Meera Sodha’s Naan

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+

The downside of doing this deep in the north woods, 35 miles from the nearest grocery store: when you realize you are out of yogurt, it's too late to do anything about it. The upsides include: (a) buttermilk substituted nicely; (b) after a day in 30-degree temperature chopping wood and raking leaves under a cerulean sky, it was far too beautiful to go indoors, so we lit charcoal in the Weber kettle and grilled the naan, about 2 minutes or less per side. Utterly delicious.

I have had great success making naans on a pizza stone or even cookie sheet tray, in an oven. Bake at high temperature, 470 deg F, till the naan puffs, then flip the naans (use tongs) to their other side. Toppings work great, onions, garlic, cilantro, mint etc.

Can some of the dough be refrigerated or frozen for later use? Or should it all be cooked at once?

Hi Hermsoven. Try withholding a few TB of the flour next time and check the consistency of your dough before adding the rest. I bake a lot of breads, and find when something comes out too dense, it's usually because I've added a bit too much flour. This dough should be very soft, almost sticky before rising. I used about 3 TB less flour than the recipe called for. Hope that helps!

Cold and clean, fresh air, the smell of charcoal wafting, and the reward of hot, grilled bread...nice moment you created there. Thanks for the happy moment!

Naan is not oiled when cooking. It can be brushed with ghee or butter afterwards.

From reader: 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.

Sorry, but naan made with baking powder is an abomination. Adding milk is almost as bad. You only want a teaspoon of sugar, to proof the yeast before adding it to the flour.

Naan should have a tangy, sourdough sort of heartiness; the yogurt gives tenderness, but it is a hearty rather than delicate bread. Maybe next time bring us the recipe from an Afghan auntie.

Rapid rise yeast worked fine. After 1 hour , I took 12 balls of dough and rolled them out , stacking them with wax paper in between. I cooked them 2 hours later at dinner time so they would be hot and fresh. They were a little bigger. Easy to peel from the wax paper. I cooked them in my cast iron skillet on medium high heat with a bit of olive oil at the start. 30 sec per side. Did not do the final 10 sec smash. Hot,fresh new cooked dough moisture, flexible for folding. Will cook again.

You know, my Mom (from Trinidad) has been making roti/pita without milk for years and it comes out just as soft. It really is just knowing the consistency from practice and leaving it to rest so it doesn't develop too much gluten, for a softer dough. We've just used warm water instead of milk.

Can the dough be kneaded using a mixer with a dough hook?

Agreed, with Winnie, the trick is to make sure the pan is hot. To cook mine, I heat a cast iron skillet that's been heated in the oven at 450F. Turn the skillet upside down and place the naan on the bottom side and place back in the oven. Same as above, when it starts to bubble, flip over and cook the other side. It's best to have all ingredients close by, a couple of naan rolled out in advance, so you can assembly line and bake them all quickly.