No Nonsense Naan

Naan, for those unaware, is a Middle Eastern and Indian flatbread typically served with curries or soups. Generally when we think of naan, we think of blistering hot tandoor ovens and puffy fermented dough. I wanted to try and establish a recipe I could make at home with ingredients that pretty much every household has on hand.

I am quite pleased with my results, though I will come back and adjust this recipe accordingly if I find a more suitable variation. Typically naan is prepared with yogurt and ghee and left to ferment for several hours, though I used whole milk and butter in its place and drastically decreased any fermenting time. Making a more authentic naan recipe will be my next task for comparison’s sake, as I’ve actually never made naan before this attempt.

This dough is ready in surprisingly little time and has a very nice texture and flavor. Leaving the dough purposefully wet and reducing the kneading yields an incohesive gluten structure. This allows for the random blistering and inconsistent bubbles that make this type of bread so desirable. Mostly we’ve been using this as a base for lightly topped pizzas, though it’s equally well suited for flatbread sandwiches, to serve with curries, stews and soups, or simply drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and set out as an appetizer with hummus or raita.

To me, making a bread like this from scratch takes relatively little time. Considering that it will proof in the time it takes you to prepare your curry or dal or whatever, it is certainly a simple addition to any meal. A little fresh touch like homemade naan can turn even leftovers into something special.

Naan

• 1/4 cup warm (105°F – 115°F) water
• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup warm (105°F – 115°F) whole milk
• 3-4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine warm water, yeast and sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve.
2. Melt the butter in the milk and stir to combine with the yeast mixture.
3. Add approximately a cup of flour to the liquid and stir vigorously until well combined.
4. Add the salt and continue to add flour until the dough is manageable with your hands.
5. Knead the dough lightly, incorporating more flour as necessary to achieve a cohesive ball that no longer pulls off onto your hands. It should still be somewhat sticky to the touch.
6. Transfer this to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in an unheated oven with the light on for half an hour. Use this time to prepare your curry of choice!
7. Remove the dough from the oven and preheat to the maximum temperature with two baking sheets inside.
8. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Lightly flour each portion and stretch or roll them out into thin oblong shapes.
9. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place two portions of dough on each.
10. Return them to the oven and bake until the dough has blistered. This will take approximately 8-10 minutes. Check to see that the dough feels firm and airy to the touch, as opposed to spongy and doughy.
11. Brush the naan with melted butter or a flavored oil and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

Makes 4 decent-sized pieces of naan

Notes:

Consider seasoning the naan with complimentary flavors for what you will be serving it with. Kneading in cumin seeds, turmeric or chilies could go very well with a curry. Roasted garlic and oregano would make it an excellent base for pizzas, similar to a flatbread focaccia.

The temperature of the liquids is crucial. Exceeding this temperature may kill your yeast, while failing to achieve it may leave the yeast dormant. If you don’t have a thermometer, this is a fairly warm temperature, comparative to the temperature of a hot tub.

If you do not want the dough to puff up as much, such as when using it as a base for a pizza, “dock” the dough by poking it multiple times with a fork all over its surface. This will allow for the escape of air so that bubbles are less likely to form.