Na Na Na Naan

There are some things that are great to make from scratch but maybe you just didn't know how to do it. One of these for me has always been naan bread. I gorge myself on this when I go to Indian restaurants. Years ago when I was working in a pub while studying, I used to have a deal with the curry guys next door who would give me a naan bread covered in butter chicken sauce for $1. It tastes much better than it sounds I promise.

A few weeks ago I was having people over for dinner and thought I would give it a whirl. I think everyone liked the naan more than the curry! So next time you feel like cooking up a curry for a dinner party I would really really recommend making your own naan bread to go with it.

It’s more of a weekend thing as you need to let it rise for an hour, then another half hour. But honestly it is worth the effort as it tastes just as good as the bread you get in an Indian restaurant. I guarantee you won’t ever want to buy naan from the supermarket again.

Plus it is loads cheaper than buying them. This whole recipe costs you about $2.50 and you’ll have most of the ingredients at home already.

I don’t use quite as much sugar as they suggest, but up to you. You could even get everyone to roll and cook their own bread while you are setting the table

Home made naan bread (makes about 6 big naans or 10 smaller ones)

1 packet of yeast (7g)

1 cup warm water

¼ cup white sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 egg

2 tsp salt

4 ½ cups plain flour

2 tsp garlic (optional)

Oil for the bowl

Butter to grease the pan

1. Dissolve the yeast sachet in the warm water for 10 mins until frothy on top

2. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, milk, salt and flour to form a soft dough

3. Knead for 6-8 mins on a floured surface until smooth

4. Oil the bowl you used to mix the dough. Place the dough in there and cover it with a damp cloth to rise for an hour

5. Punch the dough down and knead in the garlic if you’re using it

6. Roll the dough into big golf ball size and place on a plate. Should make about 6 balls. Cover with the damp cloth and allow to rise for 30 mins

7. Heat the frypan. Roll one of the balls out with a rolling pin to about 0.5 cm thickness.

8. Add a little butter to the hot pan and fry the bread on one side for 2-3 mins. When it looks nice and brown flip it over for another 2 mins.