Homemade Naan Bread

Ever since I moved to Kenya,one of my first loves, just after chapati, was naan- the perfect Indian bread. It is warm, soft, and truly the best. I seriously loved it so much, I would seek out Indian restaurants close by just so I could order my favorite, tikka masala, and scoop up the delicious sauce with the naan. Oh & not forgetting the honey & soy chicken wings... so yum!

I used to find any kinds of bread too intimidating to make just because I wasn't patient enough. The first and second attempts may be discouraging but not to worry; with practice you will start to get the hang of it and you will be making the perfect bread. You can check out my other bread recipes; I have my crusty artisan bread & just the regular homemade bread.

This is pretty much a no fail recipe. It takes very little time, and it is so cost efficient. Please do not be intimidated by this recipe – try it, I promise you it’s super easy. These naans are not only delicious for dipping into yummy indian foods, but they are also great for making homemade pizzas, sandwiches (think pita or panini types), wraps... the options are endless!

Prep time: 60 minutes

Cook time: 30-45 minutes

Yield: 8 naan bread

Ingredients

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (optional)

1 large egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil for greasing the skillet

Procedure:

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir quickly to dissolve; set aside for a few minutes. Then stir in oil, yogurt, and the egg until evenly combined.

In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of flour and the salt, stir to combine. Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon.

Turn the ball of dough out onto a floured countertop; knead the ball of dough for about 2 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking (I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total). The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Return the dough into the bowl and cover the dough with a cling film. Let it rise for about 45 minutes, or until about doubled in size.

After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and grease with little vegetable oil. Use a rolling pin to stretch each piece of the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick and 15cm in diameter.

Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook, I grilled straight on the flame, until the underside is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the top surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and garlic.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from rasamalaysia.com