Sri Lankan roast paan (thati paan)

Sri Lankan roast paan

Roast paan, also called thati paan, is a Sri Lankan yeast bread with a distinctive two-stage bake. In this home method, separate flat pieces are layered in a pan, baked together, separated and grilled on both sides. The result is a crisp exterior with softer bread inside.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board's commercial listing describes a related two-bake process using flatter units arranged together in a pan. It distinguishes the harder-crusted Roast Bread from a thicker and softer Pan Bread. These commercial details support the bread's identity but are not substituted for the home formula below.

Mix and proof the dough

Activate the yeast in ¼ cup water with 2 teaspoons sugar. Mix 2½ cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup water, the yeast mixture, 2 teaspoons oil, and the listed 2 tablespoons additional water. If the flour remains dry, add another 2–3 tablespoons water. Cover for 15 minutes.

Knead for 7–10 minutes, using the additional ½ cup flour as needed. Cover and proof in an oiled bowl for 1½ hours. The author looks for about a 40% rise and says cool weather may add 30 minutes.

Shape and bake twice

Mix 3 tablespoons flour and 4 tablespoons oil into a loose paste. Line an 8-inch loaf pan and coat it with the paste. Deflate the dough and divide it into four portions for long rectangular breads or eight for box-shaped pieces. Shape the portions, brush paste between them and layer them in the pan with room to expand. Cover and proof 30 minutes.

Bake the joined pieces at 200°C for 30 minutes with a small oven-safe vessel of water in the oven. Invert the bread, separate the pieces and brush one side with butter. Grill or broil that side for 13–15 minutes, then turn and repeat. The source gives no grill temperature or rack distance, so watch closely. Use oven mitts to handle hot bread and equipment.

Raw dough safety

Do not taste the raw dough. Raw flour can carry harmful germs; cook the bread according to the recipe and wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling flour and dough.

A second home method for comparison

Shana's Kitchen publishes a separate home recipe for the same bread. It also describes roasting the bread again after the first bake, but its optional second bake is shorter and cooler, at 200 °C for five to ten minutes. The recipe differs from the Island Smile method in its dough, shaping and pan arrangement, so the two are kept apart here rather than combined into one formula.

The difference matters for the reader. The Island Smile method on this page gives the first bake and the buttered grill finish with their times, and it is the method this record follows. The Shana's Kitchen account shows that the second, crust-making stage is described by more than one home cook, while the exact temperatures and durations for that stage vary between the two published recipes.