Naan

The first time ever, in my very long life, that I had Naan bread was when we first visited NHB in Florida.  Hillary took out some naan and made individual pizzas for lunch.  It was so good.  Yesterday I needed to make a couple of dishes for the library's CookBook BookClub.  One I opted for was naan, a recipe in the cookbook we were all working from.

Turns out it was SO easy and SO MUCH better that better.  Here's the recipe.  It's a keeper for sure.

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for roling
1-1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
2 t. kosher salt
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Grapeseed or canola oil
unsalted butter, melted, as needed for cooking
Kosher salt, as needed

1.  Sift the flour, yeast, sugar, salt together into the bowl of a stand mixer. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup warm water and the yogurt.

2.  Place the bowl on the mixer, fit with a dough hook, and add the yogurt mixture.  Mix on low speed until completely combined.

3.  Increase the speed to high and mix about 8 minutes to develop the gluten. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes or til the dough as doubled in size.

4.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and form each piece into a smooth ball.  Allow to rest 10 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to a circle about 1/4" thick (after the first one I cooked and which we immediately ate, I rolled the rest out a bit thinner...and yet it still bubbled nicely).

5.  Heat a part cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, brush the naan with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Cook in the skillet until the naan is golden brown and puffed on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately

Makes 8 flat breads

Variations:
Garlic Naan:  Mince 2 cloves garlic and sprinkle on top of the naan with the salt.

Onion Naan:  Dice enough yellow onion to make 1/2 cup and sprinkle on top of the naan with the salt.

Cilantro Naan:  Coarsely chop enough cilantro to make 1/4 cup and sprinkle on top of the naan with the salt.