Naan Bread (Indian Flatbread)

One of the things I hate most during the summer is heating up the hot oven to cook. We have a kitchen air conditioner unit, but I try to use natural methods of cooling my house to avoid having to turn it on. That's just one of the reasons I'm so excited to share this wonderful bread recipe with you that I've only recently discovered. It's amazing and you can cook it using a skillet without needing to heat up your oven. Isn't that awesome? My kids all cheer when they hear I'm making this bread. They LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And I do too.

Are you're wondering what Naan is? It's a traditional Indian flatbread that's soft and chewy and absolutely delicious. The traditional baking method is a lot different than I'll show you here, but this method makes delicious bread and is a lot easier to do at home.

Naan Bread (Indian Flatbread)
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Cups milk
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1-2 Cups all-purpose flour
3-4 Tbsp. melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
Heat milk in microwave or on the stove-top until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F). Pour warm milk in bowl of an electric stand mixer and add the sugar, salt, and the whole-wheat flour. Then add the instant yeast on the very top. Mix well to combine. Add all-purpose white flour gradually until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl (you may not need all of the flour and the exact amount depends on your kitchen temperature, humidity, etc.). Let the dough mix for 6 minutes. Then turn off mixer, cover with a light dish towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours.

After the dough has risen, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a light dish towel and let rest for 20-30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, preheat a medium sized heavy duty skillet or griddle on medium high heat. Roll each piece of dough into a circle about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Lay the circle on the hot skillet or griddle and cook for a minute or two until it is lightly puffed and brown with spots. Then flip naan bread and cook on the other side until is is brown and cooked through. Stack the hot naan on top of a plate and brush lightly with melted butter. Cover with a towel until ready to serve to keep it warm.  Or let naan bread cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe found at Mel's kitchen Cafe, changed cooking method and ingredients to include whole-wheat flour.

I served this with Massaman Curry. Yes it's Thai (not Indian Food), but was so yummy yummy.