Buttery naans are essential for an Indian feast
I can’t imagine Indian food without a delicious buttery naan to go with it. Although roti or chapati are more typical staple dishes in Indian homes, naan breads are very popular in Indian restaurants. As children, we often used to get Indian takeaway as a family treat. There was nothing more exciting than opening up all the tubs of steaming curry, rice and different breads. My favourite was always garlic naan. It has the perfect amount of flavour to complement, but not overwhelm the dish it is accompanying.
Whole wheat naan turn this treat into a healthy side
Today we eat a lot of Indian food at home. There are so many wonderful daal’s, vegetable curries, chutneys, fish dishes and tasty snacks. We have gotten into the habit of making naan bread quite regularly. From a treat, it has become a staple food. I therefore prefer to make whole wheat naan bread. This way, it’s no longer a guilty pleasure, but a nutritious and filling side to a curry. It is also just as tasty! For this recipe, you can either use only whole wheat flour, or use a mix of half white and half whole wheat. I use only whole wheat flour.
Naan bread are traditionally cooked in tandoor ovens
Naan is a type of flatbread, that is often, though not always, yeasted. Different varieties are eaten throughout many countries in Asia, and can have various flavourings, stuffings or toppings. Traditionally, naans are cooked in a tandoor oven. This is a cylindrical clay oven shaped like a chimney pot. A tandoor oven is heated with fire or coals at the bottom, although today there are also electric or gas variations available. One thing they all have in common though, is they get very hot. The thinly rolled out naan are slapped onto the sides of the oven and cooked very quickly. This process gives them their distinct tear shape, and delicious smoky flavour.
Tips for making the best whole wheat naan
To try to replicate the way the naans cook in a tandoor oven, the best way to cook them is on a high heat in a pan with a lid. This cooks the bottom and allows the top to steam and puff up. They will have a soft and spongy texture, as opposed to a hard and crispy one. You can also cook the naan in the oven, although the top won’t be as soft. Simply preheat it to a high temperature with a pizza stone or metal tray in the oven. Cook the naan for a few minutes on the hot tray until they puff up.
Some recipes use yeast as the leavening agent, some use baking powder, and others use both. I find that using both helps the slightly heavier wholewheat flour to rise better and gives you the desired air pockets. Serve your naan with an Indian dish of your choice, such as a paneer and spinach curry.
Whole Wheat Naan Bread with Garlic Butter
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Ingredients
- DOUGH:
- 250g whole wheat flour
- 150ml lukewarm water
- 4g (1 tsp.) instant yeast
- 1 tsp. jaggery or honey
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- 3 tbsp. yoghurt
- ¼ tsp. cumin seeds
- 4 tsp. ghee or butter, melted
- A little oil for greasing
- GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING:
- 40g ghee or butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ tsp. cumin seeds
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
DOUGH:
- Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl. Pick out any pieces of plant and twigs from the bran. If the bran is very coarse, you can quickly pulse it in a blender. Add the bran back into the flour.
- Place the lukewarm water in a medium-sized bowl, and add the yeast, jaggery, and half the flour. Stir to combine. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Add the salt and baking powder to the remaining flour, and whisk lightly to combine and aerate. Add the yoghurt, cumin seeds, melted ghee and bubbled yeast mixture to the flour, and using your hands, bring the mixture together into a ball. It should be slightly sticky, as you want your cooked naan to be nice and soft.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes. If it is very sticky, you can sprinkle it with a little more flour as you knead it. It should be smooth but still soft and ever so slightly sticky once it is done.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave in a warm place to prove for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Knock back the dough, by kneading it on a lightly floured counter for 1 minute.
- Weigh the dough, and then weigh 4-6 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into balls, and cover them with a damp cloth.
- Heat a large pan with a lid on a medium-high heat.
- Roll out the balls of dough on a lightly floured surface into oval shapes. Slightly pull the one side, to give them the classic tear shaped look of traditional naan bread.
- Once you have rolled out a couple, you can start cooking them. Place one naan in the hot pan and put the lid on. Cook for approximately 1 minute, or until the naan is puffed and the base is getting colour. Flip the naan over, and cook for a few seconds on the other side, until the bubbles have a little color and are starting to char slightly on the edges. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Continue rolling out the bread and cooking them in this manner until they are all done.
GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING:
- Place the ghee in a small pot and melt it on a medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, if using, and a pinch of salt. Fry until the garlic is just cooked and the raw smell is gone.
- Immediately drizzle the garlic ghee over the cooked naan bread. Sprinkle them with chopped coriander and a pinch of salt.
- Serve immediately with an Indian dish of your choice.
