The word Pita is rooted in greek "πίτα" wich means bread, cake or pie. It was first documented in the 12th century in the byzantine or eastern roman empire. Same region as the ottomans, but around 350 years before they took Constantinople (today's istambul). History and ethymology are hobbies of mine.
Yes and olive oil, it's how to make naan and not peta.. finger dimple is the method for any flat bread , plus it makes nice pockets for sliced cherry tomatoes and Herb's👍
Hi Kenji, You could apply water on one side of the naan and then put the water side down in the oven. It'll make a great naan the bottom will be crusty and the top would puff up. Big fan, really learn a lot from u. Thanks
I’ve cooked naan in an oven before and agree it is very pita-like. I like to cook it in a dry frying pan (like a tortilla) so it still has chewy spots as well as charred bubbly spots. Of course both are delicious though!
refreshed and saw this was released 9 seconds ago. I look forward to all of your videos! They relax me and are very interesting. I learn so much from you.
If you can find a way to drop the still slightly sticky dough onto the deck instead of sliding the floured dough in, you can achieve that signature naan browning. This way it sticks to the hot surface and gives it that authentic texture. Pretty challenging with the low dome Kenji has, but this is what I do at work in our wood fired oven and they turn out fantastic.
That was more like a thick roti or thick phulka, for the international people reading this comment it’s like the Turkish bread bazlama. That is the only reason I always eat a naan from a restaurant or a hotel it’s never perfect without that clay oven.
Indian without home tandoor here, you can do this on a skillet. make a wet dough using yoghurt (or use yeast if youre lactose intolerant). roll it/stretch it out as shown then wet your right hand and stick it in a skillet (ideally not a non stick one) then take the skillet verticle over your gas burner. youre essentially emulating a tandoor. slow cook for 4-5 minutes over low/medium heat and thank me later
Hi Kenji. Thanks for all these videos, they’re great and totally getting me cooking again. Love your sense of humour, your life ethos and most importantly, your food! I just bought 2 copies of your book, one for a friend who I know will love it too. Thanks again for making the vids, they are always appreciated!
I'm Greek and the first time I had Indian food I thought there wasa distinct familiarity in how it tasted -- though with some obvious differences too (the role that chillis play in Indian food and the greater complexity of flavor and contrasting ingredients). Raita and aloo matar reminded me a lot of what I my mother made when I was younger; raita specifically can be a lot like tzaziki. And as far as naan goes; the regions where they make flatbreads that go by naan or a similar name, and where they make 'pitas', greatly overlap. So I think it makes a lot of sense to prepare them in a similar way in the home kitchen. As they probably had similar origins. Many home recipes from actual Indian people suggest cooking them on the stovetop. Just like pita.
@@gourabjitsingha8056 Uhm I'm indian, which I'm sure you are as well. When you cook naans in a tandoor the side that's on the tandoor will be crispier. The bottom of naans are suppose to be crispy but the naan itself is light and fluffy.
Can you do a video with different curry recipes? When i try to do 1-3 curries (for variety) I always struggle that i either need 5 million different ingredients or they kinda taste all the same.
I’ve attended a couple of cooking courses run by a lady in her house in India. Her method of making naan at home was to take an old pressure cooker and place it upside down (lid off) over a gas burner on her cooktop, which essentially formed a makeshift tandoor. She’d press the dough against the inside wall of the heated pot and put it upside down over the gas burner again. It wasn’t as good as a real tandoor but nonetheless worked really well.
I think your issue is that you never brushed the top of the bread with butter before putting it in. That's essentially the difference between pita and naan. I wanted to see if I could get away with buttering the whole thing, but after watching your video, I think I'll just try the top. Thanks for the demo!
I was making naan in my ooni earlier in the summer. The recipe I used incorporated an egg and yogurt. Anyway, I really like the tenderness/richness that those imparted to the dough. I've also been making pita with a recipe closer to yours (which was good as well). For my pita I actually like my results from my oven at 550 with a pizza steel vs. The ooni. I think the 700-900 in the ooni is hot enough so that it crisps up the pita too much for my taste.
