Soft and delicious naan... using yeast

Who loves naan?????  Well..... I guess almost all of us do. And if I say homemade naan is very simple to make and much tastier too then who would not love to try it. Our family loves to eat naan and we all have different liking when it comes to brushing the toppings. A rich gravy with soft and buttery naan makes an awesome and royal dinner. If planning a special evening dinner then why not make naan to make everybody happy. This recipe yields very soft naans which no one will be able to resist

My kids wanted to help me out when I wanted to roll out the naans so dont mind the odd shaped ones.... that was a lot for those little hands to make. They are just made with love so no complaints. And yes what a proud moment they felt when I took pictures of the ones that they rolled out. Love my kiddos for all that they are 

Coming back to the recipe, hands on time is almost the same as making chapathis or rotis but the dough-resting time is a little longer than usual. This is what makes it specially soft and tasty. Plan it a little in advance and enjoy a great dinner

  

Serves... makes 5 medium sized naan

Serve option... Hot with Kaju Paneer masala

This is what u'll need...

Maida - 1 1/2 cup
Active dry yeast - 1/2 tspn
Curd - 1 tbspn
Sugar - 1 tbspn
Salt to taste
For garnish - Butter, Coriander leaves, Grated garlic

Here is the stir....

• Pour 1/4 cup of lukewarm water into a bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar into the water along with half a teaspoon of yeast. Give it a good stir and let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes. If the mixture turns frothy then you are good to go else repeat the step with a fresh batch of yeast. For detailed instructions on how to proof yeast check out this link -> How to proof yeast

• Measure in one and half cups of flour into a wide bowl

• Add salt to taste. I added about half a teaspoon

• Spoon in a tablespoon of curd

• Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl

• Start using your fingers to pull the ingredients together 

• Add water little by little and knead it into a very soft and slightly sticky dough

• Smear the dough with a little oil on top and let it sit covered in a warm place for about an hour

• The dough would be very soft by now and should have built up a little more volume. Punch out the air gently with your fingers

• Pinch out the dough and divide it small balls

• Let this rest covered for another 15 minutes

• Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll the dough into an oval / oblong shape or whatever shape you prefer

• If you are planning to use any toppings like coriander leaves or garlic then this is the time to do it. Spread it on the naan and gently use the rolling pin once to make them stick to the surface

• Wet one side of the naan generously with water. In case of using topping, sprinkle water on the other side of where you have applied toppings 

• Heat an iron tava on full heat. When it become nice and hot turn down the flame to medium

• Place the water side of the naan on the tava. This helps the naan to stick to the tava. Also make sure you use an iron skilled and not nonstick. The naan wont stick to nonstick tavas

• After a few seconds you will be able to see large bubbles forming on top of the naan

• Gently hold the handle of your iron skillet and turn it upside down on the flame so that the naan starts getting directly cooked on the flame. Just keep an eye not to burn it

• Once you see nice brown spots on the naan remove it using a spatula and transfer it to a plate

• When still hot apply some butter on top to keep it nice and soft

• What if you dont have an iron skillet?? Well .... dont worry ... heat the pan on high heat. Place the naan on it till bubbles appear. Then transfer it to a wire mesh - the one which is used to make phulkas - facing the uncooked side down and show it directly on flame till nice brown spots appear on them

• Serve hot buttery naan with your family's favourite side dish and have a wonderful dinner 

Note: 

• Resting the dough twice is a must to get soft naans
• You can also use milk instead of water when kneading the dough
• Dont cook on low flame else the naan will turn out hard