Homemade No Yeast Garlic Butter Naan Recipe | ChefDeHome.com (2024)

FAQs

Why does naan need yeast? ›

Naan is essentially a leavened flatbread, which means it contains some form of raising agent to provide its airy texture. Hence for this naan, the raising agent we will be using is yeast. Other variations do exist which may utilise self raising flour or baking powder/baking soda.

About Naan

So most restaurants either use yeast or another leavening agent like baking powder & baking soda. If you order naan in Indian restaurants you may not find the texture & flavor to be the same in every place. Each place may have their own recipe to make these.

Baking Soda

It helps breads rise and gives them their light and airy texture. Unlike yeast, baking soda needs an acid to activate it. By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does.

Though they're flatbreads, naans traditionally get their bubbly texture from yeast (and, very traditionally, from wild yeasts). Some more modern variations, such as that in Vivek Singh's Curry, use baking powder instead, with Jaffrey also adding extra bicarbonate of soda.

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And like those fluffy spuds, this soft flatbread has little nutritional value. Most naan recipes call for Greek yogurt to give it that airy texture. But that's more than offset by less healthy ingredients like white flour, sugar, and oil.

As such, you should avoid filling up on naan if you're watching your saturated fat intake. Moreover, store-bought plain naan has a relatively high sodium content, accounting for around 18% of the DV. Eating too much sodium may increase blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke ( 7 ).

It's called Irish Soda Bread because it's made with baking soda instead of yeast. Because of this, it's more dense than your everyday white sandwich bread. Hearty and rustic are the words that come to mind, and it tastes kind of nutty from the wholemeal flour.

Afghan naan is different in shape, texture, and taste from Indian varieties. While the main ingredient – wheat flour – is the same, Afghan bakers hand-shape the dough, rather than rolling it out, and their use of a tandoor results in large, pillowy rounds.

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). If you're new to this kind of food, I insist you to try all varieties of Indian breads.

Baking powder, as well as baking soda combined with an acid, react in liquid and heat to create bubbles and leaven baked goods. These yeast substitutes react quickly, so they don't require a rise time. However, they may not result in as distinct of a rising effect as yeast would.

How did settlers make bread without yeast? ›

In the 18th and 19th centuries, sourdough bread became a staple food for the pioneers and settlers of the American West. The sourdough starter was easy to transport and could be used to make bread on the trail, without the need for commercial yeast.

No-yeast breads are another option. The flavor and texture won't be the same as your typical bakery loaf. And the unusual aroma, more like cheese than bread, comes from the fermentation process that the ingredients go through. If you've made homemade yogurt, you'll know what to expect.

My favorite homemade naan recipe is made with basic bread ingredients (flour, water and yeast) plus a generous dollop of yogurt, egg and baking powder to make the bread extra soft and chewy.

mix 2 cups flour and salt in a med sized bowl, then dump in yeast mix and stir until a soft dough forms. kneed until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if needed. don't add so much flour that it becomes dry, it should still be slightly sticky.

Garlic Naan bread is Indian leavened flatbread made with all-purpose flour and spiced with garlic. At restaurants, plain naan bread is usually brushed with garlic butter and served. However, in my recipe, garlic is infused into the bread dough instead and I also top the naan bread with garlic butter.

How Is Yeast Used in Baking? When combined with liquid and sugar, yeast makes dough rise. Yeast, while also providing flavor, creates carbon dioxide in the dough. This stretches and expands it.

If you roll out your naan too thinly, it can fully cook through or dry out before bubbles start appearing. Make sure that you don't roll it any thinner than about ⅛ inch (4mm). It's too thick. If your naan is too thick, it won't puff up and it can also end up underbaked in the centre.

Perhaps wetting the naan first or introducing some steam during the reheating process in the oven could have made a difference. Placing a tray of water beneath the naan while it's baking might infuse the necessary moisture to retain its softness, all while achieving that desired crisp exterior.

Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.