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Naan Recipe – Soft & Tender

10 mins Cook
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Naan nomnomwow

Such a lot of naan recipes are not anything extra than a simple flatbread recipe. but this one? Fluffy, bubbly and CHEWY, just like you get at Indian restaurants. It’s so remarkable, you’d swear it’s just been pulled from a tandoor!

Bonus: It’s mind-bogglingly easy. yes, absolutely!

Naan Recipe

Truly fluffy, chewy, bubbly naan has eluded me for years. every other recipe I attempted – and believe me, I’ve tried so many I’ve misplaced count number – are just basic flatbread recipes with out a actual crumb integrity and simply not one of the signature elasticity that actual eating place naan has.

As for the versions made without yeast? overlook it. They had been extra like pancakes.

Fact: you can’t make naan that bubbles up like THIS with out the use of yeast!!

It’s difficult to capture how chewy and fluffy this naan bread is in a photo – so allow me strive to expose you instead with a few stay action:

Yes. And the maximum wonderful issue? Naan dough is so smooth to make. there may be no kneading worried. honestly. there is nothing tricky approximately it at all!

No Tandoor Needed

Here’s what you need to make the puffiest, fluffiest, bubbliest naan of your life. No fiercely hot tandoor required (unless that’s how you roll

How to make Naan

Flour – Bread flour produces a barely fluffier, softer naan than the use of plain/all-reason flour. however the difference is surely quite marginal, so I’m not going to endorse it as strongly as I do in different recipes where using bread flour really makes a difference (eg. like in our favourite Crusty Artisan Bread).

So in short, use bread flour when you have it. however in case you don’t, I wouldn’t make a unique journey to the supermarket because this naan is super made with all-reason/simple flour too;

Yeast – immediately / speedy-upward push yeast is referred to as for right here. The recipe additionally works with preferred energetic / dry yeast, however we’ve found the naan is slightly fluffier and softer the use of immediately yeast.

strangely, we dissolve the instantaneous yeast in warm water then leave it to come to be foamy – a step normally bypassed with instantaneous yeast, that is typically blended instantly into dough. however, for this recipe, we found that the naan is fluffier if dissolved in warm water first. sure, we’ve made a lot of naan in recent weeks!!!

Ghee or butter – Ghee is basically the same element as clarified butter. this is simply ordinary butter but with milk solids and water removed, leaving behind pure butter fats. Ghee has a more intense butter flavour than normal butter, with the added bonus that in contrast to butter, it doesn’t burn even on high heat.

you can both make your personal Ghee (it’s inexpensive, virtually easy and maintains for months), buy it, or just use everyday butter;

Egg, milk, white sugar, salt – All fairly trendy bread inclusions. i take advantage of cow’s milk, but given the small quantity used in this recipe, I see no purpose why non-dairy alternatives wouldn’t paintings.

No yoghurt?” i was an propose of yoghurt in naan bread, believing it to be the “secret ingredient” that made naan special from “simply some other flatbread”.

But honestly, yogurt weighs the naan down and makes it a chunk gummier interior. brought yoghurt isn’t any task for the nuclear-level 480°C heat of a tandoor … however in a home kitchen, the naan is higher without yogurt. It’s simply fluffier!

Bloom the Yeast

First step: Let’s get the yeast activated and ready to work its magic on our naan dough.

  • Mix instant yeast with warm water and sugar – This is not a typical step you see in bread-making when using instant yeast. Usually the whole point of instant yeast is that you can add it straight into dough without mixing with warm water and letting it foam first.But, for naan, we found that blooming instant yeast in a warm water and sugar mixture (ie. letting it sit until it goes foamy) makes the naan fluffier and softer. It’s also an excellent safety test to ensure your yeast is still alive – nothing worse than discovering your yeast is dead once your bread is in the oven! ;;
  • Leave until foamy – Leave the mixture for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy, which means the yeast is alive and kicking. The HOT water “wakes up” the yeast and the sugar helps too because yeast “eats” sugar to do its thing;

Make Naan Dough

  • Mix dry and wet ingredients – In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt), then add the foamy yeast, butter / ghee, and the milk + eggs;
  • Mix – Start by mixing with a firm rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to bring the dough together. We use spoons for no reason other than saving a sticky mess on your hands!