Mr. Lopes-Alt previously you used whole tomatoes in your NY style pizza sauce but recently mentioned (actually I don't know how recently) that crushed tomatoes can be more ripe because they are not picked to hold together. Should I switch to crushed tomatoes for my sauce then? Really appreciate you putting out these videos.
Kenji! please do a samosa recipe, I always struggle to get good micro blisters on the surface and the dough tends to be more crunchy rather than crispy, you’re the only man for the job!
I use yogurt and honey in my Naan Kenji is their a reason you do not? Update: I missed the part you used milk my bad, but it works if you don't have yogurt.
We have a grill that can get to nearly 700 degrees so we make our naan on a pizza stone on the grill. Much better than a regular oven which can only get so hot.
Is that a special dough resting box…or did you just slap your cutting board on top of it? Would love to know so I can figure one out for myself😀…on a side note Ive been binge watching your videos and you remind of my uncle. In the best possible way since he’s no longer with us but your personality, dry sense of humor and dgaf attitude makes me feel like I’m watching a part of him you. Sorry if that freaks you out. It comes from a profound sense of loss and to watch you just does something to my soul. Thank you for that!! 🙌♥️
next time try warm water, yeast, salt, and a powdered milk, olive oil, 2/3rds 00 flour and 1/3rd all purpose flour mix ~ old family recipe, divide and Ball, lite olive oil cover, sit - roll out dough and cover with towel sit 15 minutes more and then sauce pecorino cook till sauce steams or bubbles, take back out of oven add other choice of cheese and finish,
Pita comes from Byzantine Greek (pita) while pizza might come from Ancient Greek (picta). Arabic terms were adopted from the Greek (p’s becoming f’s as in fatteh). The Greeks may have adopted the word from Hebrew or Aramaic (patt in Hebrew, pitta in Aramaic) which mean a small piece of bread.
I asked the indian chef for his recipes and he said: It's naan of your business coming here asking for recipes. You don't like the answer? Raita complaint to the management!
Thoughts on cooking naan on a stovetop with a blowtorch? That’s usually how I make it, ends up quite delicious like that since there no real enclosed dry heat on it like it would in an oven. Usually just cook the first side on a skillet thoroughly then blowtorch the side on top to make it puff up nicely and then put it to cool on a cooling rack. A little parsley garlic butter and you’ve got yourself some beautiful naan ! 😋
Does the Ooni have control of all three rows of flames? And what are the marks on the pizza stone? Are they scratches or just stuff deposited on it? ... I’m thinking of buying one in the future and wondering about the longevity of the oven!
I have tons of Indian Punjabi restaurants where I live (NJ), and they all have tandoors. They make cauliflower stuffed Naan! Oh man, it's freaking amazing!
What were you eating with naan in the end. You had naan some white rice and two dishes of stuffing??? You were cooking something on a pan that looked like meat but whaf you ate in the end looked like vegetables.
Hey Kenji, how do you make the good, dry, non sticky, fluffy basmati rice? I've tried many times in a rice cooker and it usually sticks or burns to the bottom. Am I missing a special ingredient or anything??
Since Kenji asked, according to etymonline and wiki, the words Pizza and Pita have origin in Byzantine/Medieval Greek(the language). The usage of the work is attested in 1108, citation to this leads to an OED link which requires subscription so I check my curiosity here.
what you made might be more akin to tandoori roti as opposed to naan. Subtle difference, but naan is a higher hydration that sticks to the oven surface, whereas tandoori roti forms that characteristic "ballooning"
I actually don't own a proper oven or a pizza oven. I bake in a convection/grill microwave. But I do own an electric tandoor. And it's actually my pizza oven. They're surprisingly similar. Cool video!
KA-L: everynight is pizza night was great. Really, I'm a fan of yours, and my two toddlers loved the book and are now too. As a prof, I definitely appreciated: For Science! Great job.
