Baked Soft Stove-Top Bread

Soft, fluffy and delicious stove top / frying pan bread. No oven required. 

I recently got an oven after along time of making bread on the stove top and by steaming. It  is so different and exciting leaning this new appliance. Although I have an oven now, its electricity consumption is something that will make me use it less. But bread still needs to be made. Enter the stove top bread making. I have been so accustomed to making baked goods without an oven like this 3-tier Coconut Cinnamon  Cake was made on a sigiri (charcoal stove) and these Carrot Cake Muffins and Breakfast Flatbreads were steamed and made on the stove top respectively. To to pay my respects to all the pans I have abused in the process of making stove top bread, I am sharing this soft fluffy and delicious bread that is oh-so-satisfying. The recipe is for a savory kind  of  bread but you can sweeten it by removing the carrot, onion, green pepper and black pepper. You will find yourself making this over and over again. Just so you know, I had to battle with the people I cook for to take these pictures because it was so good they couldn’t wait!

What you will need: 

3 C. Flour, Sifted

1 C. Flour for dusting

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tsp. Salt

1/3 C. Oil

1 C. Milk, Warm

2 Tsp. Yeast

1/4 C. Grated Carrot, onion and green pepper

1/2 Tsp. Black pepper, ground

Oil for cooking

Observations:

1. You will need a sturdy frying pan (a cast iron one if possible).
2. You can substitute diary with plant/nut milk if you are vegan.
3. Use bread/all purpose flour which has more gluten than cake flour and thus produces a chewy bread.
4. The key to having fluffy bread is to place a frying pan on high fire, add a tablespoon of oil in the pan and let the oil get really hot. Place your bread dough into the pan and immediately reduce the heat to low. The high heat will be enough to cook the bread until it is time to flip it.

Method

1. Combine 3 cups flour, salt, sugar, yeast, carrot, onion, green pepper and black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Add oil and mix well.
2. Gradually add the warm milk into the mixture while mixing. Mix till a dough is formed. The dough should be a bit elastic (not too firm).
3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
4. Generously flour your surface. After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and non-sticky.
5. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Spread each ball with your hands into a palm-sized disk. Make sure the disks are thick ( at least 1/2 inch).
6. Generously flour your surface and place the disk on it.
7. Let the bread rise for another 20 minutes.
8. Place a frying pan on high fire. Add a tablespoon of oil in the pan.
9. Once the oil is sizzling, gently place the risen bread dough into the hot pan. Immediately reduce the fire/ heat to low and cover pan.
10. Let the bread cook for 5 minutes on low fire on one side. Remove cover and flip the bread and let the other side cook for another 5 minutes on low fire.
11. Remove from fire. Repeat the process till all the bread is cooked.
12. Serve hot with your favorite stew, butter, jam etc

 

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