Simply Naan Bread

The naan bread was brought from Iran and Afghanistan in India under the aegis of Monghols Princes who ruled there for more than 3 centuries. 

The contribution of  the Monghols people to  the Indian art,  to the architecture ( The Taj Mahal is a contribution of a Monghol  Prince) and kitchen is considerable. There were numerous overlaps between the two cultures that gave a refined and original art.

To return to the naan bread, it is a leavened bread originally baked against the walls of an oven called the Tandoor . 

Has to adapt to modern life, naan can be cooked in an electric oven or stove and gives satisfactory results. 
This bread accompanies savory dishes as curries and more. 

While in the West we love Cheese Naan , it is for its part not cooked in India.

The Naan bread is very popular in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. We find variations in Turkey (Lavash Bread) and Armenia.

The secret of making naan bread lies in the moisture provided to the dough through the yogurt and water. 
It is also in the kneading of the dough in order to have a soft paste.

There is a multitude of naan bread recipes. 
I offer here my version. It gives a soft and light bread.

For 7 or 8 Naan breads:

Ingredients:

• 250 gr all purpose flour or Indian flour Maïda
• 3 Tbsp of plain yoghurt
• 1 egg
• About 1 cup and 1/2 cups water (depending on flour)
• A tablespoon of oil for the dough
• A little oil to brush the dough
• Ghee (clarified butter) or salted butter
• Nigella seeds (optional)
• 7g active yeast
• 2 grams of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• A teaspoon of sugar

Notes: 

It takes about 1h and 30 min to the total preparation. The best thing is to have a pizza stone when baked naan in oven. But it also works with a baking sheet.

Method:

Dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and let stand 5 minutes.

In a small bowl beat the egg, set aside. Whisk the yogurt to make it smooth.

In the food processor, pour the beaten egg, yogurt, tablespoon oil, salt and sugar and mix.

Mix the flour and baking powder.

Add the flour,  the yeast and start adding water step by step. 
Blend well. You must have a sticky but not liquid paste. (You might not need all the water, it’s depend on your flour) Add a little water if necessary and mix at least 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a wide bowl, pour in the batter. 

Place a plastic wrap loosely directly on the dough. This Prevents the dough from drying out

Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm dry place for at least 1 hour. 
The dough should double in volume.

After this time, knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes. Form 7 or 8 equal lumps (not too small), cover again with the plastic wrap and let stand 15 to 20 minutes in a warm and a dry place.

Preheat the oven to maximum (I used my mini pizza oven it goes up to 360 ° C or 680°F).

Flour a board and your rolling pin.

Take a lump and dust lightly with flour (use flour lying on the board) and gently flatten each lump until it's no more than 1/2 cm thick. 

You can add nigella seeds and lightly press the dough with the rolling pin.

Place the bread on the pizza stone or baking sheet. 
The oven must be very hot.
Breads cook quickly, less than 4 minutes. So you should watch them carefully.

You can bake 4 breads at the same time.

Place the breads on a plate and lightly brush with salted better or ghee.


Kitchen Tips: 

In the winter I let the dough rise in my  5 min preheated vacuum microwave .



Try this recipe you will be delighted to make your naans yourself!

I'll be glad to get your comments about this recipe.

See you soon