BUTTER BALLS FOR BREAD RECIPES

Steps:

• Warm 175ml water in a saucepan until steaming, then add the butter and set aside to cool until warm but not hot. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl or tabletop mixer. Add the cooled water and mix to make a soft dough. Knead for 10 mins by hand, or for 5 mins in a mixer, until the dough feels bouncy and smooth. Return to a clean, oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave somewhere warm to rise for 1½-2 hrs, or until doubled in size.
• Oil a baking sheet. Knock the air out of the dough and knead again for several mins. Take a small piece of dough (about the size of a walnut) and roll it into a ball. Place the ball on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the dough balls about ½ cm apart. Cover and leave to rise for 30 mins. Meanwhile, to make the garlic butter, melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the garlic. Season.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. The dough balls should be almost touching by now. Bake for 25-30 mins until cooked through. Brush with some of the garlic butter and leave to cool for 5 mins. Serve with the remaining garlic butter and a selection of crudités and cured meat, if you like.

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large bowl, then add the sugar, baking powder and 1½ tsp salt. Add the seeds, if you like. Lightly whisk to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the flour.
• Add 1 tbsp of the melted butter, followed by the natural yogurt. Mix together with your hands. Once the yogurt and butter have been absorbed, gradually add 180-200ml water, 50ml at a time. Mix between additions, until it begins to come together into a dough. The water amount will depend on the consistency of the yogurt and butter – stop adding when you have a ball of dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hr. The dough will not rise but it is important to let it rest as this helps to make the naans less chewy and more fluffy.
• If making the garlic butter, mix the garlic with the remaining 1 tbsp melted butter and the coriander. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into eight, 10 or 12 even-sized pieces, depending on how big you want the naans. Roll into round balls, then return to the bowl, covered with a tea towel.
• Roll one of the dough balls out on a lightly floured surface into a round, oval or teardrop shape – roll with a diagonal motion to get an oval. Flip the dough over and repeat on the other side.
• Heat a frying pan. Dry fry the dough over a medium high heat until it begins to puff up and the underside browns in places. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the cooked naan from the pan. Spoon a little of the garlic butter over the naan, if using. Sprinkle over some coriander, if you like. Cover with a tea towel while you repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough.