Heston Blumenthal

Naan bread

You'll need to place two square pizza stones in your oven in a V-shape to make Heston's perfect Naan bread.

Serves 8

Preparation time 30-45 minutes
Cooking time 2 minutes

Ingredients Method
  1. Sift all the dry ingredients together and place in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a hook attachment.
  2. Add the water, milk and eggs, incorporating them on a slow speed.
  3. Once all the liquid ingredients are incorporated, mix for three minutes on a low speed followed by one minute at a medium speed.
  4. When the dough is well mixed, transfer it to a generously floured work surface and knead by hand for an additional two minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into 100g/3½oz portions (12 pieces), roll into balls and place on a floured baking sheet. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours before using.
  6. Remove all the racks from the oven and place two square pizza stones in the bottom in a V-shape: each stone should rest against the oven wall on either side and meet in the middle at a 45-degree angle. If your oven has room for only one pizza stone, you can use a small baking sheet or another metallic object to keep it against the oven wall at a 45-degree angle. Preheat the oven, with the top grill set at 100 per cent for 20 minutes.
  7. Flour a work surface and place a floured ball of dough on it. Oil your hands and flatten the dough with the tips of your fingers until you have a disc approximately 20cm/8in in diameter. Repeat with the other balls of dough.
  8. Place one or two pieces of flattened dough on a floured pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet) and brush lightly with melted ghee (alternatively make a 'cushion' out of folded tea towels and place the naan on this before transferring to the oven as Heston does in the video).
  9. Put the dough on top of the stones as far back in the oven as possible. Note: If you have two stones in the oven, you can bake two naan at a time. If not, you will have to bake one at a time.
  10. Bake for 1 minute 40 seconds, then remove and bake the remaining naan in the same way. Serve immediately.
Heston BlumenthalRecipes and additional information are available in a book to accompany the series, Further Adventures in Search of Perfection, available at all good bookshops and online shops: Further Adventures in Search of Perfection by Heston Blumenthal Published by Bloomsbury ISBN: 9780747594055

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