Kashmiri Naan

Ingredients

• 150 g (1 cup) cashews, crushed
• 65 g (2/3 cup) glazed cherries, finely chopped
• 50 g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
• 25 g (1 tbsp) honey
• 900 g (7 cups) flour
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) salt
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) baking powder
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
• 7 g (2 1/2 tsp) dried yeast
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) sugar
• 3 eggs
• 270 g (1 1/4 cups) Greek yogurt
• oil, for frying
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) ghee, melted

Instructions

1. 1

   For the Filling: Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until everything is well incorporated. Set aside.

2. 2

   For the Naan: Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl.

3. 3

   Gently heat the milk in a saucepan until warm to the touch. Don’t boil it!

4. 4

   Pour the milk in a large bowl and whisk in the yeast and sugar.

5. 5

   Cover the bowl of milk mixture with a cloth and keep in a warm place for 30 minutes. Ideally, it should foam.

6. 6

   Beat the eggs and yogurt together.

7. 7

   Pour the milk mixture into the flour, plus the egg mixture. Stir until well combined.

8. 8

   Tip the dough out onto a clean, flour-dusted work surface and knead until the dough is soft and sticky, which should take around 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to do the job.

9. 9

   Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a cloth.

10. 10

    Wait for at least 1 hour, but no more than 24 hours, for the dough to rise.

11. 11

    Filling the Naan: Divide the dough into 10 balls. (Use extra flour for dusting purposes to get this part of the recipe done. Things can get sticky!)

12. 12

    Roll out each of the 10 portions of dough balls into thick circles.

13. 13

    Fill half of each circle with one portion of the filling leaving about an inch around the edge.

14. 14

    Wet the dough around the edges with a little water and fold each circle in half to enclose the filling.

15. 15

    Pinch the dough around the edges to close.

16. 16

    Gently roll out each naan into a round shape. Shake off excess flour.

17. 17

    Cooking the Naan: Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat. When very hot, place a naan in it.

18. 18

    Check the bottom regularly to ensure it doesn’t burn. What you’re looking for is a golden sheen with a brown toasted look. If it starts to look too dark, turn it over to cook on the other side. The average cooking time for a naan is between 3 and 5 minutes. If you prefer your naan more charred, finish it off under a grill.

19. 19

    Place the naan on a plate and brush with ghee. Serve immediately with your favourite Indian curry. Enjoy!