FOOD NEWS
The Tip To Know When It's Time To Flip While Making Naan
BY MATTHEW SPINA
Naan doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to make, but if you don’t know the visual signs of a perfectly baked flatbread, you can easily overcook it.
Naan only needs a few minutes over the heat, or it will end up tough and crackly instead of soft and pliable. When the flattened dough starts bubbling, it's time to flip it over.
If you've heated your pan properly, bubbles will appear all over the uncooked side of the dough, plus some light browning. Flip it over and cook until it starts to brown and char.
Flip the naan one last time to the side you started with, to make sure there aren’t any doughy, uncooked spots. Cook it for less than a minute on each side every time you flip.
Naan is traditionally made in a clay tandoor oven, which cooks at very high heat. The bubbles are a result of the heat evaporating the water in the dough and activating the yeast.
Even if you use cast iron or another tool in place of a tandoor, you can still cook naan. If the dough starts bubbling 30 to 40 seconds into cooking, your surface is hot enough.