Naan Bread
Making your own naan breads will raise your curry game to the NEXT LEVEL. These pillowy, soft flatbreads are SO GOOD at mopping up all that delicious sauce. Or, marinate some meat/tofu/paneer, whack it on the grill, and wrap it up in these beauties. You won’t be disappointed.
Makes half a dozen naan breads
What You’ll Need:
320g all purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
100g milk
100g warm water
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tbsp melted ghee/butter/vegetable oil
digital scale
stand mixer and dough hook
heavy bottomed cast iron skillet
What To Do:
in the bowl of your stand mixer add the milk, water, yoghurt, ghee, followed by all the remaining dry ingredients.
using the dough hook attachment, mix on slow speed until incorporated and beginning to ball
mix for 3-4 mins on slow until smooth (it will be sticky)
remove mixer bowl and hook. cover bowl with cling wrap (or eco alternative) and leave in a warm place (78F room temp is good) for 1 hour until doubled in size
lightly flour the surface of the dough and knock back (use your hand to push down on the dough thus knocking the air out)
mix on slow speed for further 3-4 mins. if the dough is too sticky to touch at this stage, add a few more tablespoons of flour and mix for 1 min more
lightly dust your counter with flour. remove the dough from the bowl and dust top with flour
divide the dough into 6 equally sized portions - 90g each if you’re using a scale
roll each piece gently between your palms to create a ball and cover with a clean dish cloth
leave to rest for 10 minutes (relaxing the dough at this stage makes it easier to roll out)
in the meantime, put your cast iron skillet on the stovetop to heat up - medium heat
now you’re ready to bake. take a ball and flatten on the counter using the palm of your hand. then roll it out with a rolling pin until you’ve got a rough circle/tear drop shape (a little bigger than the diameter of your hand - fingers stretched and no bigger than the length of your skillet) use flour to prevent the dough sticking to hands or counter
peel off the counter and shake off excess flour. pop in the hot skillet (no oil required). after about 60 seconds you will begin to see the dough dimple on top and puff a little - this is a good sign. flip the naan over and cook for a further 60 seconds or so. You should have some nice dark, leopard-like spots - the signature spots of this flatbread
remove the naan bread from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel until you’re ready to serve. shape and repeat with the remaining dough balls
brush each naan with a little melted ghee when ready to serve (add some garlic, or desiccated coconut - oh boy, you’re ready to party)
if not serving right away, pop the cooked naans in a ziplock bag and leave on counter for up to 24 hours. or, pop them in the freezer - they will freeze well for weeks. warm slightly on a hot grill or toaster oven to refresh
