Naan

I've only eaten Indian food a couple of times.  As with Mexican and other cuisines South, Indian sneaks in stuff I'm allergic to in the spice mix.  The few times I've tried Indian recipes at home, I've liked them.

Instead of buying a loaf of French bread to do a cold dinner, I decided to try making naan.  Most recipes are similar: a basic yeast dough with yogurt in it, cooked on a skillet instead of in the oven.

The process is basic for anyone who has made yeast bread before: knead, rise, punch down, shape, apply heat.  (There's no second rise.)  The taste is my new favorite pizza crust.

I skipped the ghee, instead melting butter and brushing it whole on the finished pieces.  I've done clarified butter before, and after deciding it didn't make a difference in whatever it was I did it for (probably hollandaise), I gave it up.

These are just plain naan, but you can jazz them up by sprinkling them with garlic, herbs, or spices on top of the final brush of butter.  You can see that I was having them with hummus, and didn't think the competition would add anything to the meal.

2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 C 100ºF water
2 Tb olive oil
1/3 C plain yogurt
2-1/2 to 3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb butter or ghee, melted

1.  Combine yeast, sugar, water, olive oil, and yogurt.  Let sit until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes.

2.  In stand mixer with the paddle, stir together liquid mix and 1 C of flour.  Add salt and beat until a batter forms, about 2 minutes.  Add another cup of flour to make a light dough and beat another couple of minutes until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

3.  Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Coat a bowl with a few drops of oil and turn dough over in the bowl to coat all sides.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4.  Punch down dough and turn out onto that lightly floured surface again.  Cut into 8 identical pieces.  Roll out one into a 6" circle while you preheat a 6" skillet on medium-high heat.  Drop the circle onto the skillet and let cook while you start rolling out the next one.  When the cooking one is lightly browned and slightly firm, about 2 minutes, flip it and do the other side.  Brush top of finished bread with butter and start a stack.  Repeat until all are cooked, keeping the finished ones on a plate under a towel to keep them warm and soft.

Makes 8

Difficulty rating. :)