- Serves 4 - Ready in 55 minutes - (this includes 30 minutes chilling time in the fridge) -
These Spooky Naan are ideal to eat with this Pumpkin Curry at Halloween.
Gather together for 8 small Spooky Naan Breads...
250g plain flour (weighed on the scales or use 1.5 cups).
2 tsp sugar.
½ tsp salt.
A small handful of Nigella seeds.
½ tsp baking powder.
130ml milk.
3 tbsp (36g) vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing tray.
Get cooking the Naan Breads...
1. Put the 250g of plain flour, the 2 tsp of sugar, the ½ tsp salt and the small handful of Nigella seeds into a large-ish, wide based bowl (ideally use the bowl from a food mixer - if you have a dough hook attachment, as you can use it to knead with shortly).
2. Sieve in the ½ tsp of baking powder and mix the dry ingredients together well.
3. Add the 130ml of milk and the 3 tbsp (36g) of oil.
4. With a metal spoon, mix together the dough, for approx. 1 minute, to make a smooth, soft consistency.
5. (a) Either...On a clean, low-ish table, knead well (with cleaned then oiled hands - remove any jewellery first!) for 10 minutes, adding a little flour if the dough is too sticky and adding a little more oil if it is too dry. At first the dough will be inflexible, but persist with the kneading for 10 whole minutes (you can't rush it) and the dough will soften and end up smooth and silky.
5. (b) Or... Use the dough hook on a food mixer to knead the dough for you for 10 minutes.
6. Coat the dough in oil and wrap the oily-dough in grease-proof paper / a beeswax wrap in the fridge (or the freezer if you only have a few minutes before they are needed) as chilling first makes them more likely to puff up during cooking. Ideally chill the naan for at least 30 minutes, as it gives the dough time to 'relax' which makes it much easier to roll out.
7. Ten minutes before your curry finishes cooking, start to roll out your Naan. Wipe down, dry and drizzle oil on your work surface.
8. Also brush 1 tsp oil onto a large baking tray and put the tray into the hot oven (where the curry is still cooking) to heat up.
9. Meanwhile form the chilled Naan dough into 8 balls and roll out (using an oiled rolling pin) into very flat spooky skull / ghost shapes (each will be approximately. the size of an adult's hand).
10. Using a plastic lid (e.g. the lid of a reusable water bottle or a plastic milk bottle top) punch holes in the uncooked naan breads for eyes (ensure the holes are quite far apart as a very thin pieces of dough in between them will be too weak - also don't make the eye holes too close to the edge for this reason). You'll need to press down hard and twist a few times to get the dough eye-shapes to cut out.
11. Once the curry comes out of the oven, switch the oven to medium-high 'GRILL'.
12. Place 4 Naans on the hot baking tray (careful not to burn yourself) - make sure they are well spaced out.
13. Put the first batch of Naans under a hot grill in the oven and bake for 2 – 3 min per side until (hopefully) risen and lightly browned. Then repeat with the second batch of spooky Naans. Even if they don't puff up much they luckily still taste delicious and any kids will love peering through the eye holes before eating them!
#seasonal #halloween # naanbread