Saturday, January 23, 2010

Naan

Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flat bread. It is one of the most popular varieties of South Asian breads and is particularly popular in the India, Afghanistan, Iran, United Kingdom, and Pakistan. It is also one of my favorite breads.

Directions call for yeast but if I remember early enough that I am going to make it, sour dough starter works just as well. I simply  replace the yeast with 1/4 cup sd starter and then adjust liquids accordingly. Naan is a great over the camp fire or on top of the wood stove made bread as well. Note that the directions say to rise for a total of about 2 hours. I rarely ever let it rise more than 20 minutes or so for each rise and they still come out fine, part of the reason I like them so well for a quick and easy bread that doesn't bear resemblance to a tortilla.

 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  1 cup warm water
  1/4 cup white sugar
  3 tablespoons milk
  1 egg, beaten
  2 teaspoons salt
  4 1/2 cups bread flour
  2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
  1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. serves 6

If you like the really bubbly skinned naan add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and put lid on the pan or over the tops of them while cooking..For a snack sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar while warm

2 comments:

  1. Hey Dilli, I just discovered your blog this morning, now I know where to find you besides HG!
    I still make the crockpot lentils n rice that I got from you on that site. This naan looks very tasty, I've got to get in the kitchen & do some cooking right now.

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  2. i was wondering who the heck ya was :D nice to see you n sweet you started a blog as well.. Also on another small site www.homestead-hearth.com ...

    hope all is well with you and yours

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