Naan bread

[james]

We are making Indian for a dinner party this weekend and making naan. Any tips?
James

[jengineer]

no tips but here are some variations

try shooting an email to Musa - he has that Tandori and might have some thoughts

quick search came up with possibilities - I like it when they say crank up your oven to its highest setting
Naan Recipe

this one uses Gas Mark 1
How To Make Naan Bread

this one has the simplest ingredients
Naan - Allrecipes

Punjabi style
Mahanandi » Punjabi Naan

[CanuckJim]

James,

I've made a fair bit of Naan in my oven. Thing is, when your oven is up to pizza heat, they cook really, really quickly, something like 3 minutes. Keep an eye on them, and when they color and start to blister, pull them out. All the recipes are pretty much the same, very simple and straightforward.

Jim

[james]

Hi Jim,
I did it, and used a lot of yogurt in the dough, but they seem to not have that stretchy texture I am looking for. I'm wondering if this is like pizza, where there is some real cooking technique and you need an Indian grandmother and a tandoor oven.

I've done these often before, always have the same problem. I even tried using ghee.

There's always more to learn.
James

[dmun]

Isn't it wierd that Naan recipes often call for both yeast and baking powder? I was brought up to think that yeast breads and quick breads were completely different areas of human activity.

Also, off topic, but how do Indian cooks get the Naan to stick to the side of the tandoor? I would think that as soon as they start to cook they would fall into the fire.

[CanuckJim]

Dmun, James,

Not sure how they keep them on the sides of the oven. Maybe it's mixed wet?

Anyhow, James' problem might stem from European flours, not sure though.

Here's the formula and method I use, and the dough turns out stretchy.

Nann
(Makes 8, doubles well)

Sponge

6.5 ozs AP flour
2.25 ozs whole wheat or whole rye flour
¼ tsp instant dry yeast
6 ozs water

Dough
9.5 ozs AP flour
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
6 ozs plain yogurt

Mix up the sponge, cover, set aside at room temp for 4 or up to 16 hours.

Add the sponge and the rest of the ingredients to a bowl. Mix and knead until smooth. It should be soft and tacky, but not sticky.

Divide into 8 balls (around 3 ¾ ozs each). Rest in the fridge for about an hour.

Stretch each ball into an oval (teardrop if you’re good at it) about ¼ inch thick. Brush or spray one side with a little oil. Put directly on the hearth, oiled side down. After a minute, oil the other sides and flip them over. They will be puffy at this point. You’ll only need another minute, maybe 2, depending on how hot the floor is. They should be golden and puffy.


I suspect it's the AP flour that adds to the strechiness of the dough.

Jim

[james]

Other than my mediocre naan, we had a blast. It was a pretty big dinner party and we had a small team of cooks. We made
Naan
Papodums
Chapatis
Chickpea dahl
Spicy eggplant
Lamb rogan josh (made by an Irishman)
Tandoor chicken (oven roasted)
Chicken tikka masala
Shrimp korma
Raita
Rice
The kids made lasi (jogurt and mango drink)
Rice and coconut milk dessert

We ate too much, stayed up too late, drank too much and had a lot of fun. If you like Indian food, it's a fun dinner party.
James

[gjbingham]

James,
two-and-a-half years later, that still sounds like one great meal! I LOVE Indian food!!!

Great recipe Jim. I'm printing it out and putting it in my cookbook. Thanks!

GJB

[david s]

Have had a lot of success cooking naan in my sandwich press. It's easy and fast, cooking both sides simultaneously.