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Comfort food: warm naan with a yogurt dip. All photography courtesy Stonefire. |
| WHAT IT IS: An authentic Indian flatbread, delicious with any cuisine. |
| WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: It’s buttery, with airy pockets that create a delightful texture. |
WHY WE LOVE IT: Flavorful bread comfort food, available plain, garlic-flavored and, most importantly, in a delicious whole grain version. |
| WHERE TO BUY IT: At food stores nationwide. Store locator. You can also buy it online. |
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A peanut butter and banana naan panini (recipe).
Chicken, pesto and goat cheese naan pizza (recipe).
Naan for dessert: raspberry-Nutella pizza (recipe). |
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Stonefire Naan: Flatbread With Flair
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CAPSULE REPORT: For many centuries, naan (pronounced non), a leavened Indian flatbread, has been baked in tandoor ovens. The extremely high heat (approaching 500°F) produces big bubbles, an airy texture and a delicious smoky flavor. No bread lover can resist it.
If you haven’t yet discovered naan, or think of it only at Indian restaurants, we urge you to reconsider.
Stonefire (previously known as Fabulous Flats), a Canadian baker of authentic flatbreads that also include roti and pita, has gotten pretty good U.S. distribution for its naan. If your grocer doesn’t carry it, print out the Contact Us page of the Stonefire website and hand it to the store manager.
Naan is typically brushed with butter or ghee (clarified butter) and served hot as a table bread, where it’s used to scoop other foods.
But naan has become a world traveler. You can serve it with any cuisine, and use it instead of other signature breads with just about any food. For example:
- Sandwich-style, it is often rolled and stuffed, wrap-like. In India, popular fillings include minced meat or potatoes and onions. Here, anything goes.
- As a pizza base, just pile on the toppings (scroll down for the chicken pesto pizza and the raspberry-Nutella dessert pizza).
- In recipes galore on the website, from appetizers to mains and sides.
Flavors Of Stonefire Naan
Try all three:
- Plain Naan. The “original” recipe, a classic.
- Garlic Naan. This garlicky, buttery bread was our favorite until we took the pledge to eat whole grain breads whenever possible.
- Whole Grain. We’re happy to have it.
Naan can be frozen, and warms up after 30 seconds in the microwave. Naan on the grill is perfection.
— Karen Hochman
Check out the article index, below.
A naan burger (recipe).
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