Meera Sodha’s Naan
Updated May 15, 2024
- Total Time
- 90 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4cups all-purpose flour, or 500 grams
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola, plus a teaspoon more
- 4tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
- 1packet of active dried yeast, or 7 grams
- 2teaspoons sugar
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 1level teaspoon baking powder
- 1cup whole milk, warmed
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
392 calories; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 333 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, and add two tablespoons of the oil to it, along with the yogurt, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Use your fingers to combine the ingredients until they resemble crumbs, and then add the warm milk in splashes, mixing until it comes together into a dough.
- Step 2
Put the dough on a clean, well-floured cutting board. It will be very sticky. Flour your hands, and knead the dough for five minutes or so, then scrape off your hands and knead it again, making it into a round ball. Rub a teaspoon of oil over the exterior of the dough, and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover with a dish towel, and place in a warm spot to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
- Step 3
Using a knife, divide the dough into 12 pieces. Take each piece, roll it into a ball and flatten it between your palms. Dust the dough with flour, and roll each piece out into an oval of about 5 by 8 inches.
- Step 4
Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and allow it to get hot. When it is, cook one naan in it for 30 to 40 seconds on one side, or until it begins to bubble, then use a spatula to flip it over to cook the other side for about the same amount of time, checking regularly to make sure that it does not burn. Flip the naan one more time, and press on it lightly with your spatula for 10 to 15 seconds, then remove to a warm platter. Repeat with the rest of the dough. (Keep the finished naan in a low oven, or wrap in foil until ready to serve.)
Private Notes
Comments
i've found best success making breads like this (pita and similar types) by starting with mixing all ingredients together EXCEPT the flour. Often, the amount of liquid in recipes won't hold all the flour recipes call for. Proof yeast in warm milk, add other stuff, mix well, gradually add flour. In fact I made recipe twice today using method in recipe and my method above and liked my results better. Just sayin'...
I'll echo previous comments that this recipe is fantastic. Just wanted to add a note that it also freezes beautifully -- I wrapped individual balls in plastic wrap and then froze them in a Ziploc bag. Thawed to room temperature and then cooked on a cast iron griddle. Taste and texture were identical to the first (non-frozen) batch.
Fantastic naan. Used stand mixer: wet ingredients, sugar and yeast in bowl first with paddle attachment, then sprinkled in dry ingredients, mixed to combine. Withheld a few tablespoons flour, since recipe said dough should be soft. Scraped down bowl, switched to dough hook and kneaded four minutes on #2 setting. Rose 60 minutes. Beautiful, pliable dough. Rolled out thicker than a tortilla, tossed on piping hot ungreased griddle, 45 seconds per side. Soft, puffy, with bright, fresh flavor. A+
I cannot believe how good these turned out and I barely followed the recipe. I was rushing and wanted to prepare in the morning - figured I could let it slow rise in the fridge all day like focaccia. I mixed all the ingredients together at once, forgetting the milk had to be warmed of course, covered and threw in the fridge. Didn’t knead. I pulled out for 2 hours to let warm before rolling out and cooking as instructed. I was worried - didn’t looked like it rose a lot. When I tell you these were better than any store bought or even restaurant naan I’ve had in my life I would’ve thought I was full of it. They even stored perfectly by just wrapping in plastic at room temp overnight. This is beyond 5 stars in my book. I’ll be keeping this one close at hand. I don’t think I’ll be buying bread for at least some time now.
Has anyone made a vegan version of this?
I usually sub almond milk for the regular milk (while still using whole milk yogurt), and they still turn out tender as ever. I bet you could sub vegan yogurt as long as it has a similar fat content (e.g., coconut or cashew).
This just did not work for me. It never never really came together to form a dough, was very dry and crumbly. Maybe the suggestions of keeping the wet and dry ingredients separate would make it better. It did not rise much at all. Still I use what I had and tried to make the naan which was dense, not at all fluffy like I'm use to. With so many good options in the store or even picking up from a local Indian restaurant just save your self the trouble.