Naan

Naan is a raised flat bread and my favorite part of any meal in an Indian restaurant. Soft and chewy, it can’t be beat warm from the griddle, and I was pleased to see that it’s no more complicated than any other bread. It’s easy to see why this is a staple in many parts of Asia.

After a first rise, the dough is punched down, garlic added, and shaped into small balls, as if you were making rolls

After a brief 30 minutes proofing, the dough is rolled flat and then into a hot pan

Just like making pancakes, you get a nice even finish on the first side, but because of the bubbles that form, just the high spots brown on the second side

We had our naan with homemade hummus (the peanut butter version) and sauteed red bell pepper

I combined two recipes, one from food network, the other from allrecipes. I know we’ll make this again!

Ingredients

1 packet dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour (pizza dough flour was the closest thing I could find)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
olive oil

Directions

• Dissolve the yeast in the water (approximately 110 F/43 C); it should begin to foam
• Add the sugar, yogurt, and egg
• Add the salt and a couple cups of flour, enough to get a soft dough
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for five or six minutes, working in the remaining flour
• Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and turn over (to lightly oil all of the dough), cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour
• Punch down the dough and knead in the garlic if you’re using it
• Divide the dough into 14 portions and roll into balls, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes
• Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat
• Roll out the first ball of dough, lightly brush one side with olive oil (I rolled the dough as thin as I could, about 1/4 inch and 7 inches in diameter)
• Place oil-side down in the hot pan, brush the top with oil, turn to brown both sides (about 2 minutes per side)
• Repeat with the remaining dough

Serves 14 (people who have enough self control to only eat one piece)