Naans (Indian Leavened Tandoor Bread)

Indian Bread Recipes

3 c white flour 1 3/4 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp superfine sugar 3/4 tsp salt 3/4 c yogurt 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 lg. egg

Naans is that lovely flatbread that Indian restaurants often serve before the meal. It's great for tearing pieces off to sop up sauce. Since most of us don't have the convenience of a tandoor oven in our kitchen, this recipe uses an electric griddle and the oven's broiler to simulate what you might get from a traditional tandoor oven. Place flour in medium to large bowl, stir in remaining dry ingredients: baking powder, sugar, salt. Add yogurt, oil, and lightly beaten egg. Mix thoroughly. Knead about 5 min. Cover, let stand in warm place at least 3 1/2 hrs. (In the oven with just the light on but no heat is a good choice in my drafty house!) After rising, divide dough into 6 even pieces. Pull each piece into a triangle, then pull one corner to elongate. Moisten one side of each piece of naan dough and place moist-side down in electric skillet heated to 375°F (or on heavy baking sheet in preheated oven). Cook 2 min. Increase heat slightly, cook a little more. Remove to preheated broiler, allowing tops to brown and bubble up.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 and modified on Tuesday February 19th, 2008