Naan (nick Malgieri)

Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, about 110 degrees
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• melted butter, for serving

Recipe

• 1 *you will need a griddle or nonstick saute pan for baking the naan, or a charcoal or gas grill.
• 2 in the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar.
• 3 whisk the yeast into the water and add to the bowl; use a large rubber spatula to stir the ingredients together.
• 4 place the bowl on the mixer with the dough hook and mix the dough at the lowest speed for 2 minutes; add in the oil and mix 1 minute.
• 5 scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and turn it over so that the top is oiled.
• 6 press plastic wrap against the surface of the dough and let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour (you may also let it rise in the refrigerator overnight).
• 7 scrape the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
• 8 round the pieces of dough under your hand to make smooth spheres.
• 9 place on a floured plate or pan and cover with oiled plastic wrap; let the dough rise for about 1hour at room temperature or about 3 hours in refrigerator.
• 10 to bake the naan on a saute pan or griddle—place the pan over medium heat and cover the pan with a dome-shaped cover at least 10 inches in diameter; let the pan heat while you are shaping the naan.
• 11 on a lightly floured work surface, use your fingertips to press out one of the pieces of dough into a flat disk; then use the palm of your hand or a rolling pin to flatten the piece of dough to an even disk about 8 inches in diameter.
• 12 uncover the pan or griddle and place the dough on it; cover for 2 minutes and allow to bake; uncover the pan and turn the dough over to bake on the other side for 2 minutes, covering the pan again.
• 13 remove the baked naan from the pan and cover the pan and allow it to heat for a couple of minutes before pressing out and baking the next piece of dough (baking the naan one a time is time-consuming, but best for flavor and texture.
• 14 to bake the naan on a grill, make a charcoal fire and allow it to burn to a covering of ash; or preheat a gas grill and set the temperature between medium and high.
• 15 press out the pieces of dough and place on the grill all at once; if you can cover the grill, do so for about 30 seconds, and turn the naan over to bake for 30 seconds on the other side.
• 16 naan should be blistery and lightly colored, with a few dark spots.
• 17 to serve: quickly brush the naan with melted butter before serving in wedges with indian food or any highly seasoned food.