Naan is an Indian flat bread baked in a Tandoor oven at high temperatures. I consider naan to be one of the best ways to get that last bit of curry sauce in a bowl eaten. It is similar to pita bread, though it is much lighter with lots of air pockets in the center. For a yeast based bread, Naan is pretty easy to make. As with any yeast bread, It’s just more time consuming since the yeast has to rise for several hours. I had a little trouble getting the naan as flat and thin as I wanted but in the end I would deem this recipe a success. I salted the dough just before baking in the oven and I thought this improved the flavor quite a bit. Naan can be served as a side dish with gee (clarified butter) or used for dipping in most kinds of Indian curry.
Naan
(Makes 6-8 servings)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of baking soda
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons yogurt
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon clear butter or ghee
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour for rolling
Directions:
- Dissolve active dry yeast in water and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Add sugar, salt and baking soda to the flour and mix well.
- Add the oil and yogurt mix, this will become crumbly dough.
- Add the water/yeast mixture and make into soft dough.
- Knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours.
- Knead the dough for about two to three minutes and divide the dough into six equal parts.
- Take each piece of dough, one at a time, and roll into 8-inch oval shape.
- Before putting the Naan in oven, lightly wet your hands and take the rolled Naan, and flip them between your palms and place onto a greased baking sheet.
- Take naan out of the oven when it has become brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Brush lightly with clear butter or ghee.