This quest is odd, in the sense that I have no idea what naan should taste like. Of course, I've had naan at Indian restaurants, but there have been many tastes and textures. The only commonality has been the thinness of the bread, and the fact that it was cooked in a tandoor (or whatever passes for a tandoor in an Indian restaurant in the US).
Egyptian "shami" bread is very similar to naan, and also traditionally made in a clay oven very similar to a tandoor. It is also somewhat close to pita bread, of the sort you find in the US. I like the chewiness of US pita that is not present in the naan I've had. So it might be more appropriate to say that my quest is for a bread that's a cross between naan and pita, slightly chewy, but perfect for dipping in chutney or hummus (not that I've ever made hummus, but you get the idea) or mopping up sauce.
I started from a recipe in the cookbook From Bengal to Punjab by Smita Chandra. I don't recommend the book in general, because its recipes are not very reliable. However, I was intrigued by the naan recipe, because it is not baked but pan-broiled. The author claims that pan-broiling yields a softer, chewier naan. I have to agree; I like this variation on the traditional method.
That recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, 2/3 cups of yogurt, yeast proofed in sugared milk (2 Tb sugar for 1 cup of milk), 2 Tb of vegetable oil, and one egg. The rising time is quite short if I put the dough in a pre-warmed oven (just about a half-hour), and after that I just need to slap the dough onto a pan-like utensil. Well, theoretically I should use a rolling pin to flatten it, but that's too many utensils to clean for my taste.
I've tried many pan-like utensils. A non-stick pan is OK, but it only takes one bread at a time and doesn't produce even results. More intriguing is a flame diffuser. A flame diffuser is basically two disks of metal, one perforated, with a handle. I cooked some bread on it and it has the advantage of being super-fast (maybe 15 seconds per side once it's warmed), and of producing a nice smoky flavor where the holes are. It's a pain to clean, though, so I've only used it a couple of times. The most convenient is a lightly-oiled griddle: mine can take 2 or 3 breads at once. The breads take a couple of minutes per side, and they're evenly browned.
Now for some variations. I find that using brown sugar gives a richer taste than white. Then again I always think so. I've also tried honey, but I didn't detect a marked difference in the final product. I've also tried making a smaller batch (enough for two bread enthusiasts for one meal) with just 2 cups of flour, all the other proportions halved, but with one egg still. I should say that both in the original recipe and this variation, the flour quantity is what I start out putting in the bowl; I always need at least a cup more to accomodate the milk and to be able to knead it.
With 2 cups of flour and 1 egg, the bread is even chewier and richer. I'm not yet convinced of the superiority of this variation, though. I tried using 2 eggs in the original recipe, and that was definitely too much. Now I find myself using the original recipe if I want to make a large batch, but the adapted recipe for a quicker bread fix. I want to find a way to make the original recipe slightly chewier. It might be a matter of increasing not only the eggs, but also the milk.
Feel free to contact me at hayati [at] gmail [dot] org if you
have any suggestions. This quest is very much in its
infancy and I'm very much in the dark, so I would definitely appreciate
pointers.
Katia Hayati
Last updated November 7, 2004