I had a long long weekend and decided to spend some of it working out how to cook naan bread. My first attempt didn’t turn out too badly and I’m certainly willing to have another go. The tricks so far:
- It is a sticky dough. Use flour on your hands.
- Use a mix of strong flour and plain flour. It makes it a little more stretchy.
- Be prepared to hurt your pan. You need to cook it hot, so use an old pan or make sure you have a real cast iron skillet that can take being super hot.
We found that this went fabulously with our Indian Spiced Lamb Racks
Naan Bread
By Published: April 27, 2015
- Yield: 6 naans (6 Servings)
- Prep: 60 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Ready In: 3 hrs 10 mins
A completely doable naan bread recipe that does not require a tandoor and is worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup strong (baker's) flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- melted butter for brushing
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix the yeast with 3/4 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar and mix. Leave for 10 minutes until it goes nice and frothy.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and remaining sugar to a large glass bowl. You probably should sift it but I'm always too lazy.
- When the yeast mix is frothy, add the yoghurt and olive oil and mix well. Then pour into the flour and mix with a fork.
- When the dough is mostly together start mixing with your hands. Expect it to be sticky and if need be add some more flour. Don't add too much as the final product should still be sticky and smooth.
- Once the dough is together cover and leave in a warm place for 2-3 hours - at least until it has doubled in size.
- Place a cast iron pan (or other sacrificial pan) on a high heat until it smokes. No oil required.
- While the pan is heating, split the dough into six and roll each portion in flour to prevent it sticking.
- Roll out into a tear drop shape that is about 5mm thick. When the dough is in the correct shape, wet your hands and pick up the dough and toss between your hands (be careful that it doesn't fold over and stick together and then lay in the hot pan.
- Cook for about 1 minute and then turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. The dough should bubble and have bits of char on it when you turn.
- Brush the cooked naan with melted butter on both sides and sprinkle with salt. Store under a clean cloth while you cook the remaining breads.
- Eat with your favourite curry or just on its own.