Although not authentic, we all can’t be expected to have a tandoor blazing in our kitchens at all times, this is the next best thing.
There’s one semi-weird thing with this recipe. It uses brown sugar. The original recipe I had iterated on called for honey, which I did not have, so I just did a swap with brown sugar. It turned out BEAUTIFULLY, so I went with it. Feel free to swap either, but if you want to replicate my recipe, use the brown sugar!
What you need:
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- oil or butter for cooking
- In a bowl or glass measuring jug, add water, sugar and yeast. Leave until foamy or about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, egg and mix. Knead gently until dough comes together. It will be slightly sticky, so don’t panic.
- Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Once ready, transfer to a floured work surface (and have more flour at the ready to use as you go.) Divide dough into 8 (or whatever size naan you’re looking for) and roll into 1/4″ thick rounds. Try to get this as thin as you can. You will definitely need to add additional flour as you roll.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil or butter and place naan dough into pan. (I have the worlds most terribly placed fire alarm, so I had to brush the butter on the naan to prevent it from going off every 10 seconds, just be mindful that butter and oil can smoke/burn easily as you’re doing this) The naan will bubble up and start to look dry, that’s your cue to flip them over and finish cooking the other side. About 1 min per side, but use your judgment.
- Cover cooked naan with a tea-towel to keep warm and tender, and continue cooking until all dough is gone.
Serve with your favourite curry!
This naan freezes incredibly well and can be used for pita type wraps, or even as a makeshift pizza crust! Can easily be reheated either in the same saute pan for a few seconds per side, or a quick 30 second zap in the microwave!
Enjoy!
