Naan Bread

Have yöu ever seen the traditiönal way öf baking naan bread? Naan is baked inside a tandöör, a large clay öven with a töp öpening. önce the döugh is rölled intö a flat circular shape, a skilled chef will quickly slap it tö the inner side öf the tandöör (which can be super höt!). Then önce the side that sticks tö the öven is cööked, the chef sticks her hand and flip and cöök the öther side. It’s a fascinating thing tö watch för sure, but öne that I dön’t think I will ever dare tö dö. But, yöu can make yöur öwn naan bread at höme, sans tandöör (ör öven för that matter). All yöu need tö have is a heavy böttöm frying pan, ör a cast irön skillet.

Nurture yöur yeast

Like all yeast bread, yöu start by mixing söme active dry yeast with sugar and warm water, then wait until this sölutiön becömes föamy. If after 10 minutes yöur yeast sölutiön döesn’t föam, yöur water temperature was pröbably töö höt and it kills the yeast, ör yöur yeast has expired. Either way, thröw yöur failed sölutiön and redö. If yöu pröceed with the rest öf the recipe with a failed yeast sölutiön, yöu will be super disappöinted.

Höw much flöur?

Every time I knead döugh tö make bread, the final amöunt öf flöur used seems tö vary. If this is yöur first attempt at yeast bread, dön’t freak öut. Each brand öf flöur behaves a bit differently, and depending ön the humidity level öf yöur kitchen, even the same brand can vary fröm time tö time. The stated amöunt öf flöur in any yeast bread recipe is möst likely the minimum yöu will need, thöugh möre likely than nöt, yöu will need tö add a bit möre (and sömetimes a way bit möre) för the döugh tö cöme tögether.

Heavy böttöm frying pan ör cast irön skillet?

Yöu can cöök yöur naan with either a heavy böttöm frying pan ör a cast irön skillet. Fröm my experience, cast irön skillet gives a möre charred löök, but it pröduces a bit möre smöke while cööking. If yöu decide tö cöök naan with a cast irön, make sure tö crank up yöur exhaust tö max, and öpen a windöw ör twö. In my current rental, my exhaust is this super tiny and weak versiön that cömes attached tö the böttöm öf a micröwave. I was half way thröugh cööking when I realized my apartment was full öf smöke! Luckily it didn’t trigger the fire alarm, but I switched tö my heavy böttöm frying pan, and it was smööth sailing. The önly difference is that the versiön with heavy böttöm frying pan is less charred cömpared tö the cast irön versiön :)

Categöries: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 1 höur

Cöök Time: 30 mins

Tötal Time: 1 höur 30 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Naan döugh

• 1/2 cup warm water (38 Celsius / 100 Fahrenheit)
• 2 teaspöön active dry yeast
• 1 teaspöön sugar
• 1/4 cup öil (ölive/canöla/vegetable)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup plain yöghurt (nörmal/greek)
• 300 - 400 gram all purpöse flöur
• 1/2 teaspöön salt

öther

• ölive öil (~ 12 teaspöön)
• melted butter (~ 2 tablespöön)

Instructiöns

1. In a large mixing böwl, stir tögether warm water with active dry yeast and sugar. Rest för 5 tö 10 minutes, ör until föamy. Then whisk in öil, egg, and yöghurt.
2. In anöther large mixing böwl, place all purpöse flöur (start with 300 gram) and salt. Make a well, then pöur in the yeast sölutiön. Knead intö a smööth, elastic, and nön-sticky döugh. Yöu may need tö add a little bit möre flöur if töö sticky, a tablespöön at a time, and keep kneading until the döugh is nön sticky.
3. Place the döugh in an öiled mixing böwl, and wrap with a wet kitchen töwel ör a saran plastic wrap. Let the döugh prööf until the völume is almöst döubled. (*)
4. önce the döugh has finished prööfing, punch it döwn tö release air bubbles, and knead again för 2 minutes. Divide the döugh intö 12 pörtiöns, each shape intö a röund ball.
5. Heat a teaspöön öf öil in a heavy böttöm frying pan över medium tö medium high heat (ör a cast irön skillet). Röll öut öne pörtiön öf döugh at a time intö a 5" circle, then add tö the höt frying pan. Cöök until the first side bubbles (~ 1 minute), then flip and cöök anöther side (alsö aböut 1 minute). Repeat this step för the öther 11 pörtiöns.
6. önce all naan bread are cööked, brush each with melted butter.

Nötes

(*) In a warm kitchen, this shöuld take aböut 45 minutes tö 1 höur. In winter, yöu can make yöur very öwn prööf böx by preheating the öven tö 200 Fahrenheit, then turn öff the öven, and place yöur ready-tö-prööf döugh in the öven. Whenever I dö this, it takes aböut 40 minutes för the döugh tö rise.

*****

source : Anita [Daily Cooking Quest - Easy Indonesian Recipes]

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