Naan is a unique and popular flatbread with a chewy texture that has its roots in India. The first documented traces of naan are found in the 1300 AD notes of Amir Kushrau, an Indo-Persian poet. Its name comes from the Persian word for bread. Naan was originally made in two versions at the Imperial Court in Delhi – naan-e-tunuk (light bread) and naan-e-tanuri (baked on the stone walls of a tandoor oven).

It consists of white flour, yeast, eggs, milk, salt, and sugar, baked in a tandoor oven. Its typical tear-drop shape is achieved by the way the dough droops as it cooks on the tandoor walls. Many Indian villages had a communal tandoor, placed in the middle of the village so that all the locals could bake naan.

There are also many varieties of naan, such as kulcha (the flatbread is stuffed with a filling of nuts and raisins, potatoes, or onions) and garlic naan, topped with butter and crushed garlic. Traditionally, naan is served hot from the oven, slightly charred, brushed with ghee – Indian clarified butter, and it is usually consumed as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes.

Naan gets its unique flavor profile from charcoal which is made in tandoor but don’t worry you can get same flavor profile in skillet also. Today we will see two types of dough with yeast and without yeast.

Variations:

• Butter Naan
• Garlic Naan
• Keema Naan
• Paneer Naan
• Peshawari Naan
• Aloo Naan
• Kashmiri Naan
• Chur Chur Naan
• Roghni Naan
• Nawabi Naan
• Naan-e Afghani

Servings: 3 Yield: 6

Ingredient’s [for NO YEAST DOUGH]:

• 250 gm all-purpose flour
• 1 tea spoon baking powder
• ½ tea spoon salt
• 50 gm hung yoghurt (curd)
• 130 ml water
• Butter or oil, to brush

Method:

1. Sieve flour in bowl mix salt and baking powder in it.
2. Add yoghurt into flour and start mixing gently until flour and yoghurt are combined properly.
3. Start adding water into flour and keep needing until it forms a soft dough now knead dough for 5-7 minutes to form gluten in it this will help Naan in stretching.
4. Now cover dough with damp towel and keep it for resting for 30 minutes.
5. Knock back the dough and kneed again for 20 sec make balls of it of 35-40 grams.

Ingredient’s [for YEAST DOUGH]:

• 250 gm all-purpose flour
• 1 tea spoon yeast
• ½ tea spoon salt
• 1 tea spoon honey/sugar
• 160 ml water
• Butter or oil, to brush

Method:

1. Take 10 ml of Luke warm water (28–32 °C.) add in your honey/sugar and yeast let it sit for 15 min to activate yeast.
2. Sieve flour in bowl and add yeste in it, mix it until everything is combined
3. Now Start adding water into flour and keep needing until it forms a soft dough now knead dough for 5-7 minutes to form gluten in it this will help Naan in stretching.
4. Now cover dough with damp towel and keep it for resting for 1hr 30min.
5. Knock back the dough and kneed again for 20sec make balls of it of 35-40 grams.

Method of Cooking:

• As everyone knows Naan should be made in tandoor but not everyone has access to tandoor. So, this method will give you same texture and flavor as made in tandoor.
• After making or rolling the naan apply/brush oil on one side then on other side apply/brush water on other side place water side down in cast-iron skillet (tawa) on medium flame.
• place another cast-iron skillet (tawa) upside down heated at high heat over it. It will take 5 minutes to cook. Serve with your choice of gravy.