Naan Ventured, Naan Gained…

Monday’s trial of “no computer from 10am-4pm” went well.   I peeked at the computer now and then, but didn’t allow myself any online activities other than checking to see if there were work-related emails.  There weren’t.  I didn’t deal with or even read non-work emails during that time.  I did allow myself a few solitaire games though. :)  And once, mid-day, when I needed a rest from outdoor/physical work, but wasn’t “allowed” to go online, I napped instead!  It was nice, and I felt good about the variety of errands/tasks I got done that day.

Tuesday and Wednesday are work days for me, so today, Thursday, was the next chance I had to try it again.  Today I closed the computer just after 9am, which ‘earned’ me a lunchtime hour online, according to my rules.  Of course, is it cheating that 9am was easy for me because I’d gotten up and turned ON the computer earlier than usual?  Hmm, I better check the rulebook on that one.  Today went a little differently than Monday, though it turned out well and I still followed my rules.  What was different was that it was cooler today, not as comfortable to work outdoors except doing something physical that warmed me up, like digging.  I did a little of that today.  But also, my back was in ‘caution’ mode today, meaning nothing was wrong but I felt susceptible to tweaking it the wrong way, and didn’t want to push it.  So, I did no tree pruning today (leaning and reaching from a ladder is a REAL good way to invite Mr. Murphy into my lumbar region).  And I did only a few minutes of garden digging.  Plus, I discovered two different reasons I needed to go to town midday, so I did.  That took a chunk out of my project time, but I accomplished my town tasks, so that was good.

When I came home mid-afternoon, in the midst of doing some indoor projects, I decided to try making naan.  I’d read badhuman’s recipe for it earlier this spring, and had it in mind to try ever since.  I made a few variations — our local grocery didn’t have plain yogurt except in the big size, and even that was nonfat.  So I had bought a small vanilla flavored yogurt to use instead.  Turns out it’s only 6 ounces, so when the dough came out a bit too dry, I added just under 2 ounces of soymilk.  I think a little less would have been better, as the dough went from too dry to perhaps a bit too moist.  Plus, although the yeast bubbled a bit, I think it is not really live anymore.  Perhaps when I realized that, I should have covered my bases by adding a little baking powder, but I didn’t think of it at the time.  Anyway, the bread came out okay, but thick and dense, not light and airy.  It might have benefitted from another 1-2 minutes in the oven as well, even though it browned nicely on the bottom.  Bottom line, I need to try again, but these results are still edible!

Oh, and I will add that I both warmed the bowl (the recipe specifies putting the dough to rise in a warmed and buttered bowl) AND did the rising in the solar oven!  It was cloudy and the sun was low in the sky, but I think the oven got up to 100*F, which was enough to warm the bowl and hopefully warm enough but not too warm for the rising dough.  It was really the only warm place I had — oh wait, I guess I could have set the bowl in the truck, that might have worked too…  I still need to re-establish some wind protection for the solar oven, but soon as I do that, it’s ready to use!