we’ve been trying out a few new recipes…. obviously.

i saw this one on another blog and since our naan bread we were using was just… ok,
we gave this one a go.

i’m not going to claim it to be the best, most perfect recipe, cause i’ve only tried a few…
but here’s why i like this one a million times better:

• it fluffs up in the middle. so it’s a pita too! it means you can stuff it with anything you want, or roll it up like flatbread. 1 recipe, multiple uses. win-win.

• it can take eternity to make, or not. confession: i started these about an hour before we wanted to eat, we let the dough rise for only about 30 minutes, then rolled into balls and started bakin em… turns out, they turned out great. would they be lighter, airier, and even yummier had i let them rise as long as she told me to?  most likely.  which means i can do that on days when i have more time {or just remember to start soon enough} and… not do that, when i don’t. win. {note: we made 6 instead of 12 this way. you’ll definitely get 12 if you let it rise for 2 hours.}

• for lunch the next day, i took some pepperjack cheese, pizza sauce, and pineapple and ham… and lets just say it makes VERY tasty pizza too… i’ll be adding this to the meal plan in the future, just cause it’s convenient!

naan indian bread/greek pita bread
adapted from mels kitchen cafe

ingredients

• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

 

what to do:

1. pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy. once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). if using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. proceed as directed below.
2. mix well to combine. continue adding flour gradually until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
3. place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.
4. after the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. while the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
5. once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want it.  lay dough on hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water {so it will stay elastic when it bubbles up!}.  bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. remove from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. brush with melted butter. stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel until ready to serve.

 

Enjoy!

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