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Roast paan
Roast paan: Sri Lankan crusty bakery loaf for dhal and pol sambol
Every Sri Lankan neighbourhood bakery turns out roast paan before dawn: square loaves baked close together in a wood-fired oven until the tops are dark and crusty while the sides stay soft and pull apart. Bought warm, it is torn and eaten with dhal curry, pol sambol, or kiri hodi, the mild coconut milk gravy. The mistake is baking at too low a temperature, which gives a pale, sandwich-style loaf; it needs a really hot oven and a final blast to blister the top. Allow about 2½ hours with rising. Chef's tip: bake the dough as four balls snug in one square tin so they rise into each other; pulling the soft sides apart is half the pleasure.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oilplus extra for the tin
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt, add 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and 2 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
60 minStep 3: Knock back, divide into 4 balls and place them snugly in an oiled 20 cm square tin. Cover and rise for 40 minutes, until the dough fills the tin and springs back slowly when poked.
40 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 450°F (400°F fan). Brush the tops with water and bake for 25 minutes, then turn on the grill for the last 3–5 minutes until the top is dark brown and blistered in places. The loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
30 minStep 5: Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and tear into chunks to eat warm with curry or sambol.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does roast paan take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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