Category: Naan

Making Naan

You know what I really love about flatbreads? They’re great low-investment laboratories for testing out dough formulations. A little more water here, a little more fat there, and suddenly you’re creating your dream…naan in this case. But the fun doesn’t stop with the formulae. You can bake flatbreads all sorts of ways: in the oven, on the stove, on the grill…you name it. So don’t take what I’ve done here as the definitive naan method. Try your own. I’ve just done what I happen to like. Use this tutorial as a starting point for further improvisations. Start by assembling your ingredients.

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Naan Recipe

Naan present some of the same challenges pizzas do: how to cook both the top and bottom to charred deliciousness in a home oven? It’s a bit of a dilemma given that both types of flat bread are traditionally baked in extremely hot wood or coal ovens (a tandoor in the case of naan, a wood oven in the case of pizza). This technique, that combines a hot oven with the broiler, is my preferred solution. Alternately you can grill naan or fry them in a cast iron skillet, both popular techniques. You’ll need:

11 ounces (2 cups plus two tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
a generous pinch of baking powder
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup) milk (room temperature)
4 ounces (1/2 cup) yogurt (room temperature)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) olive oil
More oil and coarse salt for a topping

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