No-Knead Naan

I could not close this chapter out without giving you an amazing but ridiculously simple recipe for naan to sop up the wonderful succulent curries in this book. You just can’t go wrong with naan—it combines the comfort of fresh baked bread with a uniquely Indian twist. Though it is difficult to replicate the effect of the tandoor or traditional clay oven in which naan is typically cooked, this recipe gets you close using just a cast iron skillet. The best part of this recipe is how quickly and perfectly the naan dough ferments in the Instant Pot®.

Cuisine

Indian

Course

Side Dish

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

1-2 hours

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

1-2 hours, 8 pieces, all-purpose flour, contributed, cook 100 min, egg, indian, medium, nigella seeds and butter for finishing, oil, plain whole milk yogurt, prep 15 min, pressure cook, rapid-rise yeast, Rinku Bhattacharya, salt, sauté, side dish, sugar, whole milk

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

100 min

Servings

8 pieces

Ingredients

4 tbsp oil
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp rapid-rise yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 egg
Nigella seeds and butter for finishing

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot® on Sauté mode and allow to heat for about 1 minute and then press Cancel.
Pour in the oil and then the milk. (The warmth of the Instant Pot® will get the milk to the right temperature to quickly proof the yeast.) Stir in the sugar and then the yeast. The mixture should become frothy within a minute or so.
Gradually stir in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon. The mixture will become crumbly. Stir in the yogurt and egg—this should be enough moisture to make a soft dough. Use your hands to press it all together into a ball (the objective is to have a soft smooth dough).
Cover the Instant Pot®, and set it on the Yogurt setting for 60 minutes.
Open the Instant Pot® to see beautifully risen soft and fluffy dough. Remove the dough and place on a working surface. Mix in a little extra flour if you feel the dough is too sticky. Break the dough into 8 lemon-size balls and roll each to an oval about 5-6 inches in length and about 1/8 inch in thickness (the naans should be rolled out fairly thin as this allows them to puff up while cooking; you can use extra flour for rolling, but shake off any excess flour after rolling).
Heat a cast iron griddle for at least 2 to 3 minutes (test with water to ensure heat). Place one dough oval in the griddle. After a couple of minutes, it should puff a little at spots. Quickly turn on the other side and sprinkle with a few nigella seeds. Press the seeds gently to set into the dough. Cook for a couple of more minutes—the bread should be puffy and well browned and lightly charred at spots. Repeat with remaining dough disks. If desired, drizzle with a little butter before serving.