Enough! I tried to resist, even made it through the pizza oven shootout, but am now going to break down and order that darn pricey outdoor oven. I must eat this bread!!
Absolutely brilliant, Kenji. You're second to naan.
Lol 😂 good ☝️
He would be proud of this
A naan-descript, yet lovely comment. Cheers.
Kenji - doesn’t own a rolling pin
Also Kenji - owns two outdoor open flame pizza ovens
What a hero
Priorities.
Rolling pins are not needed if you have super powers, tortillas, pie crust, naan, pastry dough, pita bread, are the exception.
Hahaha yesss! He's being resourceful!
Actually there are two more outdoor pizza ovens under the table he keeps those two on, so yeah...
@@SimonWoodburyForget FOR SURE. I won’t even make them. There’s a good bakery at the end of the block!
The word Pita is rooted in greek "πίτα" wich means bread, cake or pie. It was first documented in the 12th century in the byzantine or eastern roman empire. Same region as the ottomans, but around 350 years before they took Constantinople (today's istambul). History and ethymology are hobbies of mine.
True yes 😊🤓 perfect 👌 indeed I was going to add this baking nerd information Good catch
I love trying to piece together the chronology of all the videos. Like a Kenji Cinematic Universe
I met Kenji a few years ago, and I specifically asked him about this recipe. He rudely told me it was naan of my business :(
That is a load of Naan sense.
ha
Dont take it badly, in the end it doesent really mutter
This thread...😂
@@ytreece This bread...
"I believe it's from the Ottoman Empire." -J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
i believe it's from the Ottonaan Empire...
I believe it's from the footstool empire.
Does it mutter?
I believe it’s from the Ottoman Empire.
As soon as he said it, I looked to the comments.
Be like Kenji, ya'll. When you can, practice naan-violence
epic rap battles
Naan funny
@@dgdigital2659 cmon bro, be naan-confrontational
boycott those grits
Pour one out for all the lost dough-mies...
I was thinking the same but with bread-theren 🤣
I loaf these terrible puns
Missed opportunity to say naan-binary pals.
😄👀
Dammit I’m reading the comments while watching. And I was waiting for that! 😂
Can't believe you teased us with no explanation on the curries you made!?!
Check out his Keema Matar video from a few months ago
@@Freighty72 Hey thanks mate!
Knightcommander You’re welcome!
@@Freighty72 going there right after this! Also the tandoori chicken, and tikka masala ones are good.
Awful Dad joke straight off the bat. This is gonna be good
My favourite song from late 90's teen movies was "kiss me" by six pence naan the richer
Gideon Amare a classic
man of culture
You and Kenji should collab on a book of dad jokes. I bet you'd make a lot of dough off that.
Put dimples with fingers to stop them from making a ball/pita.
Yeah
Bhai ne to fulka hi bana diya 😂
Yes and olive oil, it's how to make naan and not peta.. finger dimple is the method for any flat bread , plus it makes nice pockets for sliced cherry tomatoes and Herb's👍
"naan traditionally" what is a pun anymore???
Hi Kenji,
You could apply water on one side of the naan and then put the water side down in the oven. It'll make a great naan the bottom will be crusty and the top would puff up.
Big fan, really learn a lot from u. Thanks
I usually brush my naan with garlic butter before I cook it in a cast iron pan, then brush it again after cooking it just for the naan of it
Perfect 👌
I’ve cooked naan in an oven before and agree it is very pita-like. I like to cook it in a dry frying pan (like a tortilla) so it still has chewy spots as well as charred bubbly spots. Of course both are delicious though!
Kenji's a freakin boss, love every one of his videos.
The bottle of wine used as a rolling pin is a power move
Kenji could roll dough with a bottle of Johnny Walker.
I see you're using my family's favourite method of rolling dough, a wine bottle
Hello Adam Ragusea
refreshed and saw this was released 9 seconds ago. I look forward to all of your videos! They relax me and are very interesting. I learn so much from you.
