Naan Bread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 cups plain flour (570g)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp melted butter (1 tbsp for dough + 1 tbsp for spreading on naans)
  • 8 tbsp natural yoghurt (Greek yoghurt also works)
  • 180 - 200ml water (add a little at a time)
  • oil to coat
Optional:
  • 1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp milk (for sprinkling seeds)
  • seeds of your choice poppy, sesame, Kalonji (Nigella seeds), cumin etc.
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • fresh coriander
Method
  1. Start by measuring 4 cups of plain flour in a large bowl, to this add 1 tsp of sugar....
  2. tsp of salt and 1.5 tsp of baking powder.
  3. IF you are using strong tasting seeds like cumin or kalonji (Nigella seeds) it is best to add them to the actual dough at this stage, add ½ - 1 tsp of your choice of seeds. I am using poppy/sesame seeds for decoration purposes only, so will add them to the top of the naans rather than to the dough, but you can always add them at this stage too if you prefer.
  4. Lightly whisk to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the flour.
  5. Next add 1 tbsp of melted butter....
  6. followed by 8 tbsp of natural yoghurt and mix with your hands, do not add any water at this point.
  7. Once you can feel the yoghurt and butter have been absorbed, slowly start to add water, 50ml at a time.
  8. Keep mixing the ingredients and adding water slowly until you begin to see it all come together to form a ball of dough.
  9. I used approximately 190ml on this occasion but this will vary between 180 - 200ml depending on how runny your yoghurt/butter is, so add slowly and stop when you see the dough has formed.
  10. Place the formed ball of dough onto your counter and knead thoroughly for 5 minutes by hand.
  11. If you find the dough sticks to the counter, lightly dust with a little flour.
  12. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, oil the mixing bowl....
  13. and place the dough inside, coat thoroughly and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
  14. The dough will not rise but it is important to let it rest as this helps the structure of the naans and will make them less chewy and more fluffy.
  15. Next prepare the coriander garlic butter spread; you can always opt to spread plain melted butter over your naans or leave them plain. Finely chop some fresh coriander and peel 2 cloves of garlic.
  16. Using the side of your knife, crush the cloves of garlic and then use the tip to mash it further till it looks like a paste (top left and right photo).
  17. Add the crushed garlic to the remaining 1 tbsp of melted butter along with the chopped coriander. Mix and leave to one side till needed.
  18. Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into smaller pieces.
  19. I divided the dough into 8 pieces using my dough scraper, this makes 8 large naans. If you want smaller naans you can divide the dough into 10 or 12 pieces.
  20. Once divided, roll the smaller pieces into round balls, leave covered in the bowl with a tea towel whilst you roll them out and cook them.
  21. Flour your work surface and roll the dough ball out using a rolling pin. Shape the naans in a round, oval or tear drop shape, it's entirely your choice.
  22. I use a diagonal motion to shape them into ovals, this helps to elongate the naan and widen them at the same time. Turn over and repeat the same process.
  23. You may also roll from top to bottom and side to side, there is no right or wrong way.
  24. Heat a flat pan to cook your naans on, make sure it is HOT before adding the naan, there is no need to apply any fat to the pan.
  25. Place the naan onto the hot paan and cook over a medium high flame till you can see the naan begins to puff up.
  26. Once the underside is cooked, turn and repeat the process.
  27. Remove the cooked naan from the pan and apply a little melted butter over the top using a spoon, so that you don't leave the garlic at the bottom (this is what happens if you use a brush).
  28. Sprinkle more coriander over the top of the naan if you should wish to do so. Leave covered with a cloth while you cook the rest of the naans.
  29. To add seeds to the tops of the naans, whisk together 1 egg with 1 tbsp of milk.
  30. Using a brush apply this egg wash to your naan and sprinkle your chosen seeds over the top. Alternatively add your chosen seeds on the top of your naan and roll using a rolling pin to push the seeds into the naan.
  31. Cook through as before.
  32. Serve your naans with a delicious curry such as my Butter Chicken, or why not use the naans as the base of a pizza? Add your favourite tomato sauce and some toppings for a delicious pizza!
Recipe by www.afeliaskitchen.com at https://www.afeliaskitchen.com/naan-bread/