naan
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What is naan bread?
Naan is a single-layer, leavened bread that is slightly fluffy with golden-brown spots. It is typically made from wheat or white flour, water, salt, ghee (clarified butter), and yogurt. A leavening agent, such as yeast, creates air pockets, which gives the bread its soft texture, though baking powder or baking soda can be substituted to shorten the preparation time.
The word naan comes from the Persian nÄn-e sangak, which means "bread baked on [hot] pebbles". There are different varieties of naan, some of which are filled with spiced lamb, potatoes, or nuts. Once baked, naan is usually brushed with ghee or butter and served hot. The bread often accompanies meals, and can be used in place of utensils to scoop sauces and curries.
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Where did naan bread originate?
Naan originated thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the Indus Valley. The word "naan" comes from the Persian term nÄn-e sangak, which means "bread baked on [hot] pebbles." In 1300 CE, the Indian poet Amir Khosrow mentioned two types of naan: naan-e-tunuk (light or thin bread) and naan-e-tanuri (bread cooked in a tandoor oven).
Historically, naan was mainly for royalty because it took a long time to make leavened bread. By the 1500s, it was popular among the Mughal nobility with kebabs and keema. The English language adopted the word "naan" around 1799. Today, naan is a global food found in restaurants and supermarkets, with fusion cuisine adding it to dishes like pizza and tacos.
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What ingredients are commonly used to make naan?
Naan is a flatbread made with white or wheat flour, a leavening agent such as yeast, and warm water. Other common ingredients include salt, ghee (clarified butter), and yogurt. Some recipes may include milk, egg, or honey. Baking powder or baking soda can be used as a substitute for yeast to shorten preparation time.
Once the naan is baked, ghee or butter is brushed on top. This soft bread is often served hot alongside main dishes like dahls, curries, and stews. There are also different varieties of naan, some of which are filled with spiced lamb, nuts, potatoes, or garlic.
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How is naan bread traditionally cooked?
Naan is a flatbread that is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven, a cylindrical clay oven that can reach temperatures of 480 Ā°C (900 Ā°F). The baker rolls the ball of naan dough flat and presses it against the inside walls of the tandoor, where it bakes in just a few minutes, developing golden-brown spots from the heat.
Naan can also be made on a stovetop using a flat pan called a tawa. The baker flips the pan upside down over the flame to achieve the breadās characteristic browning. Once baked, naan is usually brushed with ghee or butter and served hot. The soft bread is often used to scoop sauces and curries.
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How is naan bread often served or eaten in Indian cuisine?
Naan is a soft and flexible flatbread that often accompanies meals in Indian cuisine. It is typically brushed with ghee or butter after baking and served hot. Instead of utensils, people use the bread to scoop sauces, stews, dahls, and curries. Naan is also eaten alongside dry dishes such as tandoori chicken.
There are different varieties of naan, some of which are filled with spiced lamb (keema naan), or a sweet mix of coconut, nuts and dried fruit (Peshawari naan).
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naan, teardrop-shaped, leavened flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor oven (a beehive-shaped clay oven) or on wood charcoal. Although still a staple of South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisinesāand especially associated with Indian cuisineāthe versatility and flavor of naan have led to its incorporation into many different dishes and cuisines worldwide.
Ingredients and preparation
Naan is a single-layer bread with a light and slightly fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from the baking process. It is made primarily from white flour or wheat flour and a leavening agent (usually yeast), which results in the formation of air pockets in the dough that impart fluffiness and softness. Other ingredients used to make naan include warm water, salt, ghee (clarified butter), and yogurt. In some cases, milk, egg, or honey may be added, and baking powder or baking soda may be substituted for yeast, which shortens the amount of time needed to prepare the bread.
When baked in a tandoor, balls of naan dough are rolled flat and then pressed against the inside walls of the tandoor, which can reach a temperature of 480 Ā°C (900 Ā°F). The bread bakes in just several minutes, browning in spots from the heat. Naan also can be made on a stovetop on a flat pan called a tawa, with the baker flipping the pan upside down over the flame to achieve the characteristic browning of the breadās surface.
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Once naan is baked, it usually is brushed with ghee or butter and served hot. The soft, flexible bread often accompanies the main meal and serves in place of utensils to scoop dahls, sauces, stews, and curries. It is also eaten with dry dishes, such as tandoori chicken.
Varieties
There are different varieties of naan, some of which are filled. To make filled naan, during preparation, the ball of dough is rolled flat, and the baker places the filling in the middle. The dough is then folded and carefully rolled flat again, with the filling in the center. Among the varieties of filled naan are: keema naan, which contains spiced lamb; Peshawari naan, which is sweet, being filled with combinations of coconut, raisins, sultanas, and nuts; Kashmiri naan, which uses candied cherries, golden raisins, almonds, cumin, and fenugreek; aloo naan, which contains spiced mashed potatoes; garlic naan, which has garlic pressed into the breadās surface or mixed into the dough; and nan-e roghani, which is an Afghan naan prepared with nigella seeds, sesame seeds, and extra oil for a soft, pillowy texture.
History
The history of flatbreads extends back thousands of years to the civilizations of Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the Indus valley. The word naan comes from the Persian nĆ¢n-e sangak, meaning ābread baked on [hot] pebbles.ā In 1300 ce, Indian poet AmÄ«r Khosrow documented two kinds of naan: naan-e-tunuk (light or thin bread) and naan-e-tanuri (bread cooked in a tandoor oven).
Due to the lengthy process of making a leavened bread, naan historically was available primarily to royalty. The breads, accompanied with kebabs and keema (minced-beef curry), became popular among the Mughal nobility in the 1500s. About 1799, the word naan was introduced into the English language by historian and clergyman William Tooke. Today, naan can be found worldwide in restaurants serving South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, and it is available in many supermarkets. Fusion cuisine has introduced new dishes that incorporate naan, including naan pizza and naan tacos and even huevos rancheros (an egg dish) served over naan.
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