Kenji's dogs out here living like Kings and Queens.
If you can find a way to drop the still slightly sticky dough onto the deck instead of sliding the floured dough in, you can achieve that signature naan browning. This way it sticks to the hot surface and gives it that authentic texture. Pretty challenging with the low dome Kenji has, but this is what I do at work in our wood fired oven and they turn out fantastic.
I love the doggies. They're always a joy to see.
I kneaded this.
ok that shit send me for some reason
That was more like a thick roti or thick phulka, for the international people reading this comment it’s like the Turkish bread bazlama.
That is the only reason I always eat a naan from a restaurant or a hotel it’s never perfect without that clay oven.
Naan pe dhaniya pudina to lagaya hi ni bhai ne 😥
You're right. Thick Roti also known as Khameeri Roti (in Pakistan).
This is nowhere close to Naan
He did say it’s more like pitta than naan in terms of cooking technique. But as far as the dough recipe, that’s pretty naan-like
What would you say is the biggest difference between this and actual naan, in terms of texture and shape?
Indian without home tandoor here, you can do this on a skillet. make a wet dough using yoghurt (or use yeast if youre lactose intolerant). roll it/stretch it out as shown then wet your right hand and stick it in a skillet (ideally not a non stick one) then take the skillet verticle over your gas burner. youre essentially emulating a tandoor. slow cook for 4-5 minutes over low/medium heat and thank me later
Hi Kenji. Thanks for all these videos, they’re great and totally getting me cooking again. Love your sense of humour, your life ethos and most importantly, your food! I just bought 2 copies of your book, one for a friend who I know will love it too. Thanks again for making the vids, they are always appreciated!
I'm Greek and the first time I had Indian food I thought there wasa distinct familiarity in how it tasted -- though with some obvious differences too (the role that chillis play in Indian food and the greater complexity of flavor and contrasting ingredients). Raita and aloo matar reminded me a lot of what I my mother made when I was younger; raita specifically can be a lot like tzaziki. And as far as naan goes; the regions where they make flatbreads that go by naan or a similar name, and where they make 'pitas', greatly overlap. So I think it makes a lot of sense to prepare them in a similar way in the home kitchen. As they probably had similar origins. Many home recipes from actual Indian people suggest cooking them on the stovetop. Just like pita.
Idk about naans but this looks exactly like the Greek/Cypriot pita we make here (in Greek: πίτα/πίττα)
Yea that's what I was gonna say, closer to a pita than a naan. Naans have a crisp bottom cuz of the way they're stuck in to the tandoor.
@@Red3yeX the one with crispy base is the tandoori roti. Naan is supposed to be soft fluffy,airy , no crispy bits..
@@gourabjitsingha8056 Uhm I'm indian, which I'm sure you are as well. When you cook naans in a tandoor the side that's on the tandoor will be crispier. The bottom of naans are suppose to be crispy but the naan itself is light and fluffy.
You opened with a dad joke. You've either reached a new low or a new high. Also first.
Can you do a video with different curry recipes?
When i try to do 1-3 curries (for variety) I always struggle that i either need 5 million different ingredients or they kinda taste all the same.
I’ve attended a couple of cooking courses run by a lady in her house in India. Her method of making naan at home was to take an old pressure cooker and place it upside down (lid off) over a gas burner on her cooktop, which essentially formed a makeshift tandoor. She’d press the dough against the inside wall of the heated pot and put it upside down over the gas burner again. It wasn’t as good as a real tandoor but nonetheless worked really well.
Great video as usual by the way.
Naan most likely originated in Egypt, but became famous when the Moghuls brought them over to India.
Damn... this looks really good! Using that pizza oven to get all those bubbles and browned spots, yummmmm!!!
I think your issue is that you never brushed the top of the bread with butter before putting it in. That's essentially the difference between pita and naan. I wanted to see if I could get away with buttering the whole thing, but after watching your video, I think I'll just try the top. Thanks for the demo!
