Naan Without a Tandoor

As I’ve written about before, the closest I’ve gotten to recreating the kind of bubbly, poufy flatbread you get at Indian restaurants is by cooking it on cast iron preheated on the stovetop as hot as it will possibly go. That gives you the charred surface and pale, pillowy edges. Oven baking turns the same dough into pita—too done all over, but not blackened anywhere.

The downside is that if you get your cast iron hot enough to cook naan and then brush it with ghee or oil, which you must do to prevent the dough from sticking, you’re going to generate a lot of smoke. So unless you have a miraculous kitchen fan or really like eating in smoky rooms, you might want to save this for a potluck or dinner party that someone else is hosting.

It’s pretty quick once you get cooking, especially if you have a griddle or two pots so you can cook two pieces at a time. The thirty seconds each piece takes to cook on one side is just long enough to roll out the next piece. In less than ten minutes, you can have the whole batch done and be out the door. And hopefully by the time you get home, the smoke will have cleared.

Recipe: Garlic Naan (adapted from All Recipes and my sourdough naan recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 package (.25 ounce, about 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry or instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water (follow temperature directions on the yeast package)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk or yogurt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (I would double or triple this next time—the garlic flavor was pretty subtle)
• 1/4 cup oil or melted butter
• 1 t. kalonji/nigella/black onion seeds (optional)

Method:

1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 Tablespoon of the sugar in the water and let stand until frothy (5-10 minutes). If it doesn’t get frothy, the yeast is dead or your water was too hot and you should start over with new yeast.

2. Whisk together 3 cups of the flour with the salt and baking soda. Add that mixture and the rest of the sugar, the milk or yogurt, egg, garlic, and nigella seeds to the proofed yeast and stir until combined. Add as much flour as necessary to make a smooth dough that you can knead without it sticking to you too much.

3. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes—as with pizza, you need a lot of gluten to make the dough stretchy enough to roll out thinly without tearing.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire surface in oil, and let rise at least an hour or until doubled in size (you can leave it for much longer if you want—probably up to 24 hours—or refrigerate it for up to a week at this stage; just let it come to room temperature before baking).

5. Preheat something cast-iron or stone with at flat surface at least 10” in diameter on your stovetop (a skillet, pot, baking stone, etc.) on the hottest setting. Meanwhile, pinch off portions of dough about the size of an egg and roll into smooth rounds (you should have between 12 and 16).

6. One at a time, roll each ball into a circle approximately 1/4” thick, brush the cast iron surface with oil or melted butter/lard/ghee, and place the circle of dough on the grill. Let it cook until deeply browned (anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on how hot your cooking surface is). Brush the raw side with more melted butter or oil, flip it over, and cook for another 30 seconds to 3 minutes, or until it’s cooked through.