Topic: Josh's Restaurant Naan Bread

[joshallen2k]

I posted a few days ago that I had finally succeeded in making restaurant naans without a tandoor. I made them again a couple of times since then to prove it was no accident.

Thanks to Unclebuck (who I blatantly plagiarized much of the core ingredients from) and JerryM (who suggested the quick-rise yeast).

OK here goes: Josh's Restaurant Naan Bread

REQUIRED TOOLS:

- a Quality pizza stone (must have)
- good oven that can get really hot (mine goes to 600F/315C)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup plain flour
1 cup self rising flour
0.5 Tsp of "Quick Rise" yeast (do not use regular yeast)
1 Tsp kalonji seeds
1 egg
0.5 Tsp salt
0.5 Tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter ghee (homemade is a must, do not use jarred)
225ml warm water
1 cup milk
Additional butter ghee for brushing

METHOD

1. Sieve flours, add yeast, baking powder, salt, sugar, kalonji and mix in bowl

2. Whisk egg, milk, ghee.

3. Add warm water to flour mix and hand mix for about 15 seconds

4. Slowly add egg, milk, oil mixture, little at a time. You will probably need to add only half of the mix. Do this step quickly after adding the water, or the mix will be lumpy.

5. Mix and knead with your hands until the dough is smooth, and no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl. This takes about 5 minutes.

6. With your hands, rub ghee on the dough ball. Cover dough with a damp towel, and rest for 2 to 3 hours (room temp) it will double in size.

7. After 2-3 hours, punch down the dough and split into 4 balls. Knead and roll the divided dough into 4 balls. Cover again with damp towel and rest for 30 minutes until you are ready to cook.

** Put the pizza stone on the middle rack and pre-heat the oven to MAX temperature **

8. Rub some ghee onto your hands and place one dough ball on a side board (rub with ghee so it doesn't stick to the side board). Add garlic, coriander at this point (optional)

9. Press dough flat on the sideboard, and push and stretch until dough has stretched to thickness of 1 - 3 mm, and it is about a foot in diameter. Sprinkle top side with a tiny amount of water (this will help blisters to form)

10. Open the oven and pull out the rack with the stone on it. Quickly peel the dough off the sideboard (should come off easily if you rubbed it with ghee) and slap onto the pizza stone, with the side that you sprinkled with water down. Immediately close the oven.

11. After about 90 seconds, open the oven and check the naan. When brown spots form on the top, it is ready. No need to flip. Remove with a spatula and place on a plate. It should come off the pizza stone very easily. Brush with butter ghee and cover plate with foil.

12. Repeat for the other three naans.

I will post pics next time I make these.

-- Josh

[haldi]

This sounds really good, I look forward to pictures next time.
How long do you have to heat the pizza stone?

[joshallen2k]

Until full temperature at least. I left it in for about 45 minutes.

[joshallen2k]

Here are some pics. Do try this method, you will not be disappointed!

[Cory Ander]

Looking good Josh 

[joshallen2k]

CORRECTION based on the input from Cory Ander.

I took his advice and omitted the 0.5 tsp of baking powder. This method doesn't need it and the result is even better. Softer naan.

Thanks CA!

-- Josh

[RebeccaVT]

I made this tonight and it was wonderful.  I accidentally used corn starch instead of baking powder : but it still turned out great.  I'll definitely make it again.

[joshallen2k]

Hi Rebecca,

Glad it turned out well! Did you use the pizza stone and maximum oven heat?

Oh, and per my last post - delete the baking powder. Its way better without.

-- Josh

[Razor]

Hi Josh,

Just come across this and gotta say, those naans look amazing.  Now, I'm not a lover of naan bread, much preferring chapatti or paratha, however, I do like thin crispy ones, when used as a wrap.

I really want to try these out but I haven't got a pizza stone.  I googled alternatives to pizza stones, and a few things came up.  Terracotta tiles, tavas and one that grabbed my attention from Jamie Oliver, a granite chopping block (which I have)  I'm just a bit nervous though because I don't know if my chopping block has been polished or glazed.  If it has been polished, great, no problem but if it has been glazed, then the glaze will contain lead, which will transfer to the naans at full temp.

I suspect that it has been polished as the underside is dull but would anyone know for sure?

Ray

[JerryM]

Razor,

quarry tiles are good - as thick as you can get - ideally need 25mm or as close to