"Nothin' to it" Naan
I still can't believe how easy these are to make!
For years I avoided making naan from scratch. It was one of the recipes we never got to in my Bread Class in culinary school, so I assumed it was because it was too time consuming. Now I realize it was because it was sooo easy and it didn't require any special training.
Going forward, I won't dream of buying frozen naan from the store, and will always have an option in my freezer to make naan pizzas or to replace any stale bread sent when I order Indian food here in Seattle! (Yes, it happens.)
SPOONIE TIP!!!! Make Ahead: These freeze beautifully! When you want to eat one, heat your oven to 350 degrees and heat the naan directly on the rack until warm.
"Nothin' to it" Naan
Makes 6-8 depending on size you choose
𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
2 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp instant yeast
3/4 tsp salt (don't place it on top of the yeast when measuring)*
2 teaspoons sugar (to get the yeast going, it won't make the naan sweet.)
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt (I used non-fat)
1/4 cup +2 tablespoons whole milk, heated to 120 degrees (or the temp your yeast calls for)**
2 tablespoons +1 tsp (divided) neutral oil (I used coconut but vegetable is fine)
2-3 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or minced VERY fine
2 tsps nigella seeds (Optional, don't fret if you don't have them.)
Chef's Notes:
*When measuring out your ingredients into the large bowl, don't place the salt on top of the yeast. It will kill the yeast making your recipe not work. Just put it on opposite sides of the bowl until you whisk it all together.
**On your yeast packet or bottle it'll tell you what temperature they reccomend for your liquid. Heating the milk helps the yeast to "wake up" and start doing its thang!
𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝:
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Whisk together.
Add to the flour mixture the yogurt, 2 tbsps oil, garlic, and milk. Use a spatula to bring it together.
Then knead the dough for 3-5 minutes by hand in the bowl, folding it on itself, pushing it out, then foilding it on itself again. If your dough is too wet, sprinkle a teaspoon of AP flour at a time, mixing it in until the dough is smooth and tacky, NOT sticky.
Add the 1 tsp oil to the bowl and roll the dough around in it so its coated. Cover with plastic and allow to rise to double, 90 minute to 2 hours.
Once its risen, reserve the plastic you used to cover the bowl, and on a silipat or clean counter, divide the dough into however many pieces you decide. I divided mine into 8 and used my kitchen scale to get them exact. You don't have to be that exact, its just a habit for me.
Roll each portion into a smooth ball. and cover them all with the plastic you reserved.
Heat your non-stick pan (I use my crepe pan) over med heat. Then roll 2 at a time, to 1/4-1/2" thick. Sprinkle on your nigella seeds if you are using them, and roll gently one more time to press them into the dough.
When your pan is ready, lay your first rolled naan down, nigella seed side up, and wait for the big bubbles to pop up. Using tongs, flip it until brown on the other side. Move to a cooling rack.
Repeat until you've rolled and cooked all your naan.
SPOONIE TIP!!!!
Make Ahead: These freeze beautifully! When you want to eat one, heat your oven to 350 degrees and heat the naan directly on the rack until warm.
Roughly adapted from Swasthi's recipes
