Garlic Naan

While I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight (and ultimately decided on chicken tikka masala; more on that later), I decided it would be a good night for Naan.  I made it a few weeks ago when I did a quick chicken vindaloo, and it was devoured in very short order.  The recipe is easy enough, so it was added to the menu for tonight.

One of my favorite things about going to Indian Restaurants is Naan, the butter -covered flatbread that is very close to perfection when it comes to flatbread.  It’s a staple in South Asia cuisine with varieties of it found as far west as Persia (where the name originated) and Turkey.  Put simply, Naan is a leavened oven-baked flatbread typically cooked in a tandoori (clay oven) – I don’t have a tandoori, but it seems to work really well on a pizza stone.  It can be garnished with whatever you’d like (although I typically enjoy melted butter, garlic, and a sprinkle of sea salt).

Garlic-Butter Naan (from King Arthur Flour)

• 17 ounces all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 ounces milk
• 4 ounces whole milk yogurt
• 1 ounce melted butter
• 1 large egg

1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment until a ball is formed.
2. Switch to the dough hook and knead until a smooth, stiff dough is formed (4-5 minutes)



3. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours).  If you’re doing this earlier in the day, you can put the dough in the fridge after the 2 hour rise.  Pull it out of the fridge about 45 minutes before baking time.
4. Preheat oven to 475
5. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape into a thin triangle.  Place on a parchment (or silicone lined) baking pan and cover.  Let rest for 15 minutes.
6. Place each dough piece directly onto the stone and let cook for 2 minutes, flip and let cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Remove to a cooling rack and brush with butter melted with diced garlic.

Submitted to YeastSpotting