This wholewheat naan is a healthier take on the delicious Indian naan that we all love.
As you can tell from the name, they include wholewheat/brown bread flour. They also have an option to use honey instead of sugar, and they include plain yogurt, which gives them a delectable flavour.
Unlike traditional naans, which use an oven (or tandoor), these wholewheat naans are cooked in a non-stick, heavy-based pan. This makes it much easier, and anyone can make it.
Oh, and if you worried that you won’t get those lovely bubbles with a pan…that’s simply not true. Mine was puffing up like crazy, you just have to make sure that the pan is piping hot.
These wholewheat naans are leavened, which means that they include yeast, and you have to knead them and let them rise.
Don’t be scared of this process, though! Although it does take a little bit more time and effort, it’s not nearly as scary as it seems and it will leave you with the most deliciously delicious airy naans.
Making the Wholewheat Naans
The process for making these naans is quite simple, really. They require little hands-on time besides the kneading (which you could even do with a stand mixer, although not the best option) and cooking.
Wholewheat Naan Dough
You’ll start off by stirring together the luke-warm water, instant yeast, and sugar or honey (for a healthier option) with a fork in a large bowl. I like to just leave that frothy mixture where it is for 5 minutes or so to begin activating the yeast.
Next, you add everything else. That’s the yogurt, oil, flours, and salt. Give that a mix. It should form a rough ball of dough. Roll up your sleeves, it’s time to get kneading!
Sprinkle a flat surface with the extra flour. You’ll probably need all of it as the dough is quite sticky, but you can start with less. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or so, or until it forms a smooth, soft ball.
Place the ball in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or clingfilm, and place it in a warm place. Let the yeast work it’s magic for about 45 minutes – 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the dough has at least doubled in size. The time it takes will be less the warmer it is.
Shaping & Rolling the Wholewheat Naans
Once your dough is all lovely and risen, deflate it. Gently punch it to release the trapped gas then tip the dough out onto a floured work surface.
Using a knife, divide the dough into 6-8 pieces. My wholewheat naans were very large and I did 6 pieces, so I’d suggest doing 8. You can even do more than that if you wish!
Using your hands, roll the dough pieces into balls, then cover them with a kitchen towel so that they don’t form a hard outer skin.
You have two options now. You can either roll them out all in one go, or you can roll out one at a time whilst the other one is in the pan. I did option two because it’s hard to keep all of the rolled out naans covered with a kitchen towel, and I find it’s a nice cycle to roll, cook, roll, cook…
I would start to preheat my pan now, as you really want to make sure it’s very, very hot. Heat a heavy-based non-stick pan over high heat.
Now start rolling out the dough. Place one of the balls on a floured surface and simply roll it till it’s almost as thin as it can go.
For a thicker naan, leave it a bit thicker. I rolled mine out pretty much as thin as they could go and they turned out about 5mm thick when cooked. You see what works for you.
The trick to get a perfect circle (if that’s what you want) is to constantly rotate the dough as you roll. So after each roll, give it a small turn.
Cooking the Wholewheat Naans
Once your pan is very, very hot (don’t touch it to find out!) you can get cooking. Gently lift the rolled out dough and place it in the pan. Give the wholewheat naan about two minutes on each side, flipping it with a spatula.
The wholewheat naan, once cooked, should be dark brown in the places where the bubbles pop up. If you feel that your naan is puffing up too much, then you can hold it down with a spatula so that it all gets a chance to cook.
Repeat the rolling and cooking process for all the dough balls, stacking the cooked wholewheat naans between a kitchen towel so that they stay soft and pliable.
Serving & Storing the Wholewheat Naan
The naans are best eaten warm. Enjoy a wholewheat naan with curry/korma, or hummus and roasted vegetables (or anything else you please!).
These wholewheat naans freeze amazingly. Simply stack the cooked naans between layers of parchement so they don’t stick, and place them in a bag in the freezer. If you know that you’re making them to freeze you may want to cook them a little bit shorter so that when you re-heat them, they are cooked perfectly.
To reheat a wholewheat naan, simply pop it into a piping hot skillet, then serve as above.
A healthier take on the much loved Indian leavened flatbread. These delicious wholewheat naans are light and airy and make a delectable side. Dough Stir together the luke-warm water, instant yeast, and sugar/honey in a large bowl. Allow to rest for 5 minutes to begin activating the yeast. Add the yogurt, oil, flours, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a rough ball of dough. If it is very sticky, you may need to add extra flour. Sprinkle a flat surface with the extra flour and place the dough onto it. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Only add as much flour as you need to stop your dough from sticking. The softer your dough, the better. Place the smooth ball into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm or a kitchen towel. Leave the bowl in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Shaping & Rolling Gently punch the dough, deflating it. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 6 pieces (or 8 for slightly smaller naans) using a knife. Using the flats of your hands, shape each piece into a ball, then cover them with a kitchen towel so that they don’t form a hard outer layer. Heat a large heavy-based non-stick pan on high heat. Begin rolling out the dough balls. I do one at a time, rolling out one whilst another one is in the pan. To roll them out, place one of the balls on a floured surface and simply roll it out using a rolling pin until it is about the height of a coin. If you want circles, make sure that you are constantly rotating the dough after each roll. Cooking Once the pan is hot, gently lift up the rolled-out dough into the pan. Give the dough about 2 minutes on each side, or until the bottom side is dark brown where the bubbles are forming. If your dough is puffing up too much, and other places are not getting a place to cook, press the naan down with a spatula. Stack the cooked naans in a kitchen towel to keep them soft and pliable. Repeat the rolling and cooking process for all the dough balls. These naans are best served warm. They are sure to go amazingly with a curry/korma, or hummus and roasted vegetables. These naans also freeze very well between layers of parchment and can be reheated from frozen in a hot heavy-based non-stick pan.Wholewheat Naan
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