1:04 Four naan, Kenji? Four? That's insane.
I was making naan in my ooni earlier in the summer. The recipe I used incorporated an egg and yogurt. Anyway, I really like the tenderness/richness that those imparted to the dough. I've also been making pita with a recipe closer to yours (which was good as well). For my pita I actually like my results from my oven at 550 with a pizza steel vs. The ooni. I think the 700-900 in the ooni is hot enough so that it crisps up the pita too much for my taste.
Has the Ooni edged in front as your favourite pizza oven?
By far the best cooking channel... pov camera action... easy to understand but not so much too pull off 🤣
Can you do a kitchen and tools,spices, sauces tour please
With which (vegetarian or non-vegeterian) side dishes would you recommend eating this?
Good job on the dough Kenji, it seems naan compliant to me..
took me a while to get the "what's going naan" joke. damn im slow
Mr. Lopes-Alt previously you used whole tomatoes in your NY style pizza sauce but recently mentioned (actually I don't know how recently) that crushed tomatoes can be more ripe because they are not picked to hold together. Should I switch to crushed tomatoes for my sauce then? Really appreciate you putting out these videos.
Kenji! please do a samosa recipe, I always struggle to get good micro blisters on the surface and the dough tends to be more crunchy rather than crispy, you’re the only man for the job!
I use yogurt and honey in my Naan Kenji is their a reason you do not?
Update: I missed the part you used milk my bad, but it works if you don't have yogurt.
We have a grill that can get to nearly 700 degrees so we make our naan on a pizza stone on the grill. Much better than a regular oven which can only get so hot.
Would you get more (and smaller) air bubbles by exclusively hand stretching dough like a Neapolitan pizza, as opposed to rolling it out first?
What a fun, naan-traditional way of doing this recipe!
Is that a special dough resting box…or did you just slap your cutting board on top of it? Would love to know so I can figure one out for myself😀…on a side note Ive been binge watching your videos and you remind of my uncle. In the best possible way since he’s no longer with us but your personality, dry sense of humor and dgaf attitude makes me feel like I’m watching a part of him you. Sorry if that freaks you out. It comes from a profound sense of loss and to watch you just does something to my soul. Thank you for that!! 🙌♥️
next time try warm water, yeast, salt, and a powdered milk, olive oil, 2/3rds 00 flour and 1/3rd all purpose flour mix ~ old family recipe, divide and Ball, lite olive oil cover, sit - roll out dough and cover with towel sit 15 minutes more and then sauce pecorino cook till sauce steams or bubbles, take back out of oven add other choice of cheese and finish,
What better way to spend your 1:00 AM weekend night than to watch Kenji cook
Trick is to poke a few holes with a fork (or something similar) before sticking it in the oven so it doesn't puff upp this much
Pita comes from Byzantine Greek (pita) while pizza might come from Ancient Greek (picta). Arabic terms were adopted from the Greek (p’s becoming f’s as in fatteh). The Greeks may have adopted the word from Hebrew or Aramaic (patt in Hebrew, pitta in Aramaic) which mean a small piece of bread.
What was served with the naan? It looked great!
The vibe of your vids is lovely. Very chill and informative. Thanks and keep it up! :)
I asked the indian chef for his recipes and he said: It's naan of your business coming here asking for recipes. You don't like the answer? Raita complaint to the management!
would it make a difference if you wet the bottom and stuck it to the bottom like you would in a tandoor.
Hey Kenji! I see you have the Ooni and Roccbox, which do you prefer?
You can tell everything must have smelled especially good, as Jamon was ready at attention.
Thoughts on cooking naan on a stovetop with a blowtorch? That’s usually how I make it, ends up quite delicious like that since there no real enclosed dry heat on it like it would in an oven. Usually just cook the first side on a skillet thoroughly then blowtorch the side on top to make it puff up nicely and then put it to cool on a cooling rack. A little parsley garlic butter and you’ve got yourself some beautiful naan ! 😋
How do you like your Ooni? Im considering getting one! Unsure if to get gas or pellet! 🤔🤷♂️
Love your Channel mate
What kind of pizza peel do you use?
