Naan Bread

Naan Bread

I love Indian food, particularly Naan bread.  I'm not very impressed with store-bought Naan so when I decided to make homemade Chicken Saag, I had to try homemade naan to go with it.  It's delicious!  Tender and buttery. 

Ingredients:
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

Directions:
Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch, about 110*F on an instant-read thermometer.  Mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated.  Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour.  Mix well to combine.  Continue adding flour gradually until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand. 
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.  After the dough has rested, turn in onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape.  Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.  While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500*F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven (If you don't have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan, or use a baking pan turned upside down in the oven; you will need to experiment with cooking times if you use another method).
Once the dough has rested 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thick you want it.  Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water.  Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed and brown spots begin to appear on the top.  Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack.  Brush lightly with melted butter.  Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven.  Serve warm. 


By:  MelsKitchenCafe