Naan
An Indian meal is considered incomplete without a piece of naan. It can be eaten plain or used to clean up sauces off a plate after a meal is finished. This food started out as an addition to royal meals but was quickly adopted into the menus of the masses. It is a simple bread that doesn’t require a person to have much skill in bread making to turn out a delicious final product.
You don’t bake this bread like you would a standard loaf of bread. This naan is cooked in a cast iron skillet, to ensure that it is browned and cooked evenly. Naan is usually cooked in a tandoor oven, which is a circular oven with a big opening. It's sort of a bread kiln, and it can reach very high temperatures that can trap heat. The cast iron skillet is like the tandoor oven in the way that it can maintain a high temperature for an extended period as well. This allows the naan to cook quickly and efficiently and can mimic how the naan would cook when pressed directly against the wall of the tandoor oven.
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 2-1/2 cups flour, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons California Onion Powder
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for about 5 minutes or until it is frothy on top.
- Once frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt, and egg until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the Kosher Salt and California Onion Powder.
- Pour the wet ingredients to the flour-salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding remaining flour, one-quarter cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon.
- Turn ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. You’ll end up using around 2.5 cups of flour. The dough should be smooth and very soft, but not sticky. Avoid adding too much flour as you knead, as this can make dough dry and stiff.
- Cover dough and let it rise until its doubled in size, about an hour.
- After it rises, gently flatten dough into a disc and cut into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.
- Heat an 8 inch cast iron skillet skillet over medium heat. Roll out one ball at a time to ¼ inch thickness, and 6 inches in diameter. Place rolled dough into skillet and cook until bottom is browned and large bubbles have formed. Flip dough and brown that side as well. Stack bread on a plate and cover with towel to keep warm. Serve plain, or brushed with ghee and sprinkled with herbs.