Easy no-yeast Naan

Easy no-yeast Naan

Naan is a leavened oven-baked flatbread that normally ate with gravy.

I was thinking to cook Indian butter chicken and of course this dish is best eaten with naan, either plain or flavored like butter or garlic. I was searching a quick and easy recipe for naan. Most of the recipe I browsed requires yeast and proofing, till I came across this recipe from Little Vienna. Her version is a no-yeast so it is very simple to prepare and no need to wait for proofing. I was very happy as the naan is soft and tasty. I like naan and have tried different types of Naan from different Indian restaurants here in Singapore and in Malaysia, so far the best naan and butter chicken I ever eaten is, in one of the famous Indian eatery in Woodlands. Every time we find our way there for lunch, I will not miss to order butter chicken with naan.

The recipe is very simple by just mix the wet and dry ingredients together, knead a little to make a soft dough, then rest the dough for a while then divide and roll. Good thing, I have a “tawa” that I can use to cook my naan. Why I have tawa? My son loves prata I normally use non-stick pan then, one of my Indian friend told me that it is better to use “tawa” for flatbreads as the heat is evenly distributed, so, I bought one that is why I have my “tawa”. Do not worry, it is not necessary to buy “tawa” to make this naan, normal non-stick pan will do, it just happen I have one.

Here is the recipe I use every time I make this naan, hope you will like it as well. Enjoy!

Easy no-yeast Naan Recipe

Recipe adopted from: Little Vienna:Easy no yeast naan

Ingredients: makes 4naans 6x9inches

• 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (160 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½  teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon milk (50 ml)
• 2 tablespoons butter (27 g)
• ¼ cup plain, creamy yoghurt (65 g)
• Optional: melted butter for brushing (Butter-Naan), 2 cloves of garlic, cut lengthwise (Garlic-Naan)

Instructions

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. In a small saucepan heat milk together with butter, until butter has melted. You can also do this in a microwave. Let the milk cool down slightly.
3. In a big bowl add yogurt and stir in warm (not hot!) milk until smooth.
4. Gradually, add the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon, until the ingredients come together.
5. With your hands, knead into smooth dough. It’s best to first knead in the bowl and later on a lightly floured surface. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour. Or you can use your stand or bread mixer to do the kneading for you.
6. Let the dough rest for at least ½ hour on a lightly-floured surface and put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it. Alternatively, let it rest in the bowl, covered with a kitchen towel. The longer the dough rests, the softer it gets and the easier it will roll out.
7. Split dough in 4 equal parts (it's best to use a kitchen scale), form each of them into a ball and roll out.
8. Rotate the dough-disk while rolling, and flip it over occasionally. Sprinkle with flour every now and then, so it will not stick to your rolling pin or surface. When finished, the Naan should have an oval shape, 6’’ x 9’’ large and about 1/8 inch thick.
9. Preheat skillet or pan to medium high heat – but don’t add any oil.
10. Pick up the Naan, remove excess flour by slapping the dough between your hands and put it into the pan. Cook until bubbles have formed on top and the bottom side gets lightly colored. Then flip, and cook until done, about 1 minute.
11. Wrap the ready Naans in a kitchen towel while baking the rest. That will make them really soft.
12. For Butter-Naan, brush bread with melted butter, for Garlic-Butter-Naan rub bread with garlic halves first and then brush it with butter.

Notes

You can prepare the dough in advance, just put it in the refrigerator instead of letting it rest for ½ hour. Before using, bring it back to room-temperature (½ hour will do).