Authentic Naan Bread
It's so much fun to make flat bread! It's an activity in which the whole family can participate! Our kids LOVE to roll the dough out and see what fun shapes they can make. They fry up in no time at all. Add your favorite Mediterranean seasoned meat filling, and some flavor popping Tzatziki Sauce and you have a delicious, nutritious meal!
Naan--- Indian Flat Bread
This bread is so much fun to make and adds a wonderful layer of flavor to anything you serve it with.
- Griddle
- 1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 tbsp Plain Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- Melted Butter
- Coarse Seal Salt
In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water. Let sit 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large , deep bowl.
Add yogurt and olive oil into the glass and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and add the fennel seeds. Gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour, at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm place for 2-4 hours.
When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky--this is good!
Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.
Roll each piece of dough into a 1/4" thick teardrop shape, narrower at the top than at the bottom. Repeat with each piece of dough.
Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter handy.
Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.
After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, don't worry--that's typical of traditional naan! Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naan and serve.
