Naan is the most popular Indian bread, and is loved by everybody across the globe. In fact when I tell people I write a food blog, the first question they ask me is if I have a naan recipe. Sadly, until today the answer was no. Its not that I did not try making naan at home. I have tried innumerable number of recipes and got disappointed every time. I absolutely hate naan that is bready and unfortunately most of the recipes on the web yield a heavy, bready naan that is not at all comparable to the wonderfully soft and chewey bread that we get in the Indian restaurants. I know most of us cannot afford a hearth kit or a tandoor at home, but how hard could it be to make some decent naan at home. The naan made with yeast was too bready, its like eating pizza crust. The naan made with baking powder and baking soda tasted like baking powder biscuits. Venkat was so troubled by my naan experiments that whenever I said we are having naan, he would ask me if I have already cooked some rice also. Meaning he knew it was going to be a disaster and I would be too upset to cook after the fiasco naan session. I had given up my hopes and Venkat warned me not to try any more recipes.

Then a friend came into our lives, who introduced me to the book, The Dance of Spices by Laxmi Hiremath. My friend generously lent me the book saying read through it, you would love it. And indeed I did. She is a wonderful author and her recipes are so innovative and inspiring, The best thing about this book was the writeup. I loved the way Laxmi explains each and every step with great details. You just cannot go wrong, the book is especially useful for non Indians and amateur Indian cooks. I was most excited upon seeing this naan recipe. Somehow something in me told that this would be a perfect naan and my search would finally come to an end. Oh! How right I was. I guess do have some sixth sense or some supernatural powers   But still trying not to be over confident, this time I made a pot of rice even before Venkat asked. And then started making some naan. I absolutely loved these naans. This is THE BEST naan recipe EVER.

The best part is the wonderful flavor from the sourdough starter. Don’t panic. Its nothing like making the regular sourdough starter. Its a very simple starter made with some yogurt, flour, salt and sugar and fermented overnight. Then mixed with some more flour next day and left to rise for 3-4 hours. Then get ready to roll and made naan! These naans have the perfect texture, they could have been more chewy, but I guess using bread flour or high protein flour will solve that. Actually I had some leftover dough in the fridge and made some naan after 2 days and the texture was so much better!! The dough that rested for 2 days made restaurant quality naans and they were perfectly chewy.

Ingredients:
Makes 8 naans

Bread flour or All purpose flour (Unbleached) – 2 1/2 cups
Plain Yogurt – 1/2 cup plus 3  Tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Unsalted butter or Ghee – 2 Tbsp plus extra for brushing on the naan
Egg – 1 large (substitute with 1/4 cup of yogurt if you don’t eat eggs)
Garlic (chopped) – 10 cloves (optional)
Cilantro/Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1/4 cup (optional)

Method:

• The day before you want to make naan, combine 1/2 cup of the flour, the yogurt, sugar and 1/2 tsp of the salt in a small mixing bowl (glass or stainless steel). Mix well and cover loosely with a cheesecloth or lid. Don’t use airtight plastic lids, the starter needs to breathe. Set aside to ferment in a warm place, up to 18 hours, preferably overnight. When the starter is ready, you’ll see a couple of bubbles at the top and it will smell pleasantly sour. If it does not have any of these, leave it out for some more time.

Tip: If you are planning on making naan for a special event/meal, I would suggest you start two days before you want to make naan. I know this is a time taking process, but its a rather easy one.

• In a food processor or stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the remaining 2 cups of flour, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, baking powder and 2 Tbsp ghee/butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the starter and lightly beaten egg and process until the dough comes together into a ball and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Add a tsp or more of yogurt if the dough is dry.
• If you are using a stand mixer, continue kneading at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be slightly on the wet side (a wet dough develops gluten easily, even without much kneading), not sticky but really soft.
• If you used a food processor or mixed the dough with your hands, transfer the dough ball onto a work surface. Lightly coat your hands with oil and knead well, for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be very soft, but not sticky.
• Form into a smooth ball, coat it with some oil and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 3 to 4 hours (or more time in cold weather). The dough will not rise like a yeast dough, but it would have definitely increased in volume. The consistency of the dough after rising is soft, smooth and slightly elastic.

Tip: Naan dough can be stored, covered in a refrigerator for up to 3days after the resting time. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

• After the dough has risen, punch down the dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 portions (each the side of a small orange), and roll each portion between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place the dough balls on a plate and cover with a moist kitchen towel.
• Dust the work surface with flour and roll out each ball into a 5-6 inch oval/circle about 1/8 inch thick , dusting with flour as necessary. carefully pick up the naan and pull gently on side to shape it like a teardrop. Don’t stretch it too thin or the naan will be very crispy.
• Meanwhile, mix the chopped garlic and cilantro in a bowl and keep aside, if using. (see variations at the end of the post)

To make the naan in the oven:

• Heat the oven in the BROIL mode and place the rack on the top shelf (about 6 inches away) from the heat.
• Place the naans (I usually make two at a time) on a baking sheet and brush the tops with some water and sprinkle about 2 tsp of the garlic-cilantro mixture on top of each naan and lightly press the topping onto the naan.
• Broiling time is usually 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the bottom and 1 minute on the top. Keep an eye on the naans after the first minute, once there are some speckled brown spots, remove the tray from the oven and flip the naans and cook on the other side also.

Tip: Light brown spots ensure that the naan is soft. Slightly dark brown spots make the naan crispy. Cook one naan each way and see how you like them.

• Apply some butter on top of each naan as soon as they come out of the oven. Keep the naans covered in a cotton cloth to keep them soft or serve them immediately. Be generous with the butter!

Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the naan on the stovetop:

• Heat a griddle, preferably cast iron on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Place one naan at a time, with the topping side on the top first.
• Cover the skillet with a lid (use any some shaped lid from any of your pans). This step is optional, but it helps in creating nice bubbles on top of the naan. After 1 minutes, remove the lid, and check the bottom. If it is crisp and brown, flip and cook for another minute. The cooking time is usually 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the bottom and 1 minute on the top.
• Apply some butter on top of each naan as soon as they come out of the oven. Keep the naans covered in a cotton cloth to keep them soft or serve them immediately. Be generous with the butter!

Enjoy hot naans with some Indian curries.

Some variations:

Nicely developed sourdough starter gives this naan a lovely rising power and delicious taste. If you have some in the fridge, go ahead and use it. Substitute 1/2 cup sourdough starter for the mixture while making the dough and reduce the baking powder to 1/2 tsp.

The toppings can be anything you like. Some combinations are chopped onion and red pepper flakes, chopped onion-min leaves, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds or dried fruits.

See the texture?? Perfect naans, neither bready nor crispy.