Naan (Indian Flat Leavened Bread)

Popular bread in India, traditionally cooked in a clay oven or "tandoor".

Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp Dry Yeast

1/2 cup Water, warm

3/4 tsp Sugar

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)

3 tbsp Plain Yoghurt

Instructions:

Add the dry yeast and sugar to the warm water and stir till the yeast is dissolved. Cover and leave aside for 10 minutes, or until the mixture begins to froth. This indicates the yeast is active. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift-in flour and salt. Mix well.

Add-in the yeast mixture, 1 1/2 tbsp ghee and yoghurt.

Mix everything (using your fingertips) to form a soft dough.

Once mixed, flour a clean, flat surface, and knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic

Grease a large bowl with a few drops of cooking oil and put the dough in it.

Cover and allow to rest for about 90 minutes or till the dough doubles in volume.

When the dough is ready, punch the it down to release air, and knead again for 10 minutes.

Equally divide the dough and roll between your palms to form 4 round balls.

Lightly flour the same surface on which you kneaded the dough and roll out each ball until you have a circle, 7-8 inches in diameter (1/2" thick).

Gently pull on one edge of the circle to form the Naan into a teardrop shape. Do not pull too hard or you may tear the Naan.

Preheat your oven 200°C.

Lay a piece of aluminum foil in an oven tray and grease it lightly with cooking oil.

Place as many Naans as will fit without touching each other, on the tray.

Brush each Naan with some ghee.

Put the tray into the oven and cook till the Naan begins to puff out and get lightly brown. Flip the Naan and bake a few minutes more until puff and lightly brown.

Remove from oven and serve hot in a foil-lined basket.

Note:

Instead of rolling the dough out (with a rolling pin) you can also pat it into a circle with your palms.