Xinjiang Nang Bread — Uyghur Tandoor Flatbread

Ingredients

• 500 g wheat flour, plain, strong bread flour preferred
• 7 g dried yeast
• 300 ml water, lukewarm
• 8 g salt
• 60 ml plain yogurt or whole milk, for tenderness
• 30 g sesame seeds, white or black, or a mix
• For the surface wash
• 1 egg, beaten; or use water for a lighter finish

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and yogurt or milk in a large bowl, then add the lukewarm water gradually, mixing until a firm, cohesive dough forms — it must be stiff enough to hold its shape on a vertical surface without sagging, because nang is pressed onto a near-vertical tandoor wall and a slack dough will peel away before it sets. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and prove until doubled in size.
2. 2
   Heat the tandoor or closest equivalent — a very hot oven, a clay baker, or a steel wok inverted and brought to maximum heat — to 280–320 °C, so the surface sears the dough on contact and drives steam outward fast enough to raise the characteristic blister and char. The oven wall or surface must be radiating fierce dry heat before the bread is applied; insufficient heat produces pale, soft nang that lacks its defining blister and char.
3. 3
   Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape each into a round disc roughly 25 cm in diameter, working the edge thicker than the centre so the rim bakes up chewy and substantial while the thinned middle crisps through. Keep your movements deliberate — the dough is stiff and will hold whatever form you give it.
4. 4
   Soak the bread stamp (chekich) in water before use, so the pattern releases cleanly without tearing the dough surface. Press it firmly and repeatedly across the entire centre of the disc, stamping the characteristic indentations that both decorate and thin the surface — an under-stamped centre will puff and not crisp, while an over-wet stamp will deflate the dough and prevent it adhering to the oven wall.
5. 5
   Brush the upper surface with beaten egg for a glossy, deep-golden finish, or with water for a plainer crust. Press the sesame seeds firmly into the surface so they are embedded enough to stay in place during baking rather than scattering when the bread is handled.
6. 6
   Apply the disc directly to the interior wall of the hot tandoor, or lay it onto the prepared hot surface, pressing with confidence so it grips before it can slide. Bake at 280–320 °C for 5–8 minutes; the nang is done when the contact side is blistered and carries charred spots, the edge is deeply golden, the stamped centre has crisped through, and the bread releases cleanly from the wall.