INDIAN NAAN BREAD

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

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 cup butter, melted



Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, and salt.  Gradually add 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. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a lightly greased tray or baking sheet. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30-60  minutes.



During the second rising, preheat a a lightly oiled outdoor grill, or indoor grill or skillet to high heat. Mix together melted butter and garlic salt in a small bowl.  Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough out into a thin circle. Place dough rounds on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. While bread is cooking, brush uncooked side with butter.  Turn over and brush cooked side with butter.  Continue cooking until browned, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all of the naan has been prepared.



Let's Dish

My husband took one bite of this and said (with is mouth full of bread), "This is good bread!"  My children and I all agreed.  It does take some time and patience, but it's worth it! I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a dough hook to prepare the dough, but I'm sure you could use a bread machine as well.  I usually don't use much more than 3 cups of the flour, otherwise the dough is too tough.  I've never made it on the outdoor grill, but I'm guessing it would be delicious.  Here's my little secret . . . I make this on my George Foreman grill.  I put a couple of bread rounds in, brush the tops with butter, and close the lid for about 3 minutes.  Then I flip the bread, brush the other side with butter and cook it for an additional 2-3 minutes.  I get about 20 bread rounds out of this recipe.  It never lasts past the next morning.  Which is fine, because it get's a little chewy by the next day.  But if I do have leftovers, I use it to make pita chips, or as crust for personal pizzas.  If your yeast isn't prepackaged, you'll need about 2 1/2 teaspoons to equal one packet.



Who Dished It Up First

Adapted from allrecipes.com.



Printable recipe