Shital's-Kitchen: Garlic Naan

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Garlic Naan

I am in love!! Yes, I am in love with this microorganism that follows all my direction and gives me perfect results every time :) You guessed it right....YEAST! I am feeling so confident using yeast. I feel it is important to know the science of this little fungus, so that you can tame it easily.

We had some boxed gravy and rice from an Indian restaurant we dinned at two days back. And, I was in no mood to cook something new today. (Basically because I was preparing cookies and sweets for an upcoming festival) I just asked my husband to come home for a quick lunch of leftovers and to clean up the refrigerator. His immediate reaction was, "Will you be making some fresh naan to go with the gravy?" I was not at all motivated to answer positively. Anyways, I said yes to cut short the discussion and thinking maybe we would end up eating a sandwich ;)  After he left for work, I was sitting and lazing around the house. I don't know what struck me, but I got up from the couch and started prepping for lunch.

Here is my recipe to make 4 Naans:
In a large bowl dissolve 1 tsp rapidrise yeast and 2 tsp. sugar into 3/4 cup warm water. 



Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp ghee.

Add 1+1/2 cup Indian maida or all purpose flour. Using a wooden stick or spatula, mix the dough for water and flour to come together. It is okay if your dough is slightly sticky.  You could also use your hands, which might make it a bit messy.



Mix well to pick up all the flour from the bowl. Your bowl should look nice and clean.
I did not use my fingers or palm to mix the dough.


Transfer it on a clean surface. dust with flour and knead it. It is okay to use around 1/4 cup flour to knead the dough. It is also okay for the dough to be sticky. Knead it for 4-5 minutes. Keep it in the bowl covered with a moist towel for at least 30 minutes.





After 30 minutes, the dough rises. You might not see it double in size. That is okay.

Knead the dough again for 3-4 minutes. Make a neat ball and divide into 4 equal parts.




Roll into smooth balls. Cover with a moist towel and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 550F or the highest temperature your oven sets to. It is like creating a tandoor (clay oven) environment for naans to cook in. I also like my pizza stone. If you enjoy making kulchas, naans or tandoori rotis at home, I would suggest investing in a pizza stone. It is easily available in many stores in the baking aisle. 
Here is a video of Naan being cooked in a tandoor.
 
Well risen dough balls. Do not punch or knead them. Roll into naans using a rolling pin or by flattening with your hand.




Press some minced garlic.


Place it in a preheated oven and pizza stone and bake for 5-6 minutes. You always want to keep an eye on these. When the desired color is reached, remove from the oven and brush some ghee or butter. You can bake these on a regular baking tray too.






Even cooking and lovely color at the bottom.

Serve with your favorite curry and rice.




21 comments:

  1. Hi Shital !
    Can i use active dry yeast in making this? What else precautions i need to take while using this yeast....

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    Replies
    1. Yes Rashmi, you can use active dry yeast too. Use it the same way :)

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  2. Can I use same yeast to pav bread or different one

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  3. Can we make this out of whole wheat flour?

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    Replies
    1. You can but the taste and texture will be a little different. it is surely a healthier option :) use 2 tbsp. more water and knead the dough well.

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  4. Hello Shital!
    I was looking for your recipe for whole wheat bread.Can you please share the link.
    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Hello Shruti, I don't have only whole wheat bread but 11 grain bread recipe... here is the link http://shitals-kitchen.blogspot.com/2014/03/11-grain-bread.html

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  5. Shital .... I tried making these naans and they turned out perfect... Was wondering if there is a way I could prepare / bake these ahead of time for a dinner gathering

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    Replies
    1. :) Thank you so much! Yes you could bake them ahead of time not giving it a very dark color. Cool and store in a ziploack and just before serving heat it again in a hot oven and apply butter and serve.

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  6. Hello Shital, I tried this today but they came out hard and crispy :( am not sure what mistake i made.. any precautions i should take ??

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    Replies
    1. Dough needs to be soft and also when you bake it it should be preheated at the highest temperature and bake for very little time (4-6 minutes)

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  7. Is it okay to use pizza plate or should use baking tray?

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  8. Today I tried my hand at Garlic Naan......and they came out delicious! Thanks Shital :)

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  9. Hi Shital,The naan tasted gud bt the inside texture was like pav.What mistake did I do.

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  10. That garlic naan dish looks so amazing. Perfect dish to make on the grill. Will try some time.
    order online food delhi

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  11. Should i use baking tray for naan?

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