I don’t think there is anything as hearty and delicious as home-made bread. Any kind of bread. The smell itself is soothing… My girls LOVE eating bread, so I try and make it at home as much as possible. Whenever I cook an Indian meal, I make naan, either with garlic or, like in the below recipe, plain. The whole family enjoys it and the girls devour it with whatever else they have in their plate, which is always a plus! It is a very straightforward recipe and it is sure to please all the bread lovers out there! Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from eCurry
Ingredients: (makes 8 )
4 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (plus a few more tbsp, if needed)
5 tbsp oil (or ghee)
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup or 10-12 heaped tbsp of plain yogurt
ghee or melted butter to brush on the naan
Put the sugar and yeast in the warm water, mix well and set it aside for about 10-15 minutes to activate.
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment. Add the yogurt, 5 tbsp of oil/ghee and the activated yeast. Knead for a few minutes until you get a smooth and pliable dough. NOTE: add a little more water if required (the dough has to be soft, but not sticky). Make it into a ball, brush it with some oil and put it in a bowl. Cover it and set it aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 or 2 hours, or until it doubles in volume. Then punch the dough down and knead it again for about 4 minutes. Divide it into 8 parts as shown in the picture and let it rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
Take one portion and roll it out to a tear drop shape (about 6-8 inches long). Do not roll back and forth, but stretch the dough outward as you roll from the center.
Brush one side of the Naan with water.
I use the Tawa/Skillet method to cook my Naan at home.
Heat a thick bottom skillet until really hot. Place the Naan wet side down on the skillet and cover it with a lid. Reduce the heat a bit and let it to cook for 30-45 seconds. When it is golden brown and you can see big bubbles on the surface of the Naan, reduce the heat to medium, uncover and cook for another 30 seconds.
Now you have 2 options:
1. Remove the skillet from the fire and cook the other side of the Naan over the direct flame of the gas burner (bubble side facing the fire) using tongs. This is how you get a smoky flavour which is similar to what you would get in a tandoor, as the parts of the Naan with bubbles will get charred. Remove it from the heat and brush it generously with melted butter or ghee.
2. Flip the Naan over and cook the other side increasing the fire and pressing it down with a spatula. When it is golden brown, it is ready to serve. Remove it from the heat and brush it generously with melted butter or ghee. Serve hot!
Naan
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water plus a few more tbsp, if needed
- 5 tbsp oil or ghee
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup or 10-12 heaped tbsp of plain yogurt
- ghee or melted butter to brush on the naan
Instructions
-
Put the sugar and yeast in the warm water, mix well and set it aside for about 10-15 minutes to activate.
-
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment. Add the yogurt, 5 tbsp of oil/ghee and the activated yeast. Knead for a few minutes until you get a smooth and pliable dough. NOTE: add a little more water if required (the dough has to be soft, but not sticky). Make it into a ball, brush it with some oil and put it in a bowl. Cover it and set it aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 or 2 hours, or until it doubles in volume. Then punch the dough down and knead it again for about 4 minutes. Divide it into 8 parts as shown in the picture and let it rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
-
Take one portion and roll it out to a tear drop shape (about 6-8 inches long). Do not roll back and forth, but stretch the dough outward as you roll from the center.
-
Brush one side of the Naan with water.
-
I use the Tawa/Skillet method to cook my Naan at home.
-
Heat a thick bottom skillet until really hot. Place the Naan wet side down on the skillet and cover it with a lid. Reduce the heat a bit and let it to cook for 30-45 seconds. When it is golden brown and you can see big bubbles on the surface of the Naan, reduce the heat to medium, uncover and cook for another 30 seconds.
-
Now you have 2 options:
-
Remove the skillet from the fire and cook the other side of the Naan over the direct flame of the gas burner (bubble side facing the fire) using tongs. This is how you get a smoky flavour which is similar to what you would get in a tandoor, as the parts of the Naan with bubbles will get charred. Remove it from the heat and brush it generously with melted butter or ghee.
-
Flip the Naan over and cook the other side increasing the fire and pressing it down with a spatula. When it is golden brown, it is ready to serve. Remove it from the heat and brush it generously with melted butter or ghee. Serve hot!
Absolutely adore Naan!! Thank you so much for the step by step!!
I love to make bread at home, it taste so different than the one you can buy at the markets. This is something I must try, my kids will love it.
We love a good naan and I haven’t made it in ages. Will try your recipe. Thank you for sharing it. ;D
I agree with some of the ‘first-posters’ [Would you believe a long blackout without reason 🙁 ! ]: love Indian flatbreads; don’t make them nearly enough, propose to ‘fix’ soonest; love your recipe!! 🙂 !
My husband is the curry cook and he buys his naan bread from the local Indian shop where they make them. They are very good but I must show him your tutorial and see if it inspires him to make them himself.
Hi! Catching up on all my reading. Adore naan, will try this.