Naan Bread

Although naan is a flat bread, it is a leavened bread - that is it's made with yeast. The word 'naan' comes from the Persian and means 'bread' or 'food'. It is one of the most popular breads in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which has a perfect softness that allows one to tear it in pieces with which a curry can be scooped up and eaten or your plate can be wiped with for the last bit of flavour at the end of a meal. Naan comes in many flavours and varieties, but is always delicious. It's traditionally baked in a 'tandoor', a form of clay oven, however they can be baked in a normal electric or gas oven.

Ingredients:
20g fresh yeast
2ml salt
15ml sugar
250ml lukewarm water
100ml sugar
50ml vegetable oil
60ml ghee
2 eggs
15ml fennel seed
345ml water
345ml milk (room temperature)
1750ml bread flour
Extra butter and salt to glaze and garnish.

Method:

Mix the yeast, 15ml sugar, 2ml salt and warm water together in a bowl and set it aside until it is all frothy.

Cream together the oil, 100ml sugar and the ghee in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. add in the fennel seeds and mi them into the batter along with the yeast mixture, and the extra water and milk.

Fold in the flour to create a dough, folding it all into a ball. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave it in a warm place to double in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead until it is smooth and elastic. Divide it into 6 portions, moulding each into a disc of about 8 inches and about 1 inch high. Leave these to rise and double again.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Roll each disc out to a flat oblong or pear shaped flat-bread and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and smear each naan with a little butter and sprinkle with a pinch of salt while the bread is still warm.