Hey Kenji, sorry to say but that is not Naan. It is a bit thinner and slightly crispy. Also it doesn't fluff up
Does the Ooni have control of all three rows of flames?
And what are the marks on the pizza stone? Are they scratches or just stuff deposited on it?
... I’m thinking of buying one in the future and wondering about the longevity of the oven!
Kenji, please make Szechuan Mapo Tofu, it is such a unique dish and I need a recipe and trust no one else but you.
Why has it taken so long for me to find these videos? Kenji, the no frills video are great. Thank hou
def pita, and not naan, but actually never considered making pita in my pizza oven and now looking forward to it!
I have tons of Indian Punjabi restaurants where I live (NJ), and they all have tandoors.
They make cauliflower stuffed Naan! Oh man, it's freaking amazing!
How does your outdoor kitchen, pizza ovens etc hold up to the weather?
What were you eating with naan in the end. You had naan some white rice and two dishes of stuffing??? You were cooking something on a pan that looked like meat but whaf you ate in the end looked like vegetables.
Kenji . Is their a temperature differences between a tandoor oven
and the Koda..? cooler longer vs hotter faster ?
Four naan? That's insane
Do you know why NY style pizza is usually lower hydration? Any thoughts on if its better to use more or less water...?
4:15 how did you get the burned pita to turn into two not burned pitas off camera?
Hey Kenji, how do you make the good, dry, non sticky, fluffy basmati rice? I've tried many times in a rice cooker and it usually sticks or burns to the bottom. Am I missing a special ingredient or anything??
Screamin’ hot cast iron pan works well indoors. Thanks for this Kenji!
Naan pizza is amazing, I love mushrooms, whole mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and basil on mine😋❤
Since Kenji asked, according to etymonline and wiki, the words Pizza and Pita have origin in Byzantine/Medieval Greek(the language). The usage of the work is attested in 1108, citation to this leads to an OED link which requires subscription so I check my curiosity here.
kenji: makes indian flatbread
me: an American-Born Confused Desi (s. indian)... naan gonna lie, this man is good
what you made might be more akin to tandoori roti as opposed to naan. Subtle difference, but naan is a higher hydration that sticks to the oven surface, whereas tandoori roti forms that characteristic "ballooning"
A RoccBox peel with a Ooni oven? Kenji what have you done.
You need to apply water to the naan on the side that will touch the stone. Only then you will get the texture of bubbles, instead of pitta style puff.
For using yogurt instead of milk is it still 100 grams?
"not food motivated" ha. Shabu just has a refined palate!
Why don’t you use the Roccbox?
Kenji please can we get the names of the dishes you added to your naan?
I actually don't own a proper oven or a pizza oven. I bake in a convection/grill microwave. But I do own an electric tandoor. And it's actually my pizza oven. They're surprisingly similar. Cool video!
Thank you 😊 Chef Kenji I shared this family favorite!
Would oat milk work in that dough?
KA-L: everynight is pizza night was great. Really, I'm a fan of yours, and my two toddlers loved the book and are now too. As a prof, I definitely appreciated: For Science! Great job.
kenji have you ever tried laccha paratha ?
I really want to know what brand and where to get the towels he uses.
What size peel do you use for your ooni koda 16 I'm debating whether the 30×30 or the 33×33 is best
Omg you mentioned this video a long time ago in another video and I've been waiting oh so impatiently! Thanks so much!
Enough! I tried to resist, even made it through the pizza oven shootout, but am now going to break down and order that darn pricey outdoor oven. I must eat this bread!!
I put nan in a pizza oven, now the rest of the family wont talk to me, and i'm constantly dodging police.
Looks like Pitas?
Thanks Kenji, love the naan-sense