicking around the garden years on end doing nothing but getting wet. . . .  How about cutting the chimney in half lengthways.
You could then re-attach with a pair of hinges and a catch.
Should be enough room to cook two or more naans at a time.
Not sure of the temps or how close to the heat source they'd be but seems the closest you could get to a real tandoori oven without the expense or building your own from scratch.

Cheers, Frank. 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Just had a thought about making naans without a tandoor.  If there's any budding DIYers out there who happen to have a clay chiminea kicking around the garden years on end doing nothing and getting wet. . . .  How about cutting the chimney in half lengthways.  You could then re-attach with a pair of hinges and a catch.
Should be enough room to cook two or more naans at a time.  Not sure of the temps or how close to the heat source they'd be but seems the closest you could get to a real tandoori oven without the expense or building your own from scratch.

I don't own a chiminea, Frank, so can't be sure what one looks like, but could you explain the idea of the hinges and catch ?  Is it your idea that one would open the chiminiea in order to insert and remove food, or for some other reason ?

** Phil.

[DalPuri]

Hi Phil, its basically a pot belly fire with a chinmey on top.


You could just go through the top and slap the naan in, but most are a bit too narrow for comfort this way.
I was thinking along the lines of taking an angle grinder or an appropriate saw and cutting lengthways to create a half pipe. then reassemble with hinges and a catch so that one half opens like a door.

A similar principle to the door on smokers only vertical.




Frank. 

[Clive77]

Has anybody ever tried cooking naans  in a Webber type bbq, with the lid closed? Just wondering as that would possibly recreate a similar atmosphere to that of a tandoor wouldn't it?

[Peripatetic Phil]

Hi Phil, its basically a pot belly fire with a chinmey on top.

[image snipped]

You could just go through the top and slap the naan in, but most are a bit too narrow for comfort this way.
I was thinking along the lines of taking an angle grinder or an appropriate saw and cutting lengthways to create a half pipe. then reassemble with hinges and a catch so that one half opens like a door.

A similar principle to the door on smokers only vertical.

[image snipped]

Frank. 

OK, understood.  I do think an Aga-style gauntlet might be advisable for opening the door, though !

[DalPuri]

Thanks George, its been a while since i posted and had forgotten about the insert image brackets  :

Cheers, Frank. 

[chriswg]

My idea is to attach a pizza stone into the lid of a webber type BBQ. When the lid is closed the stone is diectly over the flames. Once hot enough, remove the lid, stick on the Naan dough then replace it hoping that the dough is sticky enough to defy gravity. This will give the hot ceramic cooked crispy base to the naan along with a real blast of heat from the charcoal right in it's face.