How To Make Simple Naan Bread

There are several ways of making naan bread. This method doesn’t use yeast so don’t expect the dough to rise anywhere near as dramatically as it otherwise would, but it’s still worth spending 10 minutes kneading the first time round for a smooth, springy dough and a fine end result. If you want to make the bread in advance, brush the rolled out naans with melted butter, layer with cling film and keep in the fridge until you’re almost ready to eat them. The ingredients below are enough to make 3–6 naans, depending on size (see step 4).

1. Step 1:

   Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and vegetable oil.

2. Step 2:

   Gradually mix the dried ingredients into the liquid to make a soft dough, working from the outside of the bowl inwards and sifting in a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

3. Step 3:

   Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead well for about 10 minutes. When the dough is soft, smooth, and feels right, put it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for at least an hour until the dough has obviously increased in size.

4. Step 4:

   Knock back the proved dough – punch it down and knead it thoroughly for a few more minutes in other words – then divide into however many pieces you want and roll each piece out individually into an oval or teardrop shape. Keep each piece of dough at least ? in (3 mm) thick. If you roll them out too thinly the bread will be hard and crisp as opposed to soft and doughy, so if you want five or six naans, make them on the small side.

5. Step 5:

   Meanwhile, heat the grill on high and warm a large baking sheet underneath the grill while you melt the butter in the microwave.

6. Step 6:

   Brush each naan lightly with the melted butter and put under the grill for a minute or two, until the bread bubbles and browns. (It’s as quick as making toast so don’t go away and do something else.)