The other day, I was on a call with our friend D and as always our talks led to the new dishes that we tried recently. She was very excited to tell me that her cousin S tried a new recipe for a naan and she told D about it and D was excited and tried that recipe for Butter Naan which came out really well. I was excited to hear about it because of all the recipes I have tried so far, none of them were that good! I know, we all have the limitation of not having a tandoor at home and no matter what, you just wouldn't get that taste without it.
Whichever recipe I have tried so far, the naan wouldn't puff up when baked/broiled and if it's cooked on stove top,it doesn't look that good for me. They cook completely but when you tear the bread apart, it looks uncooked and not fluffy at all! There were some recipes which used direct flame to get the charred effect and unfortunately we don't have a gas stove so that option is also ruled out! What timing, right? :-)
So finally, I decided to give Naans a try, the FINAL trial. I always say that whenever I tried making them at home but somehow I could not give up. I was sure I would find my perfect dough someday and I did! I don't know whether you all would think the same but do give it a try, it's super simple and the results are really satisfying! Do not forget to keep them thick while you roll them out or else you will get hard almost crackers like Naans :-)
If you are planning to try this at home, you can plan on making this just before serving as it hardly takes any time for the dough to rise and be made into soft naans. When broiling them, which is the method that is used for cooking them here, make sure you place the rolled out dough on the rack closest to the heating elements. That way the cooking time will be less plus you are not giving it a chance to get dried up.Also, keep an eye on them, if they turn very very brown, they will look pretty but it might be a bit chewy :-)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c maida/all purpose flour
1 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
About 1 1/4 c warm water
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
A few leaves of cilantro, chopped fine
Method: Pre-heat the oven on BROIL mode for 10 mins.
In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.Make a well in the centre and add enough water to form a smooth slightly sticky dough.Knead for a minute. Cover with a moist towel and let it rest for 30 mins. It would have doubled in volume by now, if not, let it rest until doubled.
Divide the dough into 6. Roll them out into 1/4 inch thickeness and pat the chopped garlic and cilantro over it. Roll the rolling pin over it lightly so that garlic and cilantro sticks to the dough. Place the rolled out naan onto a cookie sheet/ flat baking sheet and broil for 3-4 mins or until you see them puffed up with brown spots over it*. Flip over and broil for another minute. Take it out and brush them with butter and store them in a casserole.
*Don't get excited seeing the brown spots appear and leave them to brown a lot further,it will do no good! I got excited and was left with a not so soft one :-D
I regret for not having some curry ready beforehand, especially the Butter Chicken I made a few months ago! I cannot blame myself because this Naan came out as a surprise :-) I really really liked it! Soft, fluffy...the way I wanted it to be! Jobin ate them quietly and then said that these were the best I've tried so far but again, it does lack that tandoor flavour! :-) So if you are ready to give up on that last bit,you are definitely ready to try this at home :-) I think this is the closest I can get to making it at home!
