Naan (bread)

While preparing Chicken Tikka Masala - I desired delicious Naan to accompany my Indian Restaurant meal.  Having made a different type of flatbread in my family, preparing naan was totally new to me and I was skeptical of how it would turn out...

In the end, I had nothing to fear as my naan cooked perfectly and was great with my Chicken Tikka!

Ingredients:
1/2 package Instant Yeast (or less than 1 Tbs)
1/2 cup Water -Warmed
2 Tbs Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Milk
1/2 Egg beaten
1 tsp Salt
2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour*
*Note- you could use wheat flour as a healthy alternative but honestly, the naan wont be as good as the white flour makes the dough soft and stretchy!
1 Tbs Olive oil

Bloom/Proof the yeast (like we did when making Pizza) with the water in a large bowl.
Add the sugar, milk, egg, salt, and flour.  Mix well till the dough comes together and is soft.
Oil the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour till dough doubles in size.
Separate the dough into balls of equal size - about 6 golf ball sized dough balls will be made.  Use some flour to roll the balls of dough.  Set the balls on the counter and lightly cover with a cheesecloth or saran wrap - allow the dough to rise a second time for about 20 minutes.

While waiting, put a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 475-500⁰F.
Allow the stone to get nice and hot (if you don't have a stone, cook your naan outdoors on a grill or on a griddle pan on the stovetop).

Once you are ready to cook your naan - melt 2 Tbs of Butter and set aside
Roll out your first ball of dough into a thin round circle on a floured surface.  Make sure to keep your counter floured so that the dough will not stick.

Using a brush, spread some of the butter on the dough, and poke your rolled out dough with a fork.

Put this first round of dough on the hot stone and cook for 2-3 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

Continue for remaining dough.

Enjoy your Naan plain, with Chicken Tikka Masala, or add garlic to the melted butter and sprinkle cilantro to make Garlic Naan!