Naan bread

Naan bread is a pan-cooked bread typical of the Indian tradition with a dough made from flour and yogurt. Here is the original recipe!

Naan bread, or more simply naan, is a leavened bread typical of Indian cuisine. The preparation is quite simple and can easily be made at home with just a few ingredients. What distinguishes naan from other types of Indian bread, such as chapati , is the cooking. In fact, naan bread is usually cooked in the tandoor oven, the same one used for the preparation of the famous tandoori chicken, in the shape of an inverted bell.

We will cook it in a simple non-stick pan so as to recreate its characteristic soft consistency, similar to that of a thick piadina. It goes without saying that the best way to enjoy this Indian bread is together with other typical traditional dishes such as the aforementioned tandori chicken, chicken tikka masala or delicious vegetable curries .

How to make naan bread recipe

1. Place the flour and dry yeast in a bowl and give a quick mix.
2. Form a well in the center and pour in the water , yogurt and salt and start kneading with your hands until everything starts to come together.
3. Finish working the dough on the pastry board in order to obtain a smooth, lump-free dough .
4. Form a ball, transfer it to a covered bowl and then leave to rise in the oven with the light on for at least 3 hours. The dough should triple in volume.
5. After the first leavening, divide the dough into 100 gram loaves, form balls and leave them to rise again, covered with a cloth, for 1 or 2 hours, or in any case until doubled.
6. After the second leavening, roll out each loaf with a rolling pin until it reaches a thickness of approximately 7 mm .
7. Cook the naan in a hot pan for 30-40 seconds per side , turning it a couple of times.
8. Once cooked, place the bread on a plate, buttering or oiling it as desired.

Here is a short video with all the steps to make it. It's really simple and, except for the leavening, takes very little time.

Serve the hot, freshly made naan alongside a delicious chicken tikka masala or the more classic chicken curry .

Variants

Naan bread resemblesGreek pita on one side and roti on the other, another Indian bread cooked on an iron griddle called tava. It is served as an accompaniment to spicy dishes rich in sauces or plain, seasoned with butter or melted ghee .

However, there are stuffed versions that take different names depending on the filling:

• keema naan filled with lamb or mutton
• peshawar and kashmir naan stuffed with peanuts and raisins
• kulcha naan with mashed potatoes, onion and spices
• cheese naan filled with cheese.

Conservation

This bread can be kept for about 1 day out of the fridge, in a cool, dry place and away from heat sources that would dry it. Once cooked you can also portion it and freeze it in the freezer.

Origin and history

The term naan appears to be a derivation of the Turkish (and in turn Persian) language which was originally used to indicate any type of unleavened bread . When we talk about naan bread today, however, we are referring to the Indian recipe cooked in the tandoor oven , the same one used to prepare the chicken of the same name.

However, it is not clear when he was born. The first written trace is contained in a volume by the famous Indian poet and musician Amir Khusrow and dates back to 1300 but in all likelihood it is a recipe present in India since the arrival of yeast from Egypt.

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