Growing up in New York, I never really experienced Indian food. I’m not really sure why. And as the apple that doesn’t fall far, I tend to cook mainly ‘American’ as my mom did.
That, however, has been slowly changing as my tastes change and I grow deeper in my whole foods approach to eating. My husband took me to my first Indian restaurant and to say I was hooked is an understatement. I just loved the depths of flavor and spices. I had no idea what I had been missing out on for so long.
I even went so far as to make my OWN Chicken Tikka Masala !! It was so delicious and I was so proud of myself for making it! I’ll get that recipe up soon too, I promise. I think you all will really enjoy it as well.
(btw don’t click on that highlighted word, it takes you to a jarred sauce ~ I just can’t get it to unhighlight)
In the meantime, my eyes have really opened when it comes to foods from around the world and the different spices and flavors out there to yet experience.
With my yummy dinner came Naan bread. Have you ever had it? Oh-me-Oh-my! It is soft, it is pliable, it is warm and it soaks up all the yummy Masala sauce 😀
I’ve had Naan bread from the supermarket before and it’s ok. My son loves it with a little tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. But man! There really is nothing like fresh made bread. Don’t you agree?
Making bread is not hard especially if you have a Stand Mixer. It does all the work for you, really. You just keep slowly adding flour until the dough no longer sticks to the sides and forms a nice ball. Take it out and put it in an oiled BIG bowl, cover it with a towel and let it rise for about an hour.
And then the fun begins! Roll the dough out into a large circle and cut it into 8 slices, like a pie.
And then roll out each of those to about 1/4″ thickness.
I’ve made both BIG and small Naan bread with this recipe. This makes a large piece of bread, so I cut the dough in half again and made smaller ones too. Brush them with a little garlic infused butter and plop them into the pan and cook for about a minute or so on each side until you see those lovely brown bubbles form.
I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet, even better would be to cook them on the grill outside. Um…. hello! YUM!!!
And there you have it.
I love to serve this bread with some of my delicious Roasted Garlic Hummus before dinner. My kids absolutely fall all over themselves when I take the time to make this. And I promise you it is NOT hard and you CAN do it. Just try! 🙂
Easy Homemade Naan Bread (That YOU can make!)
Easy homemade Naan bread you can make yourself!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon Organic Cane Sugar
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour (I use Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk Plain yogurt (or Greek Yogurt)
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Organic Egg
- 1/4 cup Olive OIl
To brush on top while cooking:
- 2 Tablespoons Organic butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Instructions
- Add the yeast to the bowl of the Stand MIxer. Add the hot water to the bowl and give the yeast a quick stir to mix it in with the water. Then let it sit for 5-10 minute until the yeast is foamy.
- Add the sugar
- Turn the mixer onto low speed, and gradually add some of the flour, the yogurt, salt, baking powder, and egg and oil in increments alternating. Increase the speed to medium-low, and continue mixing the dough for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour until the dough is smooth. (The dough will still be slightly sticky, but should form into a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and this can take 5-10 minutes)
- Meanwhile pour a little olive oil into a large bowl and spread it up the sides using a paper towel or brush
- Remove dough from the mixing bowl and place it into the greased bowl in the shape of a ball. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm location (I set mine in the oven quickly turned onto 100 and then turned off) and let it rise for 1 hour until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat until melted. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then remove butter from heat, strain out and discard the garlic, leaving the infused melted butter behind. Set aside but keep warm
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a floured work surface. Cut the dough into 8 separate pieces
- Roll each into a ball with your hands, then place on the floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large circle until the dough is a little less than 1/4-inch thick
- Brush the dough lightly with the garlic-infused butter on both sides and place on a hot cast-iron skillet or heavy saute pan over medium-high heat
- Cook for 1 minute, or until the dough begins to bubble and the bottom turns lightly golden. Flip the dough and cook on the second side for 30-60 seconds
- Transfer it to a plate and cover it with a towel so it doesn’t dry out
- Continue until all the dough is cooked
Notes
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Recipe Source: HappilyUnprocessed.com
I used all organic ingredients when making this recipe and hope you do too! 🙂
What do I do with the 1/4 cup oil, the directions don’t say.
sorry Risslina you add it to the mixer as the dough it mixing. I’ll correct it in the recipe steps. Good catch, thanks! 😀
Wow – been looking for a recipe for Naan. We love Indian and make our own at home often but never made the Naan. Will post back to let you know how we get on.
Hi Leyla – let me know how they turned out!