Naan

 Naan

(Flatbread)

Naan is a leavened bread made using all-purpose flour. It is extremely popular in the Indian subcontinent.

It is made with basic ingredients like flour, oil, yeast, milk. One can also make naan without yeast but I prefer the version with yeast.

You can either cook the naan in a tandoor (clay oven, often used by Indian restaurants) or bake them in the oven.

My choice for cooking naan is the stove-top. I bake them as well but prefer cooking them on a cast-iron skillet.

How to make naan?

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 cups (13 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons ghee, divided
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened yogurt
• Vegetable oil, for greasing
• 3 teaspoons onion seeds, aka nigella seeds or kalonji
• Gather the ingredients.
• 

Step by step instructions -

1- In a bowl whisk together 3.25 cups (423 grams) of flour with 1 teaspoon (7 grams) salt and set aside

2- Now, add 1 cup (8 oz) warm water to the steel bowl of your stand mixer or any large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar and 2 teaspoons (7 grams) of active dry yeast. Stir and let it bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.

3- After 10 minutes or so, the yeast mixture will be bubbly and froth on top. That’s how we know what the yeast is active. If the mixture isn’t bubbly and frothy, discard and start over again.

4- Now add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of oil. I used avocado oil here.

5- Add 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) plain yogurt and mix using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or use a wire whisk if not using a stand mixer.

6- Start adding in the flour mix, little by little into the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.

7- Start adding the remaining 3-4 tablespoons of flour (24-32 grams). Add 1 tablespoon at a time and add more if the flour is too sticky.

I added around 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour at this point. The dough will be sticky, so do not add more flour to make it dry. It just shouldn’t be very sticky.

Knead the dough using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer for 2 minutes until the dough is smooth. You may also knead with your hands for around 7 to 8 minutes.

8- Transfer the kneaded dough to a large bowl that has been greased with oil.

9- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for around 60 to 90 minutes.

If it is cold where you live, pre-heat your oven to 100 F degrees and then turn it off. Then place your dough inside the oven (remember the  oven should be off!).

After around 90 minutes, the dough would have doubled in size.

10- Punch the dough to release the air.

11- Divide dough into 8 equal parts. You may have to grease your hands while rolling the dough balls as the dough is sticky.  I used a kitchen scale and each dough ball weighed around 100 grams. Cover the dough balls and rest for 15 minutes.

12- After 15 minutes, heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Then start rolling the naan.

Take one dough ball and with a rolling pin (grease the rolling pin with oil) first, roll in lengthwise and then from the sides, around 10 to 12 inches long and 6 to 7 inches wide. You can sprinkle some nigella seeds on top.

13- Transfer the rolled naan onto the heated skillet. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until you see bubbles on top.

14- Then with the help of a tong, remove the naan from the skillet, flip and transfer directly to the gas.

Cook the naan for 15-20 seconds (directly on gas) on one side.

15- Then flip and cook the other side until nicely golden brown from both sides.

16- Transfer to a plate and brush with melted butter. I always use salted butter to brush the naan.

Serve naan with dal makhani or paneer butter masala! So good!

Tips to Make Perfect Naan at Home

As I mentioned before, use a good quality yeast.

Make sure your active dry yeast is activated before you add in the flour. Very important to use the right temperature of water here in order to activate the yeast.

Very hot water will kill the yeast and cold water won’t activate it. You need hot water (but not boiling), somewhere around 105-115 F degrees.

Do not add a lot of flour. The dough should always be little sticky, you don’t want to dry it out. Add more flour only if needed and if the dough is looking way too sticky.

For this recipe, start with 3.25 cups flour (423 grams) and add the additional tablespoons only if needed.

Be gentle with the dough and give it time to rest. Give the dough ample time to rise, then punch the air and let it rest again for 10 minutes.

Shape the dough balls and let rest for 5 minutes again.

Roll the naan gently. How I do is that I roll once lengthwise and then width wise. I don’t try to roll it like a paratha/tortilla/roti.

Simply stretch gently first vertically and then horizontally and done.

Use a cast-iron skillet (if possible) to cook the naan. I feel they taste so much better when cooked on cast iron.

Also cooking on stove-top > baking in the oven. Strictly, my opinion though, you can do whatever you like more. I have given the instructions to bake them as well in the recipe card below.