Bring Together Into Ball

  • Bring together by hand – Once the mixture is too stiff to practically mix with a spatula, switch to hands. You don’t need to knead the dough, just mix it with your hands to bring it together into a cohesive dough;
  • The dough – Once the dough comes together, it should be sticky and soft enough to easily come together into a ball. But it should not be so sticky that the dough sticks to your hands – see picture above for right texture. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle over a little flour and work that in;

Rise Dough 1 to 1.5 Hours – Let It Double in Size

  • Proof dough – Once the butter / ghee is incorporated, shape dough into a ball. Cover with cling-wrap then put the bowl somewhere warm to let it proof – about 1 – 1.5 hours, until it has doubled in volume;
  • Doubled in volume – The dough pictured above is after proofing for 1 1/2 hours. It has actually more than doubled because it was a very (no really, a very!) hot day. It’s ok if it more than doubles – mine is probably closer to triple. But if the dough rises way too much (as in even more than triple), then the yeast can run out of oomph and not rise properly when cooked. Try to limit proofing to doubling in size!

Divide Into Six Balls

  • Cut into six pieces – Lift the dough out of the bowl on to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6 equal pieces. This makes ~15 – 16 cm / 6 – 6.5″ diameter naans which are a nice individual serving size and comfortably cooked in a skillet;
  • Shape into balls – Make the top surface smooth by tucking the dough surface to the base;

Rise 15 Minutes – Let Increase in Size 50%

  • Rise 15 minutes, 50% increase in size – Place the balls on a lightly floured tray, and cover loosely with a a lightweight tea towel (ie just place it on top, don’t tuck it tightly under the tray). Leave to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes until they increase in size by about 50%. It doesn’t take long;
  • After rising – Photo #12 is what they look like after 15 minutes. Ready to roll out and cook!

Roll Out

  • Flatten on lightly floured surface – Pick up a piece and flat it down lightly on a lightly floured surface;
  • Roll out into  3 – 4mm / 0.12 – 0.16″ thick rounds (about 16cm / 6.5″ wide). The thickness really affects the outcome. Too thin = crispier and not fluffy enough. Too thick and you won’t get the bubbles. We want the best of both worlds, ie. it should bubble up when cooked, be soft and fluffy inside and the naan itself should be floppy, not stiff.  3 – 4mm / 0.12 – 0.16″ thick is the perfect thickness – so pull out that ruler! 

Cook Naan

  • Hot skillet – Heat a well-seasoned* cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Then place the naan in and leave to cook without touching. If you’re like me, you’ll get a kick out of watching the surface blister up and go all bubbly – it’s an extremely satisfying moment!* Well-seasoned skillets: If you maintain your cast iron skillets properly, they should be naturally non-stick and lightly greased!  That’s all you need to make naan. But if it’s not, just pour 1/2 tsp vegetable oil on a paper towel then rub it over the base. Don’t pour the oil in, naan is not meant to be pan fried in oil, it’s “dry”-cooked.I use a Lodge brand cast iron skillet – more on it here (excellent value, and indestructible!).If using another type of skillet, do the same light oil rub. But you should not really be making naan in non-stick coated skillets – the high heat required destroys the non-stick coating!
  • 60 to 90 seconds cooking, then flip – It should only take 60 – 90 seconds for the underside to cook until it’s nicely browned. Then use tongs to turn;

Brush With Ghee

  • After flip, 45 – 60 seconds more – the blistered aspect (photograph #17) will simplest take round 45 seconds to cook. You’re simply looking for a bit charring on the blisters and for the floor of the second side to be cooked.
    purpose for immediate cooking (additionally as not to burn the ghee). The faster it cooks, the closer you get to real naan like that cooked inside the fierce warmness of a tandoor, and the fluffier your naan might be!
    The slower it chefs, then again, the less fluffy the naan could be. 2 to two half minutes general is right. beyond this, the naan will start to dry out interior and you’ll lose the signature texture; and sooner or later
  • Brush with ghee or butter (optionally additionally garlic – however yes you truly ought to!) –- put off naan from the stove, then brush with melted ghee or butter at the same time as it’s nonetheless warm. Garlic is an non-compulsory greater, however it’s so suitable!
    For an actual of completion, add a sprinkle of nigella seeds for a

Cheese Naan recipe!

I’m going to be sincere, I’ve no idea whether or not you can even discover Cheese Naan in India (please chime in, within the feedback!). but it’s a firm favored around my neck of the wooden. certainly this Cheese-loving Carb Monster considers Cheese Naan one of the excellent achievements of cutting-edge mankind.

