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If you are unfamiliar with Naan bread, it is a great time to meet each other.
Naan bread is a traditional Indian bread. It is a type of flatbread that you make in a skillet. It is not a just flatbread, but also a soft and pliable type of bread.
This Naan recipe is quick and easy to make and requires no yogurt. This recipe is probably my favorite recipe for the Naan bread as it is not only quick but super delicious.
Sometimes people mix pita and Naan bread, but although both being types of flatbread, they are completely different. Pita bread is cooked in an extremely hot pan or oven and has a characteristic air pocket in the middle.
Naan bread is cooked over medium-high heat on a skillet and it has more air bubbles than pita bread, which has one big giant bubble.
Naan bread can be served with any type of meal. You can eat Naan along with soups, gravy, meat dishes, or simply used for sandwiches.
Can You Make Naan Bread Without Yogurt?
Yes, you can make the Naan bread without yogurt. The yogurt is used to make the bread soft and fluff, but making Naan bread with yeast and allowing it to raise will give the same results.
Yogurt of any type is not mandatory in this recipe. Yeast will do the trick and turn the Naan dough into the softest and most bubbly bread.
How Is Naan Bread Traditionally Made?
Naan bread uses really simple ingredients:
Flour
Yeast
Salt
Milk
Warm water
First, you want to make the dough by combining the yeast and flour together. Knead the dough by hands or using a stand mixer with dough hooks attached. Divide the dough into six to eight portions and let it raise for at least 1 hour.
Once the dough is made, the bread itself is baked in a very hot clay tandoori oven, with charcoal or wood. Of course, we do not have a tandoori oven so the next best thing is a heated skillet.
You can use either a plain non-stick skillet or a cast-iron skillet (this one that you can pick up on Amazon is by far my favorite, and perfect for making Naan).
The baked bread will have distinguished brown spots on top. The spots are actually air pockets and a great indicator when the Naan bread is done.
Once it’s cooked, you can serve the Naan bread with olive oil, ghee, or butter.
How to Serve Naan
You can make Naan bread plain or with herbs or spices. Although Naan bread is not traditionally made with spices, you can always feel free to adjust this recipe to your personal taste.After all, you’re the one eating it!
You can use some of the traditional Indian spices such as turmeric or a pinch of curry powder, or choose a variety of herbs such as thyme, oregano or basil.
For some extra crunch, you can sprinkle the Naan bread with black cumin seeds.
Now let’s get into our yogurt-less Naan recipe!
How to Make Naan Without Yogurt
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp almond milk or plain milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil + some extra for brushing
Instructions
Step 1
Gather your ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes at a warm place.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and the yeast mixture. Stir to combine until dough comes together.
Step 3
Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece in a ball. Arrange the balls on a plate and cover with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Step 4
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
Roll the dough balls to a 1/4-inch thickness and place into the heated skillet. Cook the Naan bread until it starts to bubble.
Flip the bread and brush with some olive oil.Cook the bread on the other side.
Serve bread warm with olive oil, butter, or ghee, and enjoy!
Naan Recipe Without Yogurt
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour20 minutes
This authentic Naan bread without yogurt is soft and fluffy, just like Naan should be!
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp almond milk or plain milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil + some extra for brushing
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast.
Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes at warm place.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and the yeast.
Stir to combine until dough comes together.
Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece in a ball. Arrange the balls on a plate and cover with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
Roll the dough balls to a 1/4-inch thickness and place into the heated skillet. Cook the Naan bread until it starts to bubble. Flip the bread and brush with some olive oil.
Instead, all you need are these basic pantry staples: Almond milk- Almond milk is combined with a spash of vinegar to create a substitute for the yogurt. Sugar– A little sugar helps feed the yeast. Yeast– This is essential for fluffy, chewy naan.
The full-fat dairy in this naan recipe gives it a soft texture and rich taste. You can use a 2% or fat-free Greek yogurt, your bread may just not be as pillowy soft. Olive oil. Canola or avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil.
While it may contain more carbs and sugars, it earns its reputation as a healthy alternative with its relatively generous amounts of protein and fiber. Despite its high carb content, naan can be considered a more nutrient-dense alternative to white bread and pita.
If you don't have access to traditional Indian or Greek yogurt, some alternatives include regular cow's milk yogurt, coconut yogurt, almond yogurt, soy yogurt, or goat's milk yogurt. Depending on the recipe, it is also possible to substitute other dairy products such as ricotta cheese or crème fraîche.
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.
It wasn't a bad taste, but it was noticeable. I also found the baking soda doughs burned more easily. The baking powder-yeast dough compared to the yeast-only dough were nearly identical — similar air bubbles in the pan, similar dough texture, similar flavor — so, in the end, I stuck with yeast alone as a leaven.
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.
Which is healthier: bread or naan? Naan is a flatbread, whereas bread comes in loaves. Naan is higher in fat, protein, and carbohydrates than loaf bread. The higher protein content of naan will allow you to feel fuller for longer and curve cravings.
What most people don't realize is, most Indians don't eat naan everyday. It's a treat reserved for special occasions. A healthier alternative that is eaten daily in most indian households, is roti (also called chapati or fulka). It's an unleavened flatbread made of just two ingredients - whole wheat flour and water.
Parathas are a flaky, buttery, and layered style of flatbread that can be served alongside curries, rolled up and dipped into hot chai, or made into a meal by themselves with a side of raita for dunking.
Naan breads --made of refined flour--are to be avoided as they can promote weight gain. While filling up your plate, try to focus more on the veggies, preferably green vegetables instead of starchy veggies. Vegetables that are cooked in a cooker, instead of being deep-fried, are always a better option for weight loss.
From health perspective, flat breads made of whole wheat flour (roti/paratha/chapati/phulka) are better than the ones made with all-purpose flour (naan & kulcha).
In general, you want to look for whole-grain bread that has some fiber, protein and not too much sodium or added sugar per slice. Sprouted grain bread hits all those marks and has a hearty texture that I think is delicious when toasted.
Yogurt. Yogurt can be a really good replacement for milk in recipes. As with sour cream, it'll add moisture and flavor, but also a bit of tang. You can stick to a one-to-one replacement, but try to steer clear of flavored yogurt.
If the recipe calls for one cup of milk, use 1/4 cup of yogurt paired with 3/4 cup of milk (if you're just short on milk) or water. Substituting yogurt for a liquid oil works best in small quantities, like a few tablespoons. Above all, feel free to experiment.
Although traditionally tandoori chicken recipes call for plain yogurt as the base, I'm not a big yogurt fan. I decided to try using coconut milk instead, and it turned out great!
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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