Naan

With the Winter Olympics underway, I've been thinking a lot about how to incorporate this historical event into my recipes.  Obviously, the top answer is by exploring all of the culinary creations other countries have to offer. 

I've been doing quite a bit of research in the last few weeks to prepare, looking into mostly Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican recipes as these are typically the flavors I like most.  However, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I also looked into recipes that used ingredients I'd either never used or never heard of.

What better way to enhance my palate than during the Olympics, right?

One of the first thing I decided to try was this naan recipe.  Naan is a traditional Indian bread that can be used as a slice of bread for open-faced sandwiches, a side for soaking up sauce, or even as a pizza dough if you're so inclined.

Naan is soft and chewy and filled with little air pockets the way most of my other favorite breads are, so I knew that this was going to be either  revolutionary find for me, or the disastrous end of my waistline as I know it!






Naan

1 packet active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

1/3 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 egg

2 tsp salt

1/2 stick butter, melted

 

 

In a large bowl, add yeast, water and 2 tbsp. of sugar.  Let sit for a few minutes.  Bubbles should start to appear.  Add the rest of the sugar, flour, egg and salt.  Knead for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough becomes elastic.  Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a slightly damp cloth.  Store in a warm place for 1 hour to let rise.

 

Punch down dough.  Make about 10-12 equally sized balls of dough and flatten them onto cookie sheets, about 1/4" thick.  Let sit covered for an additional hour to rise.

 

Brush one side of the dough with butter and place butter-side-down on a grill over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Brush the top with butter and flip, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. 

 

Remove from heat and serve immediately.