Naan recipe – chewy & fluffy!
So many naan recipes are nothing more than a basic flatbread recipe. But this one? Fluffy, bubbly and chewy, just like you get at Indian restaurants. It’s so incredible, you’d swear it’s just been pulled from a tandoor! Truly fluffy, chewy, bubbly naan has eluded me for years. Every other recipe I tried – and believe me, I’ve tried so many I’ve lost count – are just basic flatbread recipes with no real crumb integrity and absolutely none of the signature elasticity that real restaurant naan has.And the most incredible thing? Naan dough is so easy to make. There is no kneading involved. Really. There is nothing tricky about it at all!
As for the versions made without yeast? Forget it. They were more like pancakes. It was handy to discover that the naan recipe can be made ahead, refrigerated overnight and cooked up the next day – and it’s 100% perfect. It’s just as fluffy and soft. With the added bonus of even better flavor in the bread because as with many yeast breads, flavor develops with time!
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp instant / rapid rise yeast
- 1/2 cup warm tap water (~40°C/105°F in temperature)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp milk , full fat (low fat ok too)
- 1 1/2 tbsp whisked egg
- 1/2 tsp salt , cooking / kosher
- 1 3/4 cups bread flour , or all-purpose/plain
- 30g / 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter , melted
- FINISHES:
- 30g / 2 tbsp tbsp ghee or butter , melted
- 1 small garlic clove , for Garlic Butter option
- Nigella seeds
- Coriander/cilantro , finely chopped
- CHEESE NAAN:
- Shredded cheese (for cheese naan) – Monterey Jack, cheddar, tasty, colby, anything that melts (shred yourself)