Naan

Whenever we order Indian take out, there is an inevitable fight over who gets the last piece of naan -- it's one of the best parts of the meal! I've always wanted to give homemade naan a try, and it wasn't as intimidating as I thought. I used this recipe as a guide. The dough may be a weekend endeavor, but a frozen batch can be repurposed for a weeknight curry.

Homemade Naan
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, melted (flavor with crushed cloves of garlic, if desired)

In the bowl of your mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water and add 1 Tbsp of the sugar. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, egg, salt, baking soda, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Using the dough hook, knead for 6 to 8 minutes.

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 and 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.

During the second rising, preheat grill or grill pan to high heat. At grill side on a floured surface, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 1 to 2 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 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Notes: I found it was easier to have several balls rolled out and waiting, since the cook time is quite fast. Also, I ended up freezing half of the dough balls for later use and they worked well for another dinner. Bonus: leftover naan makes a great base for mini pizzas the next day.

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