{cake on friday} naan

My bible study group is coming to the end of our Patriarchs study. This coming Monday will be our final session. To celebrate/drown our sorrows, we are having a meal together, and everyone is to bring a dish. I was asked to bring bread.

'This I can do', I thought to myself.

I haven't made naan in a long while, and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to pull that recipe out of hibernation. It's a truly therapeutic experience - from the pummeling and kneading of the dough, to the comforting aroma of both the dough and the finished product.

I thought I'd do a practice run this past weekend, just to make sure I knew what I was doing. Also, my cousin was visiting, and it never hurts to have one more guinea pig...

Traditionally, naan is made in a tandoor, and a more resourceful person than I would have whipped up a clay oven in the backyard. I, however, have embraced my lack of resourcefulness.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo above, but I tried two methods of cooking the naan: the oven and the tava. The naan I made stuck under the grill turned a lovely golden brown colour, but was slight drier and denser in texture. I preferred the tava-made naan. It was soft, light and had the dappled colouring that I associate with traditional naan. Not that I know anything about anything...


Naan Bread

2 tsp dried yeast & 1 tsp sugar OR 15 g fresh yeast
200 ml warm milk (I used soya, which works fine)
450 g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp oil
4 tbsp natural yogurt

1) Sprinkle the dried yeast and sugar onto milk, stirring well, and then leave for 15 minutes. Alternatively, if using fresh yeast, just blend with milk.

2) Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (the larger the better, as the plan is for much uprising!) Add the egg, oil, yogurt and yeast mixture, and mix into a dough.

3) Turn out the onto a floured surface. (You'll want a healthy amount of flour on hand, as this gets sticky.) Knead until the dough is firm, then lightly oil the surface of the dough, plop it back in the bowl, cover and leave it in a warm place for at least an hour.

4) Knock back the dough, kneading till firm again. Divide it into equal portions - I tend to go for 10 smaller naans, but you could do 6 'normal' sized ones. Roll each piece out into ovals or circles, depending on how you feel led. Sorry, I don't have a specific measurement for thickness - Not too thick or it won't cook; not too thin or it will burn - let's say about a centimeter...

5) If cooking under a grill - Preheat grill until hot. Place naan on a greased baking tray and grill on each side for 2-3 minutes.
If cooking on a tava - Heat a smidgeon of oil on the tava on high heat. Cook naan one at a time, for about a minute per side.

6) I tried a variation too! Yes, I did my own version of a peshwari naan. I chopped a handful of raisins up fine, mixed that in with a few tablespoons of desiccated coconut, a few tablespoons of chopped nuts, and a tablespoon of sugar. I threw in a gloop of milk (precision is my forte), stirred it around so the milk was absorbed, and then scooped a dollop onto a rolled out naan, folded it over, and rolled it out again slightly. And then cooked as above. Does this make sense? Probably not. Such is life.