Thursday, August 1, 2013

Naan

My husband and I are huge fans of Mediterranean foods. I love the bold flavors and the bread is fantastic! One of our favorite restaurants specializes in Turkish foods, but I can't justify going out every time I'm craving it, and buying Naan pre-made just isn't the same, so I thought I'd try making it. Although this bread turned out more like a pita than the Naan I was shooting for my family didn't complain. In fact my boys were begging me to make more!

Print Recipe

Naan

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (100˚ F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine the yeast and the water and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl or mixer add flour, yogurt, olive oil, egg, honey and salt.

Add the yeast mixture and mix by hand or on low until the mixture is smooth and elastic. It will still be sticky.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a clean bowl and coat the surface with a paper towel. Transfer the dough to the clean bowl. Turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise until double for an hour.

Lightly flour a work surface, and punch down the dough.

Turn out the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into rounds and cover with a towel. Let rest for about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile place a baking stone in your oven and preheat to 375˚ F.

Gently stretch a piece of dough into a 7" disk with the center being about 1/4" thick and the edges close to 1/2". Place directly on the hot baking stone. Repeat with another piece of dough and bake for 4 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and there is a big air bubble. With a spatula, flip the bread and press down to release the air. Bake for an additional 4 minutes until done. Remove from the oven and prepare another 2 pieces of dough. Repeat for the remaining dough.