Whole Wheat Naan: For a Healthier Me!

Whole Wheat Naan

It is one of those ‘frozen brain’ days where I am I am not able to put my feelings into words or sentences (well, in my case lengthy rants). So till I try to thaw my brains, my friends, enjoy this rare moments where you will not be tortured with my ramblings or stories. All we going to talk are food, food and only delicious food!!!

Today I have this delicious Whole Wheat Naan that I had prepared to go with Malai Koftas.
Now before going to recipe part let me give you a brief note on what is Naan.

The first recorded history of naan can be found in the notes of Amir Khusrau (AD 1300) as naan-e-tunuk (Persian: نان تنک) (light bread) and naan-e-tanuri (Persian: نان تنوری) (cooked in a tandoor oven) at the imperial court in Delhi. In Mughal times, Naan, accompanied by qeema/Kheema or kabab, was a popular breakfast food of the royals. The word is believed to have originated in Central Asia within the Persian speaking nations of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Tajikistan, the word naan literally means "bread." The word and bread later spread to South Asia, into present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and the surrounding regions. (Source: Wiki)

Traditionally Naan is cooked in Tandoor or an earthen oven which works on the same principle as of the modern day ovens. Interestingly, the biggest advantage of cooking in Tandoor is that it provides complete wrap around heat due to the way it is built and by controlling the draught and the fuel, Tandoor can be heated up to 400 degrees C, which is something no other traditional cooking oven can achieve (Source: buzzle.com). To bake breads like Naan or Tandoori Roti, the rolled circular dough is stuck inside the Tandoor with the help of a hooked stick or even bare hands. When the Roti or Naan is cooked, it falls off and is then collected using long pointed stick. The aroma and the taste of Rotis or Naans cooked in Tandoor oven is something hard to describe and one needs to taste the hot, soft Tandoor Roti or Naan to experience how delicious bread can taste! Since we don’t own a Tandoor or have no plans of owning one in future, we use simple method of making Naan using stove top or gas/electric oven at home! I usually use simple iron griddle and make Naan on stove top.

Unlike my previous recipe for Butter Naan which is made using Maida/All Purpose Flour, this one is a healthier version and hence, guiltless indulgence (and works very well for my current diet plan)! I wasn’t too sure as how it would taste in the beginning as Naan meant flat bread made with Maida and Maida alone! But to my surprise (a pleasant one too!), it not only tasted wonderful, it also remained soft even when I served it again for dinner! Yes, none of that unpleasant rubbery texture which requires you to use both your hands to tear the Naan into pieces! ;) All I needed to do was wrap it in a paper towel and pop it in a microwave for a minute and voila, soft, aromatic and delicious Naan was ready to be served with in minutes. Next time I am thinking of freezing it and see how it turns out. If you have already tried freezing it, do leave a line as how it tasted. Before I sign off, I would like to send this bread basket to dear Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen who is guest hosting this month's Think Spice: Kalonji, a wonderful event started by dear friend Sunita and also Susan's Yeastspotting.

White Sesame & Nigella Seeds for topping

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Whole wheat Naan (Indian flat bread made using whole wheat flour)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Resting Time: 2-3 hours
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Makes: 10-12
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Low
Serving Suggestion: With any curry of your choice

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Ingredients:
2½ cups Whole Wheat Flour/Atta
½ cup All Purpose Flour/Maida (Optional. If you want to omit Maida simply increase the amount of Wheat flour used to 3 cups)
¼ cup warm Milk
¾ - 1 cup Yogurt
1 sachet Yeast
½ tbsp Sugar
¼ tsp Baking Powder
1-1½ tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
Warm water for kneading

Other Ingredients:
Choice of ingredients for topping (I used Nigella seeds, Sesame Seeds & finely chopped Coriander Leaves)
Ghee/Butter
Wheat flour/All purpose flour for dusting while rolling the Naan

Whole Wheat Naan

Method:
For the Dough:

Dissolve yeast in warm milk and keep aside for 10 minutes. Soon the yeast will start to react and will become all bubbly and frothy.
Next, sift wheat flour and all purpose flour along with sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a small well in the centre and slowly add yogurt, oil and yeast dissolved milk. Add little warm water if needed and kneading till you get soft pliable dough.
Cover this dough with a wet cheese cloth or cling film/plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours till the dough rises and doubles its original quantity.
Punch down this raised dough to release air and divide it into equal sized lemon sized balls.

Whole Wheat Naan cooking on cast iron tawa/griddle

For Cooking the Naan:

Heat tawa/griddle at medium flame. Roll this dough ball in little wheat flour and flatten it on flat surface. With the help of rolling pin, roll it into a ¼ inch thick oval shaped roti. Sprinkle little sesame seeds, nigella seeds and coriander leaves or any topping of your choice and gently press them using rolling pin.
Flip the naan and sprinkle little water and gently place it on the heated iron tawa. Remember to put the water side down.
When you see bubbles forming on the surface of naan in few seconds time, increase the heat to high and lift the tawa and turn it down so that the surface of naan is directly exposed to the flame. While keeping the flame on high, move the tawa so that naan is cooked evenly and dark spots starts to appear.
Well, Whole Wheat Naan is ready to serve. Apply butter or ghee and serve hot with any Curry of your choice.

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