Authentic or no longer, it’s exceptional! (And surely, what is it but the equal of an Indian-style grilled cheese sandwich – yum!?)

How to Make Cheese Naan

In restaurants, cheese naan is commonly made by cooking simple naan first, then reducing a slit and stuffing inside the naan with cheese to melt.

  1. That’s quite tedious and involves burnt fingertip ache I’m but to fall in love with, so I’ve opted for a miles easier method Brush naan first with garlic butter, if desired (because like mentioned, well, why not? Now you have Indian-style cheesy garlic bread! )
  2. Pile cheese in the middle, then bundle it up like a money bag;
  3. Twist the top to seal;
  4. Flip over then roll out;
  5. Cook in a hot skillet just like normal naan;
  6. When you flip, it will puff up dramatically! Don’t get too excited, because it then deflates.  But it looks impressive – even if nobody else saw it!

Here’s what the internal of the cheese naan seems like – if you’re questioning if I used enough cheese Be nonetheless my beating heart … ( pleasure or cholesterol sirens? i will’t pretty distinguish

What to serve with naan

I experience like I’m declaring the plain right here by way of announcing that the most natural, maximum obvious manner to apply naan is to scoop and slop up with Qeema Curried Beef, Palak Paneer, Beef Kofta with Saag Aloo or Madras Curry.

additionally assume uses as a wrap: Stuff them, say, with Grilled Tandoori Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala (use the chicken Tikka a part of Tikka Marsala), along with a few fresh Tomato Salad with Mint Sauce for an entire meal in a wrap.

but then I realised: I’ve been devouring an inordinate amount of naan just as it’s miles. immediately out of the skillet, with and with out butter, cold, heat, reheated – and loving it like it’s miles.

The lesson? Naan this right you could have it each which manner. It’s 100% first-rate. Make it once and that i assure you’ll be addicted for existence!

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Naan Recipe – Soft & Tender

Naan Recipe – Soft & Tender

ramsha
Such a lot of naan recipes are not anything extra than a simple flatbread recipe. but this one? Fluffy, bubbly and CHEWY, just like you get at Indian restaurants. It’s so remarkable, you’d swear it’s just been pulled from a tandoor!
prep time
20 mins
cooking time
10 mins
servings
6
total time
30 mins

Equipment

Ingredients

  • Cups Metric

  • 1 tsp instant / rapid rise yeast (Note 1)

  • 1/2 cup warm tap water (~40°C/105°F in temperature)

  • 1 tbsp white sugar

  • 2 tbsp milk , full fat (low fat ok too)

  • 1 1/2 tbsp whisked egg , at room temp (around 1/2 an egg, Note 2)

  • 1/2 tsp salt , cooking / kosher

  • 1 3/4 cups bread flour , or all-purpose/plain (Note 3)

  • 30g / 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter , melted (Note 4)

  • FINISHES:

  • 30g / 2 tbsp tbsp ghee or butter , melted (Note 4)

  • 1 small garlic clove , for Garlic Butter option (Note 5)

  • Nigella seeds

  • Coriander/cilantro , finely chopped

  • CHEESE NAAN:

  • Shredded cheese (for cheese naan) – Monterey Jack, cheddar, tasty, colby, anything that melts (shred yourself)

Instructions

1

Bloom yeast

Blend yeast with warm water and sugar in a small bowl. cover with dangle wrap, leave for 10 minutes till foamy.
2

Egg and milk

Whisk milk and egg together.
3

Flour

Sift flour and salt right into a separate bowl.
4

Add wet ingredients

Make a well in the flour, add yeast mixture, and butter and egg aggregate. blend collectively with a spatula. as soon as the flour is on the whole included, transfer on your palms and produce it collectively right into a ball. No kneading is needed.
5

Evidence 1

Cover the bowl with dangle-wrap, then go away in a heat vicinity for 1 – 1.5 hrs until it doubles in size.
6

Cut into 6 pieces

Place the dough on a lightly floured floor. reduce into 6 identical pieces, then form into balls into spheres with a smooth floor by means of stretching the surface and tucking it beneath
7

Evidence 2

Place balls on a gently-floured tray or plate. Sprinkle lightly with flour, cover loosely with a lightweight tea towel. put in a heat place to rise for 15 minutes until it will increase in length with the aid of about 50%.
8

