Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Naan

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Homemade Naan #Recipe @PegCochran

It was Sunday night and that's often when I try new recipes or get a yen to make a slightly more special meal--takeout pizza is reserved for Friday nights after a work week!

I was craving something spicy and exotic and decided to make a chicken curry. But I wanted something to go with it--something other than rice. I wanted naan!

I love trying new things in the kitchen and I love baking. After reading the recipe, I realized it wasn't all that hard and didn't actually take all that much hands-on time. I found a recipe on Budget Bytes which I've adapted somewhat. It was a huge success! There's nothing like serving homemade bread--it seems even more special than the fanciest French sauce.

Give it a try--it's a lot of fun! And delicious, too. I plan on serving the leftovers with a recipe for crockpot gyros that my daughter gave me. Two different cultures, but the pita bread and naan are actually quite similar.

Ingredients

1 packet yeast (I used Rapid Rise although regular will do)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup water
2½ to 3 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 large egg

Instructions

Combine yeast, sugar and warm water. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy on top.

When yeast mixture is foamy, whisk in oil, yogurt and egg.

Combine one cup of flour and the salt. Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Add more flour, ½ cup at a time until dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon. This will take between one and one and a half cups. I used approximately 2 ½ cups flour overall.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately three minutes until smooth and soft but not sticky. Add more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover. Let stand approximately an hour until doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, punch down and form into a disk.

Cut the disk into eight equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a ball.

Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll out first ball of dough into a six inch diameter circle, approximately ¼ inch thick.

Place the circle of dough in the hot skillet. Large bubbles will form on the surface of dough and the bottom will become golden brown. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden.