Preparation time, including dough rising: 2 hours
Baking time: 20 minutes
Makes 1 medium loaf
Ingredients:
- 1 package (1/4 oz / 7 g) dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1 egg yolk or 1 tablespoon plain yogurt mixed with just a little water, for brushing
- Pinch of Nigella sativa seeds (best choice), or poppy seeds or sesame seeds (black or white)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small bowl, mix yeast with water until the yeast is dissolved.
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Add salt and toss to combine. Gradually add the yeast-water mixture and stir with your hand until a rough ball forms.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press any loose dough pieces into the ball and knead the dough, punching it down with your fists, folding it over and turning. Knead for about 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the large bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap.
- Leave the dough to rise in a warm spot for about 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in bulk. The dough should look puffy and be soft when poked with a finger.
- Punch down the dough, then transfer it onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a ball, and with your hands flatten slightly and stretch it lengthwise.
- If you have trouble stretching the dough with your hands (although this is the recommended method), you can use a rolling pin to do the job—start rolling out the dough beginning at one end until you obtain a long flat bread about ½ inch thick (1.27cm), 14 inches long (35cm) and 8 inches (20cm) wide.
- Carefully transfer the bread onto a non-stick baking sheet, fixing the shape as necessary. Leave the dough to rest and slightly rise on the baking sheet for another 15-20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Using a knife, make shallow crosshatching slashes on the bread, 4 from right to left and 4 the opposite way, each at a slight angle. Or, using your pinkie, mark 3 shallow indentations along the length of the bread.
- Brush the bread evenly with the glaze of your choice and sprinkle with seeds.
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake the bread for 20-25 minutes, or until it is golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Your tandoori bread (tandir bread) is ready!