Roll out

Place a spherical on a gently-floured paintings floor, flatten with your hand. Roll out into 3 – 4mm / 0.12 – 0.sixteen" thick rounds (about 16cm / 6.five" huge).
9

Heat skillet

Rub a forged iron skillet with a totally light coat of oil the usage of half of tsp oil on a paper towl (except already well pro). Set over excessive heat until you spot wisps of smoke. (be aware 8 for different pans)
10

Cook naan

Place a naan dough inside the skillet and prepare dinner for 1 to 1 half minutes until the bottom is deep golden / slightly charred – the surface ought to get bubbly. flip then prepare dinner the alternative aspect for 1 minute till the bubbles turn out to be deep golden brown.
11

Cook dinner final naan

Get rid of, set apart, and repeat with ultimate naan, taking care to regulate the heat of the skillet so it doesn't get too hot.
12

Completing

Brush freshly cooked naan with melted butter or ghee (or garlic butter, notice five). Sprinkle with nigella seeds and coriander. Serve hot!
13

Cheese Naan

Roll out a naan per above directions. Brush with plain butter or garlic butter. (Note 5) Place a mound of cheese in the middle – about 1/4 cup, lightly-packed. Bundle it up, money bag-style, then twist to seal. Turn upside down so the smooth side is up. Roll out to 6-7mm / 1/4" thick rounds. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet preheated over high heat, but not until the skillet is smoking. Cook naan for around 1 1/2 minutes on the first side until golden – it will puff up! Turn and cook the other side for around 45 seconds.

Notes

Yeast – This recipe works with dry active yeast too, but the naan is not quite as soft. Follow recipe as written, including yeast quantity. Also note, rapid-rise/instant yeast normally does not need to activated in warm water but it’s a very specific step for this recipe because it yields a softer naan than adding the instant yeast directly into the dough. (Yes, we made a LOT of naan to try out all the various combinations to figure out the best one!). 2. Egg – I know this sounds strange, but we need 1/2 a large egg for one batch of this naan! Any more and it dries out the inside too much. Just crack an egg in a bowl, whisk, then measure out 1 1/2 tbsp. OR just make a double batch of this naan so you can use one whole egg! 3. Flour – Bread flour makes the softest, fluffiest naan. But all-purpose/plain flour is very nearly as good. I wouldn’t make a special trip to the supermarket just to get bread flour. But if you’ve got it, use it! 4. Ghee is clarified butter, one of the traditional fats used in Indian cooking. It is simply butter without the water and milk solids, so you have pure butter fat. It has a more intense flavour than butter. Either buy it, make it (it’s easy and keeps for months) or just use normal butter! 5. Garlic butter: Place 2 tbsp/30g salted butter or ghee and 1/2 tsp crushed garlic* in a small bowl. Microwave until butter has melted (do it in bursts so it doesn’t explode!!). Stand for a couple of minutes to let the garlic flavour infuse before using. * Garlic crushed using a garlic crusher or microplane 6. Cheese – Any melting cheese works fine here, though bear in mind if you use mozzarella it doesn’t have much flavour. Monterey Jack is a good option that has flavour and stretches nicely! 7. How to promote dough rising – One of my favourite places to proof dough is in my dryer!!! Draught proof, easy to heat up a small space. Just run it for a couple of minutes, put the bowl in, close the door and leave it. Just don’t turn it on! 8. Cooking pan – If you don’t have a cast iron pan, you can use another type of skillet. Pour 1/2 tsp oil on a paper towel then lightly rub the base. DO NOT use a non-stick pan – the high heat required to properly cook naan will destroy the non-stick coating! Here is the cast iron skillet I use – it’s a Lodge (excellent value, indestructible!) 9. Make ahead naan – A last-minute discovery was that naan is great for making ahead! In fact, the bread flavour improves overnight, which is typical of most breads. Make the dough up to the end of Step 5 – Proof 1. Then after the dough has doubled in size, put the bowl with the dough it in the fridge overnight (I’ve done 24 hours). Do not punch dough down or touch it – just put it in as is. The fridge stops the dough from rising any further. Take the bowl out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before cooking. We need to take the fridge chill out of it completely otherwise the dough won’t rise for Proof #2 (Step 6). Cut into 6 pieces, then proceed with recipe from Step 6 onwards. 10. Nutrition per naan – Excludes extra ghee or butter brushed on top (and certainly excluding the cheese – I have not control over how much you choose to stuff it with!)
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