Naan and pizza dough have many similarities, but they are not the same. Naan is made of flour, yogurt, water, and a leavening agent—either baking soda or yeast. Pizza dough (like my Whole Wheat Pizza Dough) is typically made from flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast (conventional or sourdough).
Now the dough is ready to use. If making pizza, cut the dough in half or thirds and press gently into a circle/oblong shape — then place on a baking sheet or onto a pizza peel. Top with your favorite toppings and slide into a 500 degree oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. If making focaccia bread, dump the dough onto an oiled 11×17-inch baking sheet and press to fill the pan. Let rise for another 45 minutes (it will fill out the pan as it rises). Top with caramelized onions (or your favorite toppings) and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden.
The naan dough was easy enough to make. We did the overnight-rise-in-the-fridge option and that resulted in a supple dough. Our toppings were some caraway seeds and sliced scallion. The recipe suggested having a large quarry tile or pizza stone in the oven — we didn’t have either so we used the second option, the back of a baking sheet, as a cooking surface. Here’s where we ran into trouble. Even at 500 degrees, the oven just wasn’t hot enough to cook the naan quickly and encourage any browning. And since there was no oil on or in the dough, the end result, while tasty, was a very pale dough without the color and texture we expected from naan. In the end we were left sheepishly muttering that the Trader Joe’s frozen naan was so much better…why even go through this effort (gasp!). But it’s no wonder! Traditional naan is made in a firey-hot tandoori oven and the dough it slapped against the side of the oven wall, creating a blackened, blistered bread that is crunchy in some parts and soft in others and full of flavor. So this naan, while somewhat pleasant and chewy, left a lot to be desired.
Then we made our favorite pizza dough just to see what the difference in flavor and texture would be in a side-by-side tasting (and because we are always looking for an excuse to make pizza). The pizza won hands-down. First, there’s the addition of olive oil in the dough and on the outside of the dough — that helps with the texture and taste. The dough takes on some of that grassy olive oil flavor throughout. And when it’s baked in the same 500 degree oven it gets browned thanks to the olive oil. Of course, once we had pizza dough made, we couldn’t help but start topping it with all kinds of goodies….mozzarella, tomatoes, ricotta, figs….
In the end, despite our distractions with pizza toppings, we decided that we preferred the taste and texture of the pizza dough. So the next time we want some naan to eat alongside an Indian-inspired meal, we’ll use this dough recipe, brush it with some olive oil, sprinkle with the caraway seeds and a bit of onion and bake until crispy. Although chances are pretty good we’ll get distracted with toppings again……
This week’s baking assignment from Tuesdays with Dorrie was naan – that lovely leavened bread that’s best used to sop up a creamy chicken korma from the local Indian restaurant. As I was reading through the recipe for the first time, I realized it’s very similar to the pizza dough we make all the time for our caterings and cooking parties. (Check out the naan recipe at this week’s host blogs: Always Add More Butter and Of Cabbage & King Cakes.) They both have flour, yeast and water..how different could they be? Well, it turns out there are a couple of key differences in cooking technique that resulted in a clear verdict: we prefer the pizza dough. Here’s how it went down in the kitchen:
Enriching the Dough
In fact, the only real key difference between pizza and naan lies in the dough. While pizza dough is lean—that is, its made of just flour, yeast, salt, and water—naan dough is an enriched dough—that is, its got dairy in it. This affects its texture in a number of key ways.
First, dairy, whether its yogurt or milk (the two most common wet ingredients in naan), contains fat, which impedes gluten development in dough. Under normal, water-only circumstances, the proteins in flour, which resemble tiny balls of yarn, will unravel and get tangled up with each other, forming gluten, the protein matrix that gives bread its structure and chew. Add a bit of milk fat to the mix and the picture looks a little different. Fat will not only coat flour proteins, making them less likely to get wet and unravel, but itll also physically get in the way of proteins cross-linking.
All this is to say that when you add dairy to your dough, you end up with a much softer texture—essential for naan. Unlike a pizza crust, which should have enough structure to stand out straight and stiff, naan should be very easily flexible. Crisp, but not crackery.
I made several batches of dough using different combinations of liquids ranging from 100 percent yogurt to 100 percent milk. Guess what? None of them was bad. I preferred the slightly tangy flavor of the 100 percent yogurt version, but theres no need to go out to the store to get it—whole milk works just fine.
FAST RECIPE How To Make Dough For Pizza or Naan With Yeast | Vegan Recipe
FAQ
What dough is similar to pizza dough?
What can I use instead of pizza dough?
What dough is naan made of?
Is pizza flour good for naan?
Are naan and pizza dough the same?
Naan and pizza dough have many similarities, but they are not the same. Naan is made of flour, yogurt, water, and a leavening agent—either baking soda or yeast. Pizza dough (like my Whole Wheat Pizza Dough) is typically made from flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast (conventional or sourdough).
What are the health benefits of naan?
Naan is a type of Indian bread that contains carbohydrates that provide the body with energy. Homemade versions made with whole grains may contain additional benefits such as fiber and probiotics.
What is naan bread pizza?
Naan bread pizza is topped and baked like regular pizza, but it swaps naan bread for the pizza crust. It’s an excellent backup option for nights when you need good food fast, but that’s not the only reason to make it. (The same is true of English Muffin Pizza .)
Does naan bread make a good pizza crust?
Using naan bread for an easy homemade pizza crust is the perfect way to transform your meal into something hearty and delightful. Plus, the personal-sized portions make it perfect for DIY pizza night! Dive into making your very own naan bread or grab some at the store, and let’s get started! It couldn’t be simpler unless it made itself!