Madhur Jaffrey
Naan Bread
bread veg curry
Naans may be cooked both with and without egg. If you decide not to use the egg, just increase the yoghurt by about 4 tablespoons.

Naans may be eaten with almost any Indian meat or vegetable.

Makes 6 large breads

Ingredients
¼ pint (150ml) hand-hot milk
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp dried active Yeast
1lb (450g) plain flour
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra
5 fl oz (150ml) plain natural yogurt, lightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Method
Put the milk in a bowl. Add 1 tsp of the sugar, and the yeast. Stir to mix. Set aside for 15-20 minutes or until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture is frothy.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 tsp sugar, the yeast mixture, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and the yogurt and the egg. Mix and form a ball of dough.

Empty the ball of dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10 minutes or more, until it is smooth and satiny. Form into a ball. Pour about ¼ 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 bulk.

Pre-heat your oven to the highest temperature. Put the heaviest baking tray you own to heat in the oven. Pre-heat your grill.

Punch down the dough and knead it again. Divide into 6 equal balls. Keep 5 of them covered while you work with the sixth. Roll this ball into a tear-shaped naan, about 25cm in length and about 13cm at its widest.

Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and slap the naan on to it. Put it immediately into the oven for 3 minutes. It should puff up. Now place the baking tray and naan under the grill, about 7.5-10cm away from the heat, for about 30 seconds or until the top of the naan browns slightly. Wrap the naan in a clean tea towel.
Make all the naans this way and serve hot.

I must have made this twice at least, possibly from different books of Madhur's.
Comment 1: Really effective naans. They puff up nicely under the grill.
Comment 2: Works well. I used egg. The breads rose nicely but keep them reasonably thick. The taste was perhaps not as good as in a restaurant.
By Karl
An Easier Naan Bread
bread veg curry
Makes 3 large breads

Ingredients
Method
Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt and sugar, oil (ghee or butter), yoghurt and egg yolk. Mix and form a ball of dough.

Lightly oil your hands to prevent the dough sticking (it should be slightly wet and sticky at this stage) and knead for 10 minutes until it is smooth and silky. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for a few hours (or overnight in the fridge).

Pre-heat your oven to the highest temperature. Put the heaviest baking tray you own to heat in the oven. Pre-heat your grill.

Knead the dough again, and divide into 3 or 4 balls. Take each one and roll into a tear-shaped naan, about 10"x5" and not too thin - about ½".
You can flour the board and rolling pin at this point to prevent sticking - the dough should now be very soft and less wet
Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and slap the naan on to it. Put it immediately into the oven for 3 minutes. It should puff up.
Brush the naan with butter if you like, and place the baking tray and naan under the grill, about 3-4" away from the heat, for about 30 seconds or until the top of the naan browns slightly. Wrap the naan in a clean tea towel.
Make all the naans this way and serve hot.
Pretty good naans - and a lot quicker than the recipe above!