The truth is, however good the dough turns out to be, it needs to be baked in a tandoor to get the authentic taste. If its baked in the oven, it doesn’t only become a little dry due to its longer baking time in the oven temperatures, which of course, can't go as high as the temperatures in the tandoor.
I have read about people baking them on a non stick pan too, but I haven’t given it a try yet. I plan to do that soon though.
But none the less, this is one of my most favourite Indian breads and a very quick recipe too! Perfect bread to dip in some amazing curries.
Definitely a must try.
INGREDIENTS Water, warm Castor Sugar Yeast Whole Wheat Flour* Maida Salt Ghee Yogurt, sour Butter / Onion Seeds (kalonji) / Sesame seeds/ Chopped garlic and Coriander Leaves | AMOUNT 80 ml 1 tsp 1 tsp 100 gms 25 gms pinch 1 tbsp 1 tbsp For garnish | RISING 45 Mins - 1 Hour COOKING 3-4 minutes / each side YIELD 3 breads |
RECIPE
In warm water, mix the sugar and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes till it becomes frothy.
In a bowl, mix the flours, salt, yogurt and ghee. To this add the yeast water and pull the flour together to form a ball.
On a ligtly floured surface knead the dough well for 5 minutes. Do not over knead the dough as this would make the naans chewy.
Put the kneaded dough ball in a bowl, cover with cling foil, set aside in a warm place and allow to rise for 45 minutes - 1 hour** or till it has doubled.
Preheat the oven to the highest temperature.*** Leave the rack on which you plan to place the naans in the oven itself.
Deflate the dough and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Lightly flour the surface and roll out the dough balls into an oval shape.
Garnish the naans with whichever toppings you like ; Onion seeds, chopped garlic and coriander leaves, sesame seeds, finely chopped onions, grated cheese or any other toppings of your choice.
Remove the oven rack/tray, place the naans on it leaving enough distance in between, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
As soon as you remove the naan out of the oven rub some butter on it to keep it moist.
*I have used 3/4th Wheat Flour and 1/5th Maida. But the original recipe had 100% maida.
**You can also place the bowl into the refrigerator for an overnight cold prove. If you are doing so, remember to allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding onto the next step.
***Naans are normally made in a tandoor which has very high temperatures, hence it takes the naan hardly 2-3 minutes to cook completely. To get any closer results of a tandoor naan, the oven needs to be on the highest temperature.