Topic: attempting naan bread for 1st time, recommendations please

[moonster]

Hi all,

i have bought a tawa and i am looking to attempt naan breads for the very first time. There are so many recipes and methods on this forum, i just dont know where to start.
 i would appreciate it if any one can reccommend the one to go with, i dont expect to be making a bir standard naan at home but something close would be good.

thanks in advance

moonster

[Vindaloo-crazy]

Dipurajah's seems to be good. Haven't tried it yet but I'll give it a go. Chuck it on your tava and while it's cooking fry some garlic in ghee, when ready to serve place chopped coriander leaf into ghee and brush it onto the naans.

[Ramirez]

I've only ever tried CA's and they were nice. http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1448.0

Unclebuck's recipe also looks very nice. http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2547.0

[Unclebuck]

Hi moonster,

Dont try my recipe its confusing and not the best ive made by far, feel free to PM me.
All the best UB

[moonster]

hi all,

i was going to try yours first UB, just about to make dough now. even more confused now yours looked to be the best recipe where dips looked too simple. sod it i am going to give yours a try but only to half the recipe . i will let you know how it all gets on tomorrow everning.

thanks all

moony

[JerryM]

moonster,

a couple of things i've adopted as crucial:

1) SR flour needs at least 1hr standing after the liquid has been added and mixed
2) Not all agree but for me the dough needs to be "wet" - it's needs flour sprinkling to enable a part roll out and then switch to the "pat a cake trick" to get it to full size.

for info i use 300ml liquid (100ml milk, 200ml water) per 450g flour. after that you can add whatever you fancy - i use chopped garlic, a little yogurt (4 ice cubes). other additions include egg, salt, sugar even carnation milk.

[moonster]

hi Jerry,

I have put it on hold for tonight. to be honest i dont know which way to go with this. i was about to start the dough then put it in the fridge for 24 hrs, then came across UB version 2 so now dont know which one to try. some recipes have half and half plain and sr, others use yeast some dont,there are so many variants for this type of bread its unreal.
 I prefer my naan to be light with a medium crisp on the outside. if someone can please point me in the right direction of which recipe to use first to achieve anything close to what i am looking for i would be extremelly grateful.

thanks for the help so far, all

moonster

[JerryM]

moonster,

given what you say i would start with CA's. i've not made it myself but everything i've tried by CA is always spot on.

the thing to bear in mind is that without a tandoor it's almost impossible to achieve the BIR result. the tarva or hot dry frying pan produces a decent result - above that ovens, grills and pizza stones come to mind. a lifetime could be spent on just learning to walk never mind running.

the important thing is to have a go.

just to muddy the water the best naan i produce is using KD1's yeast recipe which i cook on the gas bbq - i don't feel i get the same result in the kitchen frying pan. the yeast naans take a lot more effort and are certainly not what most BIR's make. i make SR naan most of the time down to ease.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1448.0

[moonster]

i agree Chris, everything i have tried by CA is very good. i think i will give these a go tomorrow and report my findings.
 i honestly thought there would be a generic recipe for naan breads. this has had my head battered ;D.

again thanks for the help

moonster

[joshallen2k]

Naan seems to be very subjective as to what individuals are looking for.

Personally I had great results and still do modifying UB's V2 recipe to add yeast (must be instant dry yeast - thanks JerryM!). I've made a few mods since then - added yogurt, eliminated water for whole milk, eliminated baking powder...

In terms of crisp and puff, for me the pizza stone is a must to simulate the tandoor. The highest heat and low cooking time to me are critical also.

Naan is one of the few things I feel I do as well or better than many restaurants I've frequented, and thats without a tandoor.

-- Josh