Like naan other

Indian naan bread is a thing of beauty. Cooked in a tandoor oven until it's golden brown and bubbly, it remains ever so soft and wonderfully chewy. Ripped into pieces, it's the perfect accompaniment — or utensil — to curries and rices. This naan bread, however, is not from a tandoor oven. Prepackaged from a regular old grocery store, it was not baked until light and fluffy. While soft and somewhat chewy, it's fairly dense and flavourless. So why am I writing about it? Because alas, Jamie Oliver has come up with a solution to store bought, semi-stale bread! Using damp parchment paper, he brings his naan and ciabatta breads alike back to freshly-baked life.


For kicked up naan bread, pre-heat the oven to 375°F (180°C). Scrunch up a large piece of parchment paper and run it under the tap. Lay it out flat, and drizzle with olive oil. Add herbs and spices for extra flavour (I mixed in freshly chopped garlic, ginger, and cilantro). Add naan breads and flip to coat each side with oil. Wrap the parchment around the naans, and place in the oven until heated through. Thanks to the damp parchment paper, the revived naans should be soft on the inside with a very slight crunch on the outside. Almost...almost as good as authentic naan.


If you're still not satisfied with the state of this naan bread, make a quick order to your favourite Indian restaurant. And use the rest of your "naan" to make personal-sized pizzas!

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's website.
Photographs copyright © 2011 Jasmine Habart.