Naan Bread

Traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven, naan are light and fluffy inside yet crisp outside, just simply ideal for mopping up delicious sauces!
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OK you lot! I have been quizzed about naan for as long as I can remember and my recipe has had a number of different iterations. With a family coming from the Punjab region in Northern India where wheat is the main staple, all breads (from naan or roti to paranthas) form a huge part of the diet. Personally I would choose a bread over rice every day.

Traditionally the dough for naan is a leavened naturally with a live yoghurt, which is what aerates it. The dough would be slapped onto the inside of a tandoori oven where it would bake and fall into the fire once cooked.

This cooking style is pretty difficult to replicate and when my mum first came to the UK she used all sorts of crazy things to get those precious little bubbles into the naan dough, from lemonade through to Original Andrews salts (yes the tummy salts) but I now have a formula which makes the naan light, airy and it will work in your kitchen. I can promise you, you will never buy naan again.

Ingredients
1 tsp dried active yeast
1 tsp sugar
200g plain flour
1 tsp black onion seeds (you can also use handful of chopped coriander leaves)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp milk

Method
In a small bowl, mix the yeast and sugar with a tablespoon of warm water to activate.
Leave for 5 minutes in a warm place until frothy. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix the flour, onion seeds, salt and baking powder. When the yeast is frothy add it to the flour with the oil and yoghurt.
Knead the dough with slightly wet hands folding as you go. If it feels a little dry add some milk and continue to knead. Once it's nice and soft cover with cling film and leave it in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour (but longer if possible).
Turn the grill on to heat up and divide the dough into four balls and place on a floured surface. Roll each into a tear shape about 0.5cm / ¼ inch thick.
Heat the Tava or frying pan and place the naan onto it for a couple of seconds to brown on one side.
Transfer to a baking tray (seared side down) and place under the hot grill for 2-5 minutes and watch the magic as they puff up.
Smear with butter - yummy!