Naan
Serves 4
I found this recipe works best with a high protein all-purpose flour such as King Arthur. A 12-inch cast iron skillet may be used in place of the nonstick skillet. To be efficient, stretch one ball of dough while another is cooking. Do not use non- or low-fat yogurt.
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
½ cup ice-cold water
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1. Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add water and yogurt; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand 10 minutes.
2. Add 3 tablespoons oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spray rubber spatula or bowl scraper with nonstick cooking spray; fold partially risen dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 turns). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folding, turning, and rising 2 more times, for total of three 30-minute rises.
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place heatproof plate on rack. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into smooth, tight ball. Place dough ball on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer one ball to lightly floured work surface and lightly sprinkle with flour. Using hands and rolling pin, press and roll piece of dough into 9-inch round of even thickness, sprinkling dough and work surface with flour to prevent sticking. Using fork, poke entire surface of dough round 20 to 25 times. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Wipe oil out of skillet completely with paper towels. Mist top of dough lightly with water. Place dough in pan, moistened side down, and cover. Cook until bottom is browned in spots evenly across surface, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip naan, cover, and continue to cook on second side until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. (If naan puffs up, gently poke with fork to deflate.) Flip naan, brush top with 1 teaspoon melted butter, transfer to plate and cover plate tightly with foil. Repeat rolling and cooking remaining dough balls. Once last naan is baked, serve immediately.
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Naan (
Persian:
نان,
Urdu:
نان,
Punjabi:
ਨਾਨ,
Pashto:
نان,
Kurdish: nan) is a
leavened, oven-baked
flatbread.
[1] It is typical of and popular in South and Central Asia,
[2][3][4] in
Iran, and in South Asian restaurants abroad. Influenced by the large influx of South Asian labour, naan has also become popular in
Saudi Arabia and other
Persian Gulf states.
[5]
Originally,
naan is a generic term for various flatbreads from different parts of the world.
[6] In
Turkic languages, such as
Uzbek,
Kazakh and
Uyghur, the flatbreads are known as
nan. The name stems from (New) Persian, a generic word for bread. In
Burmese, flatbreads are known as
nan bya (
နံပြား;
pronounced [nàɴbjá]).
