Naan bread

A versatile Indian flatbread that can be used for anything beyond Indian dishes

Although Naan Bread is traditionally known to be paired with Indian foods, I've decided this Naan recipe can be used for literally anything.

Here are some ideas...

• Chop into soldiers and dip into Hummus, Tzatziki, Guacamole... you name it

• Use as a wrap – kind of like gyros

• An alternative to pita pockets – you can treat them as soft-naan taco shells

• Have it as a side with soup – dip the naan into the soup

• Chop into slices and add it to a cheeseboard

But let's be honest. Nothing beats a classic naan, especially with garlic and butter. Feel free to get creative with your naan. Perhaps add a bit of cheese, or chilli, or both. But make sure you add these in when it comes to rolling and shaping your naans.

Here are a couple of photos to show you what a) the frothy yeast mixture should look like, and b) the shape that your naans should be. Don't worry, this will all make sense later.

A Frothy Yeast B Teardrop-shaped Naan

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INGREDIENTS

300g plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling

1/2 tsp baking powder

7g fast-action dried yeast

2 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt

25g butter, melted

150g greek yoghurt

125ml full-fat milk, lukewarm

FOR GARLIC BUTTER

4 large cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

3 tbsp butter, softened but not melted

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and 1tsp of the caster sugar.

2. Heat up the milk on a hob until lukewarm - not boiling hot! You want to be able to touch the milk with your fingertip without it being too hot. If the milk has steam coming off it, this means it’s a little too hot and you’ll need to let it cool down a little.

3. In another bowl mix the milk, yeast and the remaining 1 tsp of caster sugar. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave for 5-8 minutes to froth. (See photo A )

4. Lightly melt the butter so that the majority of it is liquid – make sure the butter isn’t too hot. If it is, let it cool a little.

5. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Then add the melted butter and yoghurt and continue to mix.

6. You will notice a dough starting to form, however, if the dough is still very sticky, keep sprinkling flour into the bowl and use your hands to mix the dough until it is only slightly sticky. You want the dough to be able to roll into a ball.

7. Prep a large bowl by lightly oiling it, place the dough into the bowl and cover with cling wrap.

8. Proof the dough for 1 hour. It helps to leave the dough in a warm environment, it rises a lot better!! I usually heat up my microwave for about 45 seconds and place the bowl in there as it stays warm for a while.

9. After an hour, check on your dough and punch it down to get the air bubbles out. Proof it for another 30-45 minutes.

10. When your dough is ready, take it out of the bowl and onto a cleaned floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes to get the air bubbles out.

11. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6 pieces. Get your first lump of dough and knead and roll into a ball. You’ll now want to roll out your naans into a ‘teardrop’ type shape (see photo B) and to be the thickness of about a £1 coin. Do this for all your pieces of dough.

12. Once all naans have been rolled out, place them on a tray with greaseproof paper and cover with a tea towel. Let them rise for 30 minutes before cooking.

13. Meanwhile, start making your garlic butter (If you don't want garlic butter, you can skip this step and butter the naans after they're finished cooking). In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter and chopped garlic. Have this ready to brush onto your naans.

14. To cook the naans, heat up a frying pan on medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot, place a naan onto it. Allow the naan to brown on both sides for about 1-2 minutes on each side, then brush garlic butter onto both sides. Only cook them around for about 2 seconds each so the garlic slightly cooks – any longer the garlic will burn!

15. Serve hot with butter (if not using garlic butter) and a sprinkle of coriander!