Naan

Another part of my brother's birthday feast- naan! The reviews for this recipe were incredible here but mine didn't rise very well. I wasn't surprised though, because I don't recall ever having bread rise properly for me! We also had a very cold weekend, and I didn't do much to try and make a nice warm environment for the dough (it had to rise in the car during church, with snow on the ground outside!)

It turned out very tasty, and slightly sweet, with a subtle yeasty flavor. One reviewer recommended adding a teaspoon or so of baking soda, to give the finish product the "bubbles" so common in fresh restaurant naan. The recipe is taken directly from the site above- please go check it out. They have lots of great recipes!

One more note- we cooked these on the stove top, on both a griddle and in a skillet. I made a double batch, so we needed a lot of work space to get these cooked up! They were very good the next day, too. We did not add the garlic or use the butter called for- just dry cooked them over medium high heat. I think they would work better NOT in a teflon pan- it tended to smoke a lot.

Naan

Ingredients:

• 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. 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.