This is a beautifully soft and airy naan, perfect for serving with soups, curries, and so on. The secrets to its fluffiness are the strong white bread flour and frying it in a lidded pan. Although this recipe calls for white spelt flour, you can substitute that with plain wheat flour if desired, but adjust the liquid quantities accordingly. This recipe makes 8 side-plate-sized naan, so feel free to scale the recipe down if desired.
Ingredients for the Plain Naan
250g white spelt flour
250g strong white bread flour
2 tsp quick-acting yeast
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup soy yoghurt
250ml warm soy milk
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp salt
Additional salt, smoked paprika, garlic granules, and nutritional yeast for frying
Suitable-for-vegans spray oil
Directions for the Plain Naan
1. Mix the flours. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast, maple syrup, soy yoghurt, soy milk. Combine. Sprinkle over the baking powder, garlic, granules and salt and begin to knead in the bowl. Transfer to a floured surface and knead well for about 5 minutes. Return to the bowl, dust with flour, cover with a tea towel, and leave in a warm place for about an hour to rise.
2. When ready to cook, heat a lidded frying pan over a medium heat and spray with some oil. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it into 8, and roll each piece out on a floured surface about 1/4 cm thick.
3. Spray the top of the rolled-out piece of dough with spray oil, and sprinkle with a little paprika, garlic, salt, and nutritional yeast. Place carefully into the frying pan, cover, and cook for a couple of minutes until the top bubbles and the bottom is browned; flip, and cook again until the bubbles start to blacken.
Ingredients for the Peshwari Naan
250g white spelt flour
250g strong white bread flour
2 tsp quick-acting yeast
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup soy (or other all-plant) yoghurt
250ml warm soy (or other all-plant) milk
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp salt
Suitable-for-vegan spray oil
For the Filling
100g unsalted pistachios, shelled
100g ground almonds
Pinch salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1/4 cup soy (or other all-plant) yogurt
30g raisins, sultanas, or dates
To serve:
Toasted, flaked almonds for sprinkling
Directions for Peshwari Naan
1. Mix the flours. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast, maple syrup, soy yoghurt, soy milk. Combine. Sprinkle over the baking powder, garlic, granules and salt and begin to knead in the bowl. Transfer to a floured surface and knead well for about 5 minutes. Return to the bowl, dust with flour, cover with a tea towel, and leave in a warm place for about an hour to rise.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a food processor, mix everything together until you have a thick paste.
3. When the dough is doubled in size, knock it back and divide it into 8 pieces.
4. Roll the filling into 8 balls. Take each piece of dough, roll it into a ball between your hands, and make an indent in it with your thumb. Push one of the balls of filling into it, and smooth the dough back over it.
5. When ready to cook, heat a lidded frying pan over a medium heat and spray with some oil. Flatten out each ball of dough with your palm, and start roll each ball into a teardrop shape about 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface.
6. Place carefully into the frying pan, cover, and cook for a couple of minutes until the top bubbles and the bottom is browned; flip, and cook again until the bubbles start to blacken.
7. Spray the bubbled side of the naan with a little spray oil, and top with some flaked almonds.