Crispy Naan Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the lamb with the spinach, 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint, yogurt, garam masala, salt, pepper and garlic. Place about one-sixth of the mixture on a piece of wax or parchment paper and place another sheet on top. Roll out the meat into a thin free-form cutlet no more than 1/2-inch thick. Repeat for the remaining meat.
• Combine the remaining mint with tomatoes, onions and some salt and pepper.
• Heat the griddle to medium-high heat. Drizzle with some olive oil to lightly coat. Cook the patties until golden on each side, 6 to 8 minutes. Wipe the griddle and add a splash of water then add the naan bread, a few at a time, and cook until crispy and blistered on each side. Halve the naan across. Serve the patties on half a naan topped with some tomato salad and a dollop of yogurt, set another half of naan on top to complete your sandwich.
• Get Rachael's shopping list for this episode's recipes here.

Steps:

• Sieve the flour.
• Add water, yogurt, egg yeast, nigella and salt to make a soft dough.
• If dough sticks too much then use little bit of oil on hand and then punch into dough.
• Top with oil.
• Let rest covered 15-20 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8-10 portion and form balls with little flour.
• Let rest 20 minutes.
• Now to make naan, set oven at broil.
• Roll oval shape out of dough: flat your balls and toss to make them bigger.
• Put 2 naans on the baking tray and place it into stove (make better naan on stove top) and flip it after about 2 min (you have to check!). On the other side they need now about 30-40 seconds (check!).
• Repeat with the other naans.
• Keep them covered with a towel and serve warm.
• Note: If you like, after taking it out apply some butter on them. And they are ready to eat.

Steps:

• In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.
• Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and add the kalonji and fennel seeds, if using, and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.
• When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.
• Shape the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a teardrop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom. It should be 8 to 9-inches long, 4-inches wide at its widest point and about 1/4-inch thick. Once you've formed the general shape, you can also pick it up by one end and wiggle it; the dough's own weight will stretch it out a little. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough. (If you're making the gluten-free version, you'll have better luck pressing the dough out with your fingertips, than rolling.)
• Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.
• Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.
• After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, don't worry - that's typical of traditional naan! Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
• Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.

Steps:

• Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
• Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted margarine. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
• Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 4 hours or until doubled in volume.
• Preheat oven to 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) or your oven's highest setting and set a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a large pizza pan or iron griddle on the rack and preheat. Also preheat the broiler.
• Punch the dough down and knead briefly. Divide into six pieces and shape them into balls. Place them on an oiled plate and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let balls rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out and stretch each ball until it is about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Remove the pizza pan from the oven, brush with oil and place one of pieces of bread on it.
• Bake at 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) for about 4 to 5 minutes until bread is puffed and has brown spots, then transfer to a wire rack, returning pizza pan to oven to keep hot. Place bread under broiler until 'charcoal' dots appear on the surface. Wrap finished bread in a towel while baking the remaining loaves. (If your pizza pan is big enough, try baking two loaves at the time.)

Steps:

• Put 125ml warm water into a bowl and sprinkle over the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar. Leave for 10-15 mins or until frothy. In a larger bowl, put the flour, remaining sugar, ½ tsp salt and baking powder. Mix together then make a well in the centre in which to pour the melted butter, yogurt, nigella seeds and yeast mixture. Stir well, then start to bring the mixture together with your hands. If it's very wet add a spoonful of flour but if it's dry add a splash more warm water. It should be a very soft dough but not so wet that it won't come together into a ball.
• When you're happy with the consistency, start kneading, first in the bowl, then transfer the mixture onto a well-floured surface and continue to knead for 10 mins or until smooth and elastic but still soft. Butter a large bowl, then shape the dough into a ball and place in the prepared bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into six balls and put them on a baking tray dusted with flour, then cover the tray with a damp tea towel. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Take one of the balls of dough and roll it out to form a teardrop shape that's approximately 21cm long and around 13cm at the widest part. When the pan is very hot, carefully lay the naan bread into it. Let it dry fry and puff up for about 3 mins, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 mins or until cooked through and charred in patches.
• Heat the oven to its lowest setting and put the cooked naan bread on a baking sheet. Brush with a little melted butter and cover with foil. Keep warm in the oven and layer up the cooked naans one on top of each other as you make them, brushing each one with melted butter or ghee as you go. Serve warm with curry or dips.

