Naan
Naan is the soft, leavened Indian bread made with milk, yoghurt, and yeast. Unlike chapati, which is unleavened and dry, naan has an airy crumb and a buttered surface. The bread comes from the Persian-Indian Mughal kitchen and is traditionally baked in a tandoor, where the dough is pressed onto the hot clay wall and bakes in just a few minutes.
Without a tandoor, the breads are cooked in a heavy-based pan and finished under the grill instead. Butter and poppy seeds on the uncooked side give the colour and slightly nutty flavour familiar from restaurant naan.
Serve hot with all kinds of curry, grilled meat, and dahl.
Ingredients
Makes 12 breads
- 375 g plain flour
- 1½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 15 g fresh yeast
- 150 ml milk, warm
- 150 ml natural yoghurt
- ghee (or vegetable oil), for greasing
- 125 g butter
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
Directions
Sift the flour into a large bowl and mix in the sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Crumble the yeast into the warm milk and stir until dissolved. Make sure the milk is no warmer than hand-hot.
Stir the yoghurt into the milk and pour the mixture into the flour. Mix together to form a dough.
Knead the dough on a work surface until smooth and no longer sticking to your hands, 5–8 minutes.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 4 hours.
Divide the risen dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Dust the work surface with flour and roll each ball out into an oval or round shape, about 5 mm thick. Gently pull one end with both hands to give the bread its characteristic teardrop shape.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep it close to the hob. Turn the oven grill to its highest setting.
Brush a heavy-based pan with a little ghee or oil and heat it well. Place one or two breads in the pan at a time and cook on one side until golden spots appear, 1–2 minutes.
Transfer the breads to a baking tray with the cooked side facing down. Brush the uncooked side with melted butter and scatter with poppy seeds.
Place the tray under the grill and bake until the top is golden and blistered, about 1–2 minutes. Watch closely — it happens fast.
Serve the naan breads immediately, while hot.
Notes
Proving time: 4 hours. Total baking time: about 30 minutes.
The dough can also prove overnight in the refrigerator. Take it out 1 hour before use so it is at room temperature when you roll it out.
If you have a pizza stone, you can bake the breads on the stone under the grill instead of in a pan — the result is closer to the tandoor version.
See Also
Cucumber Raita (Kheera Raita)
Mint Raita
Green Chutney
Mango Chutney (Indian Style)
