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Bread-machine Naan Bread

A reasonable approximation of Naan bread, made without a Tandoor oven. Brushing the dough with butter and dry-frying in a hot dry frying pan cooks them a little like pancakes, but the flavour is very good. It's also hotter than a grill, so the breads don't dry out as much. Makes approximately ten breads. 7g easy-action yeast 500g strong white flour 30g caster sugar 5g salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 25g vegetable oil 120g natural yoghurt 180g water 50g butter
  1. Put all the ingredients, up to and including the water, into the bread machine's mixing bowl
  2. Set to the quick/pizza-dough programme and allow to finish. An extra 30 minutes proving time in the machine afterwards helps as well
  3. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 80g balls
  4. Roll each ball out into a tear-drop or oval shape, about 20cm long. Dust with flour and stack loosely.
  5. Put the butter into a microwave-proof bowl, cover with a sheet of kitchen paper and cook on full power for one minute, thirty seconds. The butter should separate into solids, which collect at the bottom, and a clear liquid - Ghee, or clarified butter
  6. Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan to medium/hot
  7. Brush two of the rolled dough balls on one side with the clear part of the melted butter
  8. Drop onto the hot pan and immediately brush the top side with butter
  9. Cook until bubbles appear on the top of the breads, then flip over for another minute or so, pressing down gently so the bread cooks evenly and doesn't rest on its bubbles
  10. Stack and wrap in a tea-towel as you go along
Naan breads don't keep fresh for very long, but freeze very well