Topic: CA's Naan Bread (Illustrated!)

[paulandtoni]

Cory I have just made the dough.

Being a complete kitchen biff there is flour everywhere and I added too much of the fluid. I could have plastered a wall with the gloop I produced. Added more flour and now have something that vaugely resembles your master peice if you squint a bit 

Anyway thank you for the recipie, my wife will appreciate the effort even if it tastes like a bricklayers radio.

[natterjak]

I made this recipe for the first time today, cooking them in the base of a hot non stick frying pan. Sadly they came out flat as a pancake, but the flavour was good. I think the black onion seed is essential to the flavour. Just wish I could find a way to get them to bubble upand rise like BIR naans.

[Les]

NJ,
If you have an old wire rack, (Oven or likewise), And you use gas, Put the rack over one of the burners and cook your naan bread on that, Should go puffy, and brown a treat, But keep an eye (both eye's in fact) on them while cooking, should be fine, Might take a couple of go's to get it to the right heat And keep turning the naan while cooking

HS

[natterjak]

Thanks HS but I'm electric only.  I've just read CA's revised method above so will try grilling them next time 

[gazman1976]

Buy a pizza stone, use that in  your oven - that will work - get 1 from amazon for ?13 quid

[martinvic]

Hey Chris

Have you got a Tava/Tawa (not the non-stick ones)?

I think they work better than non-stick frying pans, as I feel you can get them hotter without worrying about them.
I think the extra heat helps them bubble.
You have to season them like a wok first.

I have an electric hob, and used to do them first on the hob till the naan starts to rise/bubble, then stick the tava, with naan, under the grill to cook/brown the topside.

Just lately though, to save electricity by not having the large ring and grill on full for the time it takes to cook all the naans, I've tried a new and favourable method just using the ring.

When  tava is hot, get the rolled out naan in the palm of your hand and wet the naan (with fingers dipped in a bowl of water).
Then slap the wet side down onto the hot tava, and push it down in a few places with your finger tips. (at this stage you can quickly brush with a little melted butter too)

At this stage I usually lift the tava slightly off the ring and move it around a bit to apply a not such direct heat all around the naan cooking on the tava.

Hopefully the naan will have stuck to the tava, so when it starts to bubble, turn the tava upside down and hold it above the ring, moving it about to, evenly cook the top of the naan.

I then use a metal fish slice to get the naans unstuck from the tava.

Takes a little practice to get the naans to stick and not burn the bottom too much, but works well for me.

Martin

[Cory Ander]

Just wish I could find a way to get them to bubble upand rise like BIR naans.

Hi NJ,

In addition to others' suggestions, you might also want to try the following:

1.  Use all self raising flour instead of a mixture of self raising and plain (this should enable them to rise/bubble more)

2.  Or/and add a little (say 0.5 - 1 tsp) of instant yeast (I'm not so keen on the taste of the yeast, but you might not notice or mind it...and your naans will rise, for sure)

3.  Or/and add a little baking powder (say 1 tsp or so).  I find that baking powder can make the naans go too hard but, if you're careful, this need not necessarily be the case.  If you get it just right, the surface of the naans becomes just a little crunchy with the insides soft (which I like)

My current method, for cooking them, is all follows:

• Place a pizza stone about 4-6 inches below the heating elements of a grill (I have an electric grill)
• Heat the grill at it's maximum setting
• Heat a tava (or heavy skillet or pan) on a medium heat.  I use an aluminium tava and a gas hob.
• Place the naan, on the tava, for around 20-30 secs, until the naan just starts to bubble and the underside just starts to brown (not burn!)
• Transfer the naan to the pizza stone under the grill
• Cook the naan, for around 1-2 minutes, until the naan bubbles and blisters and the surface lightly browns (i.e. not too brown)
• Remove the naan from grill and brush with melted ghee/butter (or whatever...I sometimes add coriander or dried fenugreek leaves too) if you like it that way (this also makes the surface of the naan golden)

I then freeze them in bags. 

To reheat them, I place them under a moderate grill for around 2 minutes.  Not for too long, though, or they will become too hard.  Just right, and the surfaces become nicely crisp with the inside nice and soft.

Hope this helps! 

[natterjak]

Thanks guys - to answer Martin's question I don't have a tava at this stage, if I start to make naans regularly I would consider getting one, but don't want to rush out and buy (another) bit of kitchen equipment which might become a cupboard queen if the initial enthusiasm fades.

I'll try your suggestions and with ref to CA's post it seems there are a few variables I can play with to get them rising correctly.  Just might take a few goes to get it right.  Cheers all 

[curryhell]

Have you got a Tava/Tawa (not the non-stick ones)?

I think they work better than non-stick frying pans, as I feel you can get them hotter without worrying about them.

Doesn't that play havoc with the surface of the tava though?  I have enough probs with my traditional tava when cooking chappatis if i get too carried away with the heat

[Unclebuck]

Thanks guys - to answer Martin's question I don't have a tava at this stage, if I start to make naans regularly I would consider getting one, but don't want to rush out and buy (another) bit of kitchen equipment which might become a cupboard queen if the initial enthusiasm fades.

I'll try your suggestions and with ref to CA's post it seems there are a few variables I can play with to get them rising correctly.  Just might take a few goes to get it right.  Cheers all 

I reckon Ive made more naans then Curry's! and i have done alsorts for that restaurant naan even building a couple of tandoori ovens.. i used to use yeast, yogurt, SR flour and BP all in one recipe    but the secret is keep it simple.
FWIW Ive posted Mick's [cbm] recipe for naan, its by far the best Ive made.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6282.msg62717;topicseen#msg62717

All the best UB.