Hacker News Reader

As a home-cook trying to create Indian dishes, it's always intrigued me that internet recipes call for yeast to make "naan" (leavened flat bread), but road side cooks in India can make amazing naan without any yeast (yeast isn't an ingredient in authentic Indian cooking).

View on HN

To make naan like that you need a Tandoor oven, basically a kiln. There's not really a way to replicate that kind of heat at home. The yeast is a way to get similar texture without needing the equipment.

Is it no yeast altogether, or just naturally occurring yeast? Lactobacillus delbrueckii is probably not in any Greek or Indian cookbooks, but you can't make yogurt without it.

It would surely have natural yeast in it, but it isn't given a long time to ferment. It rises solely from the escaping steam, much as crackers and pie crust do. You have to "dock" crackers and pie crust to prevent them from bubbling up too much.

Naan is often made with yeast for flavor, but it's not necessary for the rise.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com