Naan (Leavened Indian Flatbread)

This is a recipe I brought back from a trip to India.  Naan is the most famous of the breads in India.  They are perfect for mopping up the gravy in Indian curries or other dishes. 

Ingredients

·         1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

·         1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

·         1 cup warm water

·         3 cups of all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         6 tablespoons ghee, divided  See the instructions below for making ghee.

·         3 tablespoons unsweetened yogurt

·         Vegetable oil, for greasing

·         3 teaspoons onion seeds (options)

To Make Ghee

Ghee is butter that has been processed to remove the milk solids. It’s basically butter oil.  Ghee can be a way for those with a slight dairy sensitivity to enjoy the flavors of butter. The casein and whey proteins that cause a sensitivity are removed with the milk solids.  You know how butter tends to burn when you cook with too high of a heat? That’s because the milk solids overcook easily. When you remove those, the smoking point of butter goes way up: from about 350 degrees to 450 degrees or more.

1.     Start with the highest quality butter you can. Salted or unsalted will work, though some insist that the best ghee is made with unsalted butter.

2.     Put the butter in a saucepan. It will melt faster if you cut it up a bit first. Turn the heat to medium-low.

3.     After the butter melts, it will start to bubble and separate. This has probably happened to you when you’ve melted butter for a recipe and forgot it on the stove for a bit. This is the whey from the butter floating to the surface.

4.     Skim off the whey. You can compost it or save it and put it in mashed potatoes!

5.     Continue to cook the butter until it turns clear and the milk solids sink to the bottom. You can stop at this point: you’ve made clarified butter! Or you can continue to cook your butter to make ghee.

6.     You want to brown (but not burn) the milk solids on the bottom of the pan. This will give your ghee a nutty, butterscotch flavor.

7.     Let the ghee cool a bit and strain through cheesecloth, paper towel, or a coffee filter. This ensures that you remove the last bits of the milk proteins.

8.     Store covered at room temperature.

Steps to Make the Bread

1.     Proof the yeast.  This is a term that indicates the yeast is active.  To do this, add the dry yeast and sugar to the warm water and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and leave aside for 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to froth.  Keep aside.

2.     Mix the flour and salt to taste and sift through a very fine sieve into a large mixing bowl.

3.     Add the yeast mixture, 3 tablespoons of ghee, and all of the yogurt. Use your fingertips to mix all this into a soft dough.

4.     Once mixed, flour a clean, flat surface, and knead the dough until it is smooth and stretchy.

5.     Grease a large bowl with a few drops of vegetable oil and put the dough in it. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for about 90 minutes or till the dough doubles in volume.

6.     Punch the dough down and knead again for 10 minutes.

7.     Divide the dough into equal portions and roll between your palms to form 8 round balls.

8.     Lightly flour the same surface on which you kneaded the dough and roll out each ball until you have a circle, 7 to 8 inches in diameter (1/2-inch thick). Gently pull on one edge of the circle to form the naan into a teardrop shape. Do not pull too hard or you may tear the dough. Instead of rolling the dough out with a rolling pin you can pat it into a circle with your hands.

9.     Preheat your oven 400 F.

10.Lay a piece of aluminum foil ​on an oven tray (to cover) and grease it lightly with a few drops of vegetable oil.

11.Place as many formed dough balls as will fit without touching each other on the tray.

12.Brush each dough ball lightly with ghee, and, as an option, sprinkle a pinch of onion seeds evenly over the surface.

13.Place the tray in the oven and cook till the naan begins to puff out and lightly brown. Flip the naan and repeat.

14.Remove from oven and serve hot in a foil-lined basket.