Naan Bread -- First Time and Love It!

I LOVE to be in the kitchen and baking/desserts are my absolute favorite thing to work on.  What I don't like is the mess so I try and make a day of it when I'm going to be in there.  Why make that mess more often?  Today, I have put two loaves of English Muffin bread off to rise (I've done a post on it in the past here is your LINK), have Oatmeal Raisin cookies mixed, and put four small panna cottas into the refrigerator.  Now, I'm moving onto Naan bread and this is a first for me.  That means I have to find a recipe to use as a base, make it once, and then start my own adjustments.  The one I've selected is from Budgetbytes.com.  I'm not doing a pictorial of the making of the dough as it is the same for any dough but I will share the recipe:



2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/3 - 3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water.  Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is froth on top.  Once frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt, and egg until evenly combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt.  Next, pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined.  Continue adding flour, a half cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.  You'll end up using between 2 1/3 to 3 cups flour total.  The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.  Avoid using excessive amounts of flour as you knead, as this can make the dough too dry and stiff. 

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 1 hour).  This is where we are at:

After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a 10" disc -

Cut into 8 equal pieces (or close to equal).

Shape each piece into a small ball.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet (I used our griddle pan) over medium heat.  Working with one ball at a time (keep the others covered so they don't dry out), roll it out until it is about 1/4" thick (notice the bands on my roller) or about 6 inches in diameter.  *** I found that 1/4" was too thick and switched to 1/8" bands after the first one cooked.

Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden browned and large bubbles have formed on the surface. 

Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. 

Stack the cooked flatbread on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces.  Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs.  So, so much fun and I'll likely make my own from now on.  WAY less expensive and pretty dang easy.