Indian Flatbread (Naan)

(from 226-2tone’s recipe box)

Makes 4 pieces
This recipe worked best with a high-protein all-purpose flour such as King Arthur brand. Do not use nonfat yogurt in this recipe. A 12-inch nonstick skillet may be used in place of the cast-iron skillet. For efficiency, stretch the next ball of dough while each naan is cooking.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a light and tender naan that approached the quality of the best restaurant naan, without the need for a tandoor. We started with a moist dough with a fair amount of fat, which created a soft bread that was pleasantly chewy, but the real secret was the cooking method. While we thought a grill or preheated pizza stone would be the best cooking method, we discovered that they cooked the bread unevenly. A much better option was a covered skillet. The skillet delivers heat to the bottom and the top of the bread, producing loaves that are nicely charred but still moist.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Season 13: Indian Classics Made Easy (from RecipeThing user Bethany)

Categories: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. In measuring cup or small bowl, combine water, yogurt, 3 tablespoons oil, and egg yolk. Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add water mixture; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.

  2. Add salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place heatproof plate on rack. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into smooth, tight ball. Place dough balls on lightly oiled baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic coated with vegetable oil spray. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Transfer 1 ball to lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. Using hands and rolling pin, press and roll piece of dough into 9-inch round of even thickness, sprinkling dough and work surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Using fork, poke entire surface of round 20 to 25 times. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Wipe oil out of skillet completely with paper towels. Mist top of dough lightly with water. Place dough in pan, moistened side down; mist top surface of dough with water; and cover. Cook until bottom is browned in spots across surface, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip naan, cover, and continue to cook on second side until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. (If naan puffs up, gently poke with fork to deflate.) Flip naan, brush top with about 1 teaspoon melted butter, transfer to plate in oven, and cover plate tightly with aluminum foil. Repeat rolling and cooking remaining 3 dough balls. Once last naan is baked, serve immediately.

  5. TECHNIQUE – INDIAN ORIGINAL: Traditionally, naan cooks against the superheated clay wall of a cylindrical tandoor. Heat radiating from the coals below also chars the exposed side, so the bread never needs to be flipped.

  6. TECHNIQUE – FINDING THE RIGHT HEAT TO REPLICATE A TANDOOR: We initially thought that a grill or preheated pizza stone would best approximate the intense heat of a tandoor, which cooks naan mainly by heat conducted through its walls. We were wrong. The best alternative? A trusty cast-iron skillet. GRILL? NO A grill’s searing heat gets close to that of a tandoor. The problem: It only chars the bottom of the bread, while the top remains barely cooked. (Flipping only dries out the bread.) PIZZA STONE IN OVEN? NO Baked on a pizza stone in the oven, the bread encounters the conductive heat of the stone, which we wanted, and the drying heat of the oven’s air currents, which we didn’t. COVERED SKILLET? YES A covered skillet delivers heat to the bottom and top of the bread, producing loaves that are nicely charred but still moist. To ensure a tender interior, we mist the dough with water.

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