Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

• Makes 6 very large naans or 12 medium ones
• 500 g (4 cups) sifted all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1 tsp (5 g) active dry yeast or 12 g (0.4 oz) fresh yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 170 ml (⅔ cup + 1 Tbsp) barely lukewarm water
• 125 g (½ cup) plain yogurt (regular or Bulgarian-style) (1 small tub)
• 1 tsp salt
• 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil (4 Tbsp)

For the cheese filling

• 24 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese or cream cheese

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

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Here is the recipe and the technique, explained step by step, for making insanely good naan. To be honest, I really regretted not doubling the quantities when I made these, because they were devoured very, very quickly.

Making the dough

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Let it sit for a few moments, until the mixture gets foamy.

2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, put the flour, oil and yogurt, mix a little, then add the water-yeast-sugar mixture. Knead the dough by hand or with the dough hook until it becomes supple and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl; this takes a good few minutes. Don’t hesitate to adjust with a little water or flour to get the right consistency, as it can vary depending on the flour you use. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise (1 hour to 1½ hours, until the dough has doubled or even tripled in volume) in the turned-off oven (I preheat it to 37°C (100°F) for a few minutes before turning it off and putting the dough in to rise, so that it’s just barely warm).

3. While the dough is resting, unwrap the Laughing Cow wedges into a small bowl and mash them together – it will be easier to spread.

Shaping the naan

I tried several techniques for getting the cheese in the middle, and the simplest one for me is to make two disks of dough, lay one on top of the other and seal them with a rolling pin or by hand.

4. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 12 balls (about 70 g each). Place the small balls on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten them with a rolling pin to get very thin disks. Let rise for 15 minutes. Spread a tablespoon of cheese in the middle (to keep it from oozing out the sides when you roll it a bit more with the second disk of dough on top).

5. Lay a second disk on top, letting the air escape. Seal the edges with your fingers and, if needed, with the rolling pin.

Baking the naan

Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor, a very, very hot clay oven. That’s why I suggest baking them in the oven, but know that cooking them in a skillet gives softer naan, like at the restaurant, so you can also cook them in a skillet, as I did here for the garlic and cilantro naan.

6. Preheat the oven to 300°C (570°F) (mine only goes up to 275°C / 525°F). Gently place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet; I did them 2 at a time because they’re big, but you can make them smaller. They’ll puff up beautifully with air.

7. Lower the oven to 255°C (490°F) and bake for 6 minutes. Brush with butter or neutral oil as soon as they come out of the oven (important if you want them slightly moist and shiny on top). Eat immediately, with a cucumber raita, for example.

Tips

• Since I’ve been living in Israel, I replace the Laughing Cow with cream cheese, which has a fairly similar texture.

• If you like them a bit softer, like at the restaurant, you can roll the dough a little less thin or cook them in a skillet.

• Naan freezes well.

• For naan with more developed flavor, do a first slow rise in the fridge (8–12 hours), then 20 minutes at room temperature before shaping.

You can easily make variations, for example garlic and cilantro naan: