There are certain unsaid rules of a typical North Indian Sunday in a middle-class household. Alarm clocks are given a break in our house, around noon when the majority of the house begins to feel hungry, one of us goes on to suggest ‘Let’s order something, who has the energy to cook now?’, as if we forget, that not only we cook our breakfast for rest of the week, but also wake up much earlier to do so. More often than not, our Sunday lunch comprises super decadent Butter Chicken, a chicken delicacy brimming with cream, butter, tomatoes and cashews, and Butter Naan is a puffy flatbread made with maida and yeast. Naan is one of the most popular flatbreads of India, and because they are bigger in size and usually drenched in butter, they are prepared for special occasions or weekdays, where you can typically make room for an afternoon nap. Naans can be plain or stuffed with paneer; the only tricky part of Naan is handling yeast. You use too much, and the Naan hardens up, use too little, your Naan loses its stretchiness. If it is so complicated to work with yeast, how about dropping it altogether?
That’s right, you can now make Naans without yeast and tandoor, and it is so simple that you are bound to go, ‘why didn’t I think of this before'.
How To Make Naan Without Yeast
To make naan, you need to combine usual naan ingredients such as maida, curd, milk, baking soda, salt, and oil. Mix everything, make a soft and pliant dough. It is a good idea to mix all dry ingredients followed by wet ingredients. Instead of water, you can use milk for kneading the dough. Fold the dough and let it rest for an hour or two. Cover it with plastic wrap. Make sure you keep it in a slightly warm place. Resting the dough is very important for perfect naan. Once rested, knead it again for a second, and divide the dough into small balls. Sprinkle some dry all-purpose flour on a slab and roll it flat. Hold one side of the naan and pull from the other end to get an oval shape, just like you have in restaurants.
If you wish to make Garlic Naan at this point. Sprinkle in some chopped garlic and coriander seeds. Take the rolling pin and roll it over the naan. Flip the naan over and apply some water. While you are doing this, preheat your griddle and place your naan on the hot grill. Make sure you place the side where you applied water. Once you see your naan ‘bubble up’ a bit, take the skillet and turn it upside down, facing the flame. Increase the flame at this point. Once the naan is slightly brown in parts, it means it is done.
Splash over some melted butter on top and serve. It turns out that curd also has an active culture that could be used to substitute yeast. Try making naan this way and let us know how you liked it.
