August 8, 2008 Recipe 6: Lmsmn (a lot like naan)

Lmsmn is the Arabic name for this bread. In Tamazight, it's aghrom aghsis. And it tastes a lot like naan, the Indian bread I love (and miss!), although I've never baked that and don't know how the recipes compare.

2 T yeast (tamtont)
2 C flour (ourH)
½ C cornmeal (smida)
~2 C ?? water (aman) (Even more tentative than usual, b/c Ama just pours it in a splash at a time, as needed.)
½ C sugar (sanida)
½ T vegetable/corn oil (zit)

Sift together flours. Combine yeast with a tablespoon or two of water. When it’s a cloudy liquid, add combined flours. Knead, adding a small amount at a time, until you’ve achieved the desired texture (a wet dough, similar to biscuit dough). Combine sugar with water a few tablespoons of water. Knead the sugar-water mixture into the dough until evenly distributed.

Once dough is well combined and at the right texture, shape into a patty ~2” tall and ~8” diameter. Pat oil over the top.

Let rise.

Coat your hands and your work surface in oil. Pull off a ball of dough approximately the size of a baseball. Press it into a flat round, about the size of a medium pizza. Toss it into a large frying pan over medium flames.

The top should puff up a bit, looking almost foamy. After two-three minutes, flip it over. Both sides should be lightly browned.

Pull off another baseball-sized chunk of dough and repeat.

Makes ~6 loaves.