Steps:

• Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a bowl and pour in the hand-hot milk, oil, yoghurt and the beaten egg and mix it all together to form a ball of dough.
• Place the dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10 minutes or more, until it is smooth and satiny.
• Pour about 1/4 tsp oil into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough in it.
• Cover the bowl with a piece of cling film and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Pre-heat your oven to the highest temperature. Put the heaviest baking tray to heat in the oven.
• Punch down the dough and knead it again and divide into 9 equal balls.
• While working on 1 ball, keep the remaining balls covered. Flatten the ball using your hands (or rolling pin) into a tear-shaped naan, about 15 cm in length and about 12 cm at its widest. Brush the top with melted butter.
• Remove the hot baking tray from the oven, grease it well with butter or oil and place the naan on to it (I cook 4 naans in one batch).
• Put it into the oven on the top rack for 2-3 minutes. It should puff up and brown slightly (do keep an eye on it after 2 mins).
• Once puffed up and browned on one side, flip the naan and back into the oven again for another 1-2 minutes till the top of naan goes golden brown (keep an eye after 1 minute).
• Wrap the naans in a clean tea towel and serve hot.

Steps:

• In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, honey and water (between 105-100ºF); stir to dissolve and let sit until frothy, about 15 minutes. Add oil, yogurt and beaten egg; whisk to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour and salt. Add dry ingredients to yeast mixture, keeping about ½ cup on the side. Process on speed 3 until dough is no longer sticking at the bottom and pulled from the sides of the bowl, adding flour, about 1 tablespoons at a time.
• Transfer dough on a work surface and pulling under to form a ball. Place dough in a large bowl lightly oiled and coat ball dough by rubbing around the bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise for 1 ½ hours or until it doubles in size.
• Punch dough, transfer onto a lightly floured work surface and separate into 8 equal pieces; pull under to form small balls, and cover for 30 minutes.
• Heat a griddle, panini pan or a heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll down one ball at a time into a long thin oval shape, keeping the other dough balls covered. When pan is hot, place one at a time and lightly brush the top with clarified butter; cook until golden brown and large bubbles formed on top, about 3 minutes. Flip the dough on the other side and cook until golden brown as well for about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large bowl, then add the sugar, baking powder and 1½ tsp salt. Add the seeds, if you like. Lightly whisk to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the flour.
• Add 1 tbsp of the melted butter, followed by the natural yogurt. Mix together with your hands. Once the yogurt and butter have been absorbed, gradually add 180-200ml water, 50ml at a time. Mix between additions, until it begins to come together into a dough. The water amount will depend on the consistency of the yogurt and butter - stop adding when you have a ball of dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hr. The dough will not rise but it is important to let it rest as this helps to make the naans less chewy and more fluffy.
• If making the garlic butter, mix the garlic with the remaining 1 tbsp melted butter and the coriander. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into eight, 10 or 12 even-sized pieces, depending on how big you want the naans. Roll into round balls, then return to the bowl, covered with a tea towel.
• Roll one of the dough balls out on a lightly floured surface into a round, oval or teardrop shape - roll with a diagonal motion to get an oval. Flip the dough over and repeat on the other side.
• Heat a frying pan. Dry fry the dough over a medium high heat until it begins to puff up and the underside browns in places. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the cooked naan from the pan. Spoon a little of the garlic butter over the naan, if using. Sprinkle over some coriander, if you like. Cover with a tea towel while you repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough.