Topic: CA's Naan Bread (Illustrated!)

[Cory Ander]

Have you tried them just on the pizza stone in a super-hot oven?

I found I didn't get anywhere near as good results with the grill heating from above. In fact, I broke my last pizza stone with the heat from the grill doing that!

Hi Josh,

Yes, I've tried them on a pizza stone in a hot oven (but mine only has a maximum set temperature of 260C).  I find that they take too long to cook, lose their suppleness, and become hard and crunchy.

So I heat the oven to max (maybe first heating in the oven prevents the pizza stone from cracking), then change to the grill.  Then (having cooked one side of the naan on a tava....it slides easily onto the pizza stone then) I cook the naan on the pizza stone, placed about 1/3rd of the way down from the elements (the naans cook too quickly and burn too readily if they are closer). 

Seems to work pretty well.

Incidentally, I can't notice any difference to the "bubbliness" of the naans if I add baking powder to the mix.  What I can say is that it does seem to harden the naans.  So I don't use it.

I can also say that adding the yoghurt improves (to me anyway) the flavour significantly.

[joshallen2k]

I think the temperature is the key. My oven gets about 100 degrees hotter. The naans cook in about 75 seconds, perfect top and bottom.

As for yoghurt, yes I do add some - when I have some in the fridge that is. Is does add to the flavour indeed.

I will try without the baking powder. Don't think I've done it without.

Thanks CA.

[nai]

Perfecto!! I made some this afternoon (halfed the ingredients, except the egg, added garlic and coriander)  and they were delicious. The kids wolfed them down in no time. I wrapped them in some tin foil for a few minutes after cooking.

Thanks very much, Cory - these will do me just fiiine!! 

[George]

photos:
Photo 14:  Cooked naans ready to eat!

I know I'm over 3 years late in noticing your photo of the naan bread you made (post #5) but they look as flat as a pancake. Perhaps it's just the photo. Are they really that much thinner than typical BIR naans as served in the UK?

[Cory Ander]

Perfecto!! I made some this afternoon (halfed the ingredients, except the egg, added garlic and coriander)  and they were delicious.

Glad they were to your and your kids' liking Nai 

[Cory Ander]

they look as flat as a pancake

I originally used only a tava to cook them George and they would sometimes be a little flat because the "bubbles" would "burst" upon flipping them over.

I now partly cook one side on a tava and then transfer them to a pizza stone in a really hot oven or really hot grill (an oven is better...if you can get it hot enough...because a grill can crack the pizza stone).  The "bubbles" don't "burst" this way and they are generally far more fluffy.

See more recent photo in this thread (post 58) here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1448.msg29869#msg29869



PS:  An interesting observation from someone who recently said "As for photos....It proves nothing" 

[nai]

Yep, I noticed that the bubbles burst upon flipping on the tava, but it didn't take from the flavour, imo. Actually, I only tasted a very small portion...the kids didn't give me chance I'll try the grill technique tomorrow.

[Mikka1]

This one looks absolutely gorgeous CA. I don't have a tawa but your instructions make sense and the idea of swapping it over before going into the fire are a great idea since I like you was as depressed as the bubbles themselves when it all got squashed.

Nice one.  ;D

[Cory Ander]

I'll try the grill technique tomorrow.

Hi Nai,

If you're going to use a pizza stone, it's probably best to first try it in a really hot oven (i.e. heat the oven, on full power, for about an hour, beforehand), rather than under a grill.  The grill may (will probably) crack the pizza stone.

[Willyeckerslike]

That photo looks good, I will attemt these soon.  I tried to do UB vesion a while ago but failed miserably.  Time for another go at naan breads.  Unfortunately my pizza stone has cracked & I only used it in the oven for pizzas (quite a bit of chhese overflowed onto it ,maybe this caused it) I think the leson with pizza topping is less is more.  I also have no Tava, will a frying pan do? or best to grill on a baking tray?  I may buy another Pizza stone if its recommended for naan,  but pizzas seem ok on my cheap pizza tray.

Will