I make a lot of bread of all different kinds and styles. Naan was one I hadn’t tried until a couple of years ago. The first recipe I tried it called for sprinkling some cornmeal on a pizza stone and baking the bread in a very hot oven. After I cooked a few, the smoke detector went off. Turns out the high heat started burning the cornmeal on the pizza stone. So, the best method I have found is cooking it in a non-stick pan on the stovetop. It takes a little time but is well worth it.
Start by combining the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Don’t add the salt in this stage, sugar feeds yeast and salt kills yeast. It should start frothing fairly quickly if the temperature of the water is just right.
Now add 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix that in. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and mix. If the dough is still sticky, add a couple tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Remove the dough, spray the bowl with cooking spray and put the dough back in the bowl. Cover and set aside until doubled, about 1 hour.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. Punch down the dough and remove onto a lightly floured surface. I form the dough into a log and try to cut into somewhat equal portions.
Roll the dough into balls and place on the parchment lined sheet tray. Spray the top of the dough balls and cover with plastic wrap. Let that sit for about 1/2 hour.
Now get your cooking set up ready. I have oil for brushing the dough, a pan heating up on the stove on medium low, some garlic for sprinkling on, and some foil to put the finished bread in so I can put it in my oven to keep warm while I’m cooking all of them. You are ready to start cooking.
This is the biggest non-stick pan I have, so I can only cook 2 at a time. Brush the bottom of your pan with a little olive oil; this step is not necessary, but it adds a good flavor.
For each ball, pick it up and stretch it with your fingers, kind of like pulling pizza dough. Don’t worry about the unevenness of the dough. Place the dough in the pan and brush to tops with a little olive oil and sprinkle on some granulated garlic if you desire.
Flip after a couple of minutes and cook the other side. It’s ok to flip several times, I do that so I don’t burn my bread.
Watch the color of the dough, you can tell as it changes color if it is cooked.
Each one should take about 5 to 7 minutes to cook all the way through.
I have found that my pan gets hotter as I’m cooking so I have to turn down my burner during the cooking process. I start out with it on the 4 setting and end up finishing on 2 or 2 1/2.
It doesn’t matter what size you want to make your Naan, as this is a great pull off what you want to soak up the sauce or dip into whatever your are eating bread.
Enjoy!
Naan
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Large saute pan
- Sheet tray lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups water 110 115°
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 ¾ cups flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- Olive oil for brushing
- Granulated garlic for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl*, add water, sugar, and yeast. Mix and let stand until frothy (about 20 minutes).
- Mix in 3 cups of flour and salt. Add another ½ cup of flour and mix. If dough is sticky keep adding flour a little at a time until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
- Remove from bowl and spray bowl with non-stick cooking spray and return dough to the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. Punch down dough and form into golf ball size balls (or slightly larger). You may need some flour on your work surface while doing this step. Put the balls on the pan, spray the tops with cooking oil and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for about ½ hour.
- Using a non-stick pan, heat it on the stove top. Don’t turn burner on past about 4 or the dough will cook too fast, burn and be doughy. (I found after the first couple I had to turn down the burner to 2 or 2 1/2.) Depending on the size of your pan, will depend on how many you can cook at a time.
- Brush bottom of pan with a little olive oil. Stretch each ball into an oblong shape and place in the pan, don’t crowd or let them touch. Brush tops with olive oil and sprinkle with a little bit of garlic, if desired. Using a spatula or tongs, flip after a couple minutes. You can keep flipping so they don’t burn. Total cook time will be about 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat until all dough is cooked.
- Enjoy!
Notes
• You can make larger or smaller balls depending on the size of the final piece you want or the size of your pan
• I tried a recipe that cooked them in the oven on a pizza pan using cornmeal so they didn’t stick to the pan, but I set off the smoke alarm because the oven temp has to be at 500° and the cornmeal started burning
• You can set up a foil bowl or a pan in the oven on warm and as you cook them remove them to the oven to keep warm until done and ready to serve
• If made ahead, wrap bread in foil and put in a 350° oven until warm