Garlic Naan
Maya Lindqvist Demo- Makes
- 24 naan · about 2.8 kg
- Active
- 35 min
- Total
- 2 h 5 min
You’ll Need stand mixer with paddle and dough hook or large bowl and your hands, cast iron skillet (at least 26 cm) or tawa or tandoor, rolling pin, tongs, pastry brush, aluminium foil, to protect the burner
Method
Naan Dough
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Whisk with in a bowl and set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir and into . Leave for to .
38 °C ± 3 °Cbubbly and frothy on top[object Object]
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Add , and , then the flour mixture and . Mix with the paddle until combined.
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Add a spoonful at a time, only until the dough stops being very sticky. It should still feel a little tacky.
soft and slightly sticky, not dry -
Knead with the dough hook or by hand for to , until smooth. Put it in an oiled bowl.
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Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to rise.
27 °Cmore than doubled in sizeSafe to pause here[object Object]
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Punch the dough down gently. With oiled hands, divide it into 24 equal balls. Cover and rest for to .
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Garlic Butter
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Melt and stir in and . Keep it warm by the stove.
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Shaping and Cooking
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Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
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Rub a ball and the rolling pin with a little . Stretch the dough lengthwise, then widthwise, into an oval about 27 cm (10 ⅔ in) long and 15 cm (6 in) wide. Do not roll it hard like a roti. Wet a fingertip and dot the top with .
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Lay the naan in the hot skillet and cook for to . Brush the top with garlic butter.
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Lift the naan with tongs, flip it and hold it directly over a gas flame for about to , moving it around.
bubbles charred in spotsgolden brown on both sides[object Object]
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Brush with more garlic butter and keep wrapped in a towel while you cook the rest. Serve warm with dal makhani, butter chicken or paneer.
From Maya Lindqvist
Restaurant-style naan without a tandoor: a soft, slightly sticky yeasted dough enriched with milk, yogurt and oil, stretched by hand into long ovals and slapped onto a smoking-hot cast iron pan so it puffs up in bubbles. A few seconds directly over the gas flame gives the charred spots, and the garlic butter goes on twice, once in the pan and again at the end.
Notes
- Heat is everything. The skillet must be properly hot before the first naan goes in, or the bread will not puff.
- Keep the dough soft. It should stay a little sticky; add the extra flour a spoonful at a time and stop as soon as it is manageable. Oil your hands and rolling pin rather than flouring them.
- Cold kitchen? Warm the oven for a few minutes, switch it off and let the dough rise inside.
- No gas flame: after the bubbles form, flip the naan in the skillet and cook the second side until browned, or finish it for a minute under a hot grill (broiler).
- Oven method: heat the oven to 260 C (500 F), bake the rolled naan on a tray for 4 to 5 minutes until golden, brush with garlic butter and, if you like, char briefly under the grill.
- Tandoor: stretch the dough, wet the back, slap it onto the hot wall and pull it out with a hook once puffed and spotted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- These are large, restaurant-size naan; divide the dough into 10 or 12 for smaller ones.
Storage
Best warm. Wrap leftovers in foil and keep 2 days at room temperature, or freeze for a month; reheat wrapped in foil in a hot oven.
Make Ahead
The dough can rise slowly in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour before dividing.
When to Start
Plan backwards from a time
Filed under Bread · South Asia › India · Flatbread · Bread Making · Naan. Tags: #side, #vegetarian.