Fresh Indian naan bread

I’ve been promising this recipe for a while, but I needed to make sure it was perfect before sharing with the world. When I started my obsession with Indian food, we were eating it with the packaged naan, which is great, but not that great. There is nothing better than fresh bread and the time it takes to make sure you have chewy, soft naan bread, is 100% worth it.

There are 3 tips I have found that make these naan breads turn out perfectly:

1. Rise time. You need the full rise time to get the airy and chewy texture. If the dough is too dense, your naan will be too.
2. Yogurt. Don’t skimp on the yogurt. I have used 2% greek yogurt and non-fat greek yogurt and they both work well.
3. Thickness. Don’t roll too thin, you’ll get a chewy tortilla. This dough is so easy to roll, it takes no time at all. About 1/8″ – 1/4″ thickness on rolling out, no thinner.

I also love naan with scrambled eggs in the morning. You could also use it as a wrap for a sandwich or gyro. And, if we’re going with obvious, you could just eat them alone – I’m a crazy person for good bread.

Enjoy!

Fresh Indian Naan Bread

Recipe Type: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Sarah Pflugradt

Prep time: 3 hours 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 3 hours 30 mins

Makes: 8 pieces of naan

This soft, chewy bread is perfect for scooping up the sauce of your favorite Indian dishes, or to use as a delicious sandwich wrap.Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water (bathwater temperature)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt, non-fat or 2% works well
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• Optional: Olive oil for brushing

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, add water and yeast and stir to combine
2. Add salt, olive oil, and yogurt and stir
3. Add flour and mix until combined, using your hands if necessary
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 3 hours
5. With floured hands, remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball on a floured surface – adding extra flour if necessary to keep it from sticking
6. Cut dough into 8 even pieces
7. Heat a medium sized cast iron skillet over medium heat
8. Roll out each dough piece on a floured surface until it is 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick – not too thin (you don’t want tortillas) – and don’t worry about the shape – it should be irregularly shaped
9. Add each piece of naan to the hot skillet and wait for the naan to bubble up and get brown on one side – about 1 minute
10. Flip and do the same on the other side – this side may take slightly less time
11. Remove from the pan and repeat
12. Optional step: Brush each piece of hot naan with olive oil for more moisture
13. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator

NotesAdapted from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/naan-indian-oven-baked-flat-bread-recipe-1925574