This Kashmiri Naan Comes Loaded With Almonds And Saffron

It is the Mughals who are often credited for bringing naan to the Indian subcontinent. And not just one, but many kinds of naan graced the typical Mughlai spread in its heydays. Naan, for the uninitiated, is a leavened bread made with Maida. Now, for most of us, naan is the soft, chewy bread that you have to have with your butter chicken, korma and nihari, but history is proof of how, even these naans would be spruced up for special occasions. Think: nuts, dry fruits, saffron, and rose essence.  

The Mughals ruled Kashmir for years, and thus much of ‘Mughlai culinary’ influence rubbed off on the Kashmiri cuisine too. Kashmir is known for its ‘Kandurs’ or bakers. They line up the streets of the valley and dole out many kinds of fresh bread starting morning. You may have had the richest of Sheermal and parathas, but it is now time to give your naan, a Badami upgrade.  

Almonds not only help add creaminess to the naan, but it also helps elevate the overall texture and flavour of the naan. Alongside making our food richer, almonds also help make them healthier.  

Now without further ado, here is the delish recipe you have been waiting for. The recipe of this Kashmiri Almond naan is by internationally-acclaimed chef Manish Mehrotra. You can pair this naan with any kebab, our picks would be Galouti kebab or Gilafi. You can also pair it with any gravy dish. ‘Tis indeed the time to feast. Are you ready?  

Ingredients:

For dough:

  • 250 gms refined flour
  • 50 gms almond powder
  • 40 gms desi ghee (clarified butter)
  • 8 gms yeast
  • 5 gms salt
  • 50 fine sugar
  • 150 ml full fat milk
  • ½ gm saffron

For topping of bread:

  • 15 gms almond flakes
  • 5 gms cranberries
  • 5 gms tutti frutti
  • 5 gms dry rose petals

Method:

For dough:

  • Warm milk and soak saffron in it. make dough by mixing all ingredients with this milk.
  • Divide the dough in 2 equal parts and leave for 20 minutes to leaven.

 For baking bread:

  • Take a baking sheet and give each dough a round shape by hand. it should be ½ inch in thickness. 
  • Top it with almond flakes, cranberries, tutti fruti and dry rose petals.

Allow it to proof for 5 minutes and then bake it at 180 c for 2-3 minutes or till golden in colour.