Naan Bread
I planned to make roti on the weekend, but then I found a recipe for naan. It is a treat that Steve and I really enjoy a lot, but its expensive at the grocery store. Instead I learned to make it myself. It turned out delicious. I made littler ones because there was a lot of food on the table. I will make these again, likely on weekends because it is so easy to make but needs time to rise.
You start with two separate batches of ingredients that you mix together to form a standard bread recipe that bakes under high heat on a pizza stone:
- ½ cup Warm Water, about 110F
- 1 tsp Instant Yeast (if you have regular yeast, see note below)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour, plus some extra for rolling and dusting
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 tsp Oil
- 1 Egg, well beaten. FYI – one tablespoon Flaxseed powder mixed with 3 tablespoons of water can be used as a substitute for egg. You will be able to see tiny flaxseed flecks but there is no taste difference.
- 2 Tbs Yogurt
To start, mix the yeast and sugar, test the water temperature and add slowly. Cover and let stand for 5-10 minute, or until it foams up. This is called proofing the yeast. Add the yogurt and beaten egg. Whisk until mixed well.
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt together; drizzle in the oil and mix until there are no lumps. Add the yeast mixture to the flour a little at a time and knead into a soft dough ball. Drizzle a few drops of oil on the dough and cover; keep in a warm place for 1 hour. Once dough has risen, lightly oil your hands to prevent sticking and punch down the dough and knead. Dust with additional flour if needed. NOTE: If you don’t have instant rise yeast (but rather regular yeast), punch the dough down and allow to rise again for an additional hour.
Preheat your oven to highest temperature possible (approx 550 degrees F or the broil setting) with a pizza stone inside on the highest oven rack.
Divide the dough into 8 (or 12 littler) portions, dust with flour and roll it out on a floured surface. Keep rolled naan aside on a tray. Do not layer (they will continue to rise and stick together).
Place 3-4 rolled naan onto the hot pizza stone and place stone. If you want, you can brush with garlic butter, or spices like garam masala or coriander seeds.
Bake for 3, then turn to cook another 2 minutes on the other side until the naan are light golden brown. Remove from oven and smear on butter (optional). Keep the bread in an insulated container until ready to serve. Best served fresh and hot.
