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Taba nan
Ember-baked pan bread
Taba nan: Kazakh bread baked between two pans in hot embers
KazakhTaba nan is the bread of the Kazakh herders, baked on the move: a round of yeasted dough put into a greased iron pan (taba), covered with a second pan and buried in the hot embers of a dung or wood fire, so it bakes into a domed loaf with a thick, crackly crust. Families still make it at their summer pastures and at festivals. At home, two heavy cast-iron pans on the hob, or a lidded casserole in the oven, give a good result. A common mistake is a high flame, which burns the base before the inside bakes. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and flip the pans halfway, so both crusts brown evenly.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the bread
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 oz buttermelted, plus extra for the pan
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt. Add ¾ cup warm milk, ¾ cup warm water and 1 oz butter and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise for 1 hour.
10 minStep 2: Shape into a ball and press into a greased 24 cm cast-iron frying pan. Cover and rise 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Cover with a second heavy pan or lid. Cook over the lowest heat for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Carefully flip, holding both pans together, and cook 15–20 minutes more, until both sides are brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Common mistake: a high flame; the crust burns.
20 minStep 5: Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before tearing.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does taba nan take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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