Naan
India's tandoor flatbread: a yeasted dough pressed onto the hot inside of a clay oven, pulled down by gravity into the iconic teardrop shape.
Overview
A grill-cooked version of the traditional tandoor naan: large, light and slightly sweet, with a chewy crumb and a sesame and onion-seed crust. Yoghurt and a touch of sugar in the dough give it the soft, almost briochey texture that the tandoor's blast of heat usually produces. It's the wrap that should hold a kebab, or sit alongside a Balti on the table.
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 g strong white flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon Aromatic Salt (Two Versions)
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon wild onion seed (kalonji / nigella)
- Lukewarm water (as needed)
To finish
- A little ghee (melted)
Method
Stage 1 - Mix the dough
- Choose a large ceramic or glass bowl and put in all the dough ingredients.
- Add warm water a little at a time, working it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture comes together as a single lump.
Stage 2 - Knead and prove
- Tip the dough onto a floured board and knead until well combined and smooth.
- Return the dough to the bowl and leave in a warm place for a couple of hours to prove.
- Knock the dough back by kneading it down to its original size.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Divide the dough into two equal lumps.
- Shape each lump into a ball, then on a floured work surface roll each ball into a disc about 25 cm in diameter, at least 5 mm thick.
Stage 4 - Grill
- Pre-heat the grill to three-quarters heat.
- Cover the rack with foil and place at the bottom of the grill so the bread has room to expand without burning.
- Place the first naan on the foil and grill, watching the bread closely.
- As soon as the upper side develops brown patches, remove from the grill and turn the bread over.
- Brush the now-uppermost (uncooked) side with a little melted ghee.
- Return to the grill and cook until sizzling, then serve at once.
Notes
- Yoghurt and baking powder: This is a quick-bread shortcut that mimics the tandoor lift without yeast; if you swap in plain water for yoghurt the bread tastes flat.
- Wild onion seed: Kalonji (also called nigella) is the small black seed pressed into traditional naans; cumin or fenugreek seeds are reasonable substitutes.
- Grill, not oven: The grill provides the localised top-heat that mimics the tandoor's wall; baking the naan in a conventional oven gives a flatter, drier loaf.
- Don't roll thin: Naan needs height to puff; rolling under 5 mm produces a cracker rather than a bread.
Variations
Peshwari naan: Knead a mixture of ground almonds, sultanas and desiccated coconut into the dough before proving for a sweet, fruity loaf. Garlic naan: Brush the uncooked side with garlic butter (melted ghee plus a crushed clove) instead of plain ghee before the second grill. Cheese naan: Roll the disc, place a tablespoon of grated mozzarella in the middle, fold the dough over and seal, then re-roll gently before grilling.
Serving
Serve with: Any rich Indian curry; particularly suited to sauces begging to be soaked up, like a korma or rogan josh. Garnish with: An extra brush of melted ghee and a final sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Storage
- Best torn straight off the grill while still warm.
- Cooled naans soften within an hour and turn leathery in two; reheat under a hot grill for 30 seconds a side to revive them.
- Naan freezes reasonably well wrapped tight; defrost and reheat under the grill rather than in a microwave.
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