Naan
Submitted by staceyers
Yeast-free naan made with eggs, heavy cream, and a mix of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour. Baked then broiled for puffy, golden teardrops in your home oven.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
10 minREADY
3 hrsMost naan recipes lean on yeast and a screaming-hot tandoor, but this version takes a different route. Baking powder and baking soda do the lifting, eggs and heavy cream enrich the dough, and a standard home oven plus a quick broiler finish gets you close enough to the real thing that no one at the table will complain.
The cream is the unsung hero. It tenderizes the dough and adds the slight tang that buttermilk does in other quick breads. The blend of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour gives the right balance of chew and structure without the rough texture of straight wheat.
Knead longer than feels necessary. Ten to fifteen minutes develops the gluten that lets each naan puff dramatically in the oven, and the oil knead-in at the end coats those strands for elasticity. Skimping here gives you flat, cracker-like rounds instead of pillowy bread.
The teardrop shape is not decorative. Pulling one side of the round elongates the gluten unevenly, which is what creates the bubbles and slight char zones that hit just right under the broiler.
Chef Tips
- Pat the rounds with greased hands, not a rolling pin. The fingers leave subtle dimples that catch ghee beautifully after baking.
- Watch the broiler step closely. Naan can go from pale to scorched in under thirty seconds.
- Brush hot naan with melted butter or ghee straight out of the oven. The fat soaks in and keeps them pliable.
Variations
- Press minced garlic and chopped cilantro into the rounds before baking for garlic naan.
- Knead in a tablespoon of nigella seeds for traditional onion-seed naan.
- Stuff each round with paneer or spiced potato before flattening for a heartier kulcha-style bread.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix flours, eggs, cream, salt, baking powder, and soda to make a soft dough (like pizza), and knead 10 to 15 minutes.
Add 2 ounces of oil or melted butter and knead again for 5 to 8 minutes.
Form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size.
When the dough is ready, a finger pressed in the dough will make an impression.
This will take from 1 to 2 hours, depending on temperature and humidity.
Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls.
Dipping your fingers into the bowl of oil or butter, lightly pat each ball to coat with fat.
Cover again with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃).
Wet your palms with oil or butter and pat each ball into a flat circle, making the circle thinner in the center and a tiny bit thicker at the edge.
Pull one side to make the circle into a teardrop shape.
Each nan should be about the size of your hand.
Place the naan on a cookie sheet and brush the tops with oil or butter.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the nan become puffy.
To make them a perfect golden color, place the baked nan under a broiler for a minute or two.
Serve at once.
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