To me, baking bread according to recipes from various corners of the world, researching those recipes, is a way to learn about different cultures and cultural diversity, because bread is one of the essential foods for almost any culture and knowing how people make it in various places helps to know the people a little.
This Indian naan bread is a type of flat bread, traditionally baked in India using a skillet. It turns out puffy, soft, with delicious golden-brown bubbles and pockets of hot air inside.
Traditionally, this bread is baked inside a tandoor oven, where it’s stuck to the walls right next to burning coals. Of course, it’s pretty hard to arrange for such an oven at home. Unless, of course, you’re running a high-scale Indian restaurant, so, a cast iron skillet will be our substitute.
The heat is a tandoor oven is extremely high, up to 950F, so as you can see, it’s also pretty hard to arrange for such heat at home, but we will try and make do with what we have at hand.
The addition of plain yoghurt and melted butter lends the dough that extra softness and if you knead it really well, the bubbles will form even if you make the bread in a hot skillet. Cast iron skillets are best for that, because they can maintain some serious heat. Follow the simple steps below and I hope you enjoy this recipe!
