Garlic Naan

• servings: 14 servings
• active time: 3 hours
• total time: 3 hours 3 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Warm water

1 tbsp Active dry yeast

1/2 tbsp Sugar

4 cups All purpose flour

2 tsp Kosher salt

3/4 tsp Baking soda

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

3/4 cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 cup Olive oil

6-10 Garlic cloves (minced)

Handful freshly chopped cilantro

1/2 cup High quality Ghee, melted (you can use unsalted butter as well, but I recommend ghee if you can get your hands on it)

1 tbsp Garlic powder

3 tbsp Freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, add in your yeast mixture. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, combine the rest of your ingredients in the large mixing bowl. You can either use a stand mixer or knead the dough with your hands. Knead until the dough comes together and forms a smooth ball. About 10 minutes.

If you're kneading the dough by hand; on a floured surface, knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. The dough should not stick to your hands or the surface.

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it doubles in size.

One helpful tip to ensure your naan dough rises properly is to preheat your oven to 175°F, then turn it off. Once the oven is warm, cover your dough and place it inside to rise. This warm, draft-free environment will help to activate the yeast and allow the dough to rise to perfection.

After your dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough and divide it into equal portions. Each one of my dough balls weighed around 78-80 grams

Cover your dough balls and allow them to rest for 15 minutes with a damp cloth.

Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it into a disk on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into an oval shape, about 1/4 inch thick.

Now, pick it up gently and stretch out your rolled-out naan dough. Gently pick it up and give it a slight stretch, making sure to rotate the dough as you go to ensure it remains an even thickness. It's important to note that naan dough should be quite elastic, so it should stretch easily without tearing or breaking. (watch video for reference)

After you've rolled out and stretched your dough let them rest for 10 minutes before adding to your hot cast iron.

Preheat a cast iron pan for 5 minutes on medium heat before adding your dough to it. Do not add any oil to your pan

Cook your naan for about 2 minutes on each side until it's golden brown and slightly charred. Flip the naan using tongs or a spatula and cook the other side.

Remember to not overcrowd the skillet while cooking the naan. It’s best to cook one naan at a time to ensure even cooking. Also, be careful while flipping the naan to avoid burning yourself or tearing the bread

To maintain the warmth and freshness of your naan while you bake the remaining bread, it's a good idea to wrap it in a clean towel or aluminum foil, which will help to trap in heat and moisture, keeping the naan soft and tender until it's ready to be served. In case you're making a larger batch of naan, you can keep them warm by placing them in a low-temperature oven at around 200°F until you're ready to enjoy them.

Remove the naan from the skillet and brush it with your Ghee mixture.

And you're done :,)