Homemade No Yeast Garlic Butter Naan Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (2024)

FAQs

Why does naan need yeast? ›

Naan is essentially a leavened flatbread, which means it contains some form of raising agent to provide its airy texture. Hence for this naan, the raising agent we will be using is yeast. Other variations do exist which may utilise self raising flour or baking powder/baking soda.

Naan has a thicker, fluffier texture because it is made with yogurt. Pita is thinner bread made with less ingredients (flour, water, salt, etc) and no yogurt. Naan is cooked in a skillet while Pita is usually baked at very high temperatures in the oven.

Naan doesn't get bubbles – Pan not hot enough, dough not moist enough or improper leavening. Naan turns hard – Toasting for too long, not enough moisture in the dough, toasting on low heat or not kneading the dough enough.

The bread flour gives the naan “chew”; the yogurt imparts a slight tang; and the use of a cast iron pan gives the bread its distinctive char and smokiness.

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And like those fluffy spuds, this soft flatbread has little nutritional value. Most naan recipes call for Greek yogurt to give it that airy texture. But that's more than offset by less healthy ingredients like white flour, sugar, and oil.

Egg – Helps bind your dough. Garlic – Mince it to give your garlic naan recipe a yummy and savory taste. Salted butter – Adds more flavor and richness.

you put it on naans to keep them soft.

Most naan recipes start with all-purpose flour, salt, active dry yeast, and water. Yogurt or milk is often (though not always) added, and occasionally egg is added to the dough. The dough is kneaded by hand and then set aside to rise.

Flour, yeast, milk, and butter make a tender dough that's simply seasoned with garlic and salt, but there is a wide array of naan bread flavors. You'll find everything from coconut and raisin-stuffed bread to saucy lamb-topped naan in restaurants and home kitchens around the world.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Why isn't my naan bread puffing up? ›

If your heat is too low, the naan bread will dry out before bubbles start forming. The heat is too high. If your heat is too high, the underside can start burning, so you'll need to flip it before it can start puffing up and before bubbles can start forming.

You can also speed up fermentation with temperature, by allowing your dough or batter to rise in a warmer environment (near the pre-heating oven, for example); the closer the temperature is to 95° F, the more efficiently the yeast is feeding and producing carbon dioxide.

Yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt holds the naan dough together and ensures a tender texture. Make sure you get authentic Greek yogurt and not Greek-style yogurt.

Naan by itself may cause your blood sugar to go up, but eating naan as part of a balanced plate and pairing it with protein, vegetables, and fat can help blunt the effects naan may have on your blood sugar. Naan is a high carb food that may help promote healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

The recipe also works with standard active / dry yeast, but we've found the naan is slightly fluffier and softer using instant yeast. Unusually, we dissolve the instant yeast in warm water then leave it to become foamy – a step usually bypassed with instant yeast, which is typically mixed straight into dough.

Yeast has two roles in bread, one main function and a secondary function. The primary function of yeast in bread is as a leavening agent. This means it gives rise to the bread and creates a more open and airy texture. The secondary function of yeast in bread is to add strength to the dough.

Add more yeast, blend in the starter, or knead in more flour to help initiate rising. Dough that has expired yeast, too much salt, all-purpose or cake flour, or antifungal spices like cinnamon might have trouble rising.

Baking Soda

It helps breads rise and gives them their light and airy texture. Unlike yeast, baking soda needs an acid to activate it. By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does.

Primarily composed of white or wheat flour combined with a leavening agent, typically yeast, naan dough develops air pockets that contribute to its fluffy and soft texture.