Naan

It is Tuesday, February 1st. On Sunday we heard about a major winter storm that was supposed to hit ... and Mid-Missouri is in a state of emergency. We are supposed to get 12-24 inches of snow! So, I decided to stay home from work, and felt that today would be full of boredom ... and the perfect time to try on making naan. As I may have mentioned in a previous post, I like Indian food, like .... a lot. And with Indian food, you must have naan. Even though Butter Chicken came earlier in the week, they are best made and enjoyed together ... if you have the time. This isn't an easy weeknight process, my friends!

Here we go!

The cast of characters:

Dissolve a packet of yeast in WARM water. Add a tablespoon of sugar to proof.

Leave the yeast water (what is this called? I am not really a baker. I don't know the correct term.) for 10 minutes. While you are waiting for those 10 minutes, prepare the rest of the ingredients to go in.

Add the sugar, salt, milk, egg, and flour and knead to make a soft dough.

knead it for 8-10 minutes, or until it's smooth.

Put it in a well greased bowl (I used that non stick spray, worked great) and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise for one hour.

After it has risen, punch it down (I won't lie this was my favorite part) and add minced garlic:

Knead it in.

Now start pulling off golf ball sized pieces of dough and rolling them into balls. Set them aside:

And cover them with a damp cloth:

Leave them for 30 minutes, they're going to rise again.

I used this time to revisit a past snow day memory. I was about 8 I think, and my little brother and I got stuck at school because my mom was stuck in non moving bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of a snow storm. Our teacher took us to the cafeteria and made us some frozen burritos with queso on top. I had some frozen burritos and queso (no judging, please) and that's what we had for lunch today. Yummy!

After you are done enjoying your guilt ridden treat, lets get back to the matter at hand.

Heat a skillet up on high heat. Roll out a ball of dough until it looks similar to a pancake, and place it on the skillet, and brush the top with melted butter: 

Flip it over after a minute or so:

Give it another minute or so, and serve it with your favorite Indian dish.

I only made 3 pieces. We were still stuffed from the burritos. I individually wrapped the rest and froze them for another time.

There you are peeps! A snow day snack. Now, I'm going back to playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my two favorite guys.

 Enjoy!



NAAN

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. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to proof. 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 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.