Recipe: Home-Style Naan Bread

HOME-STYLE NAAN BREAD

2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 cup cold plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons sesame seeds

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Place yogurt in a medium bowl and gradually stir in boiling water. Let cool to tepid (105 to 115 degrees F).

2. Sift together all-purpose and whole-wheat flours. To make a sponge, stir yogurt mixture into yeast mixture. Stir in 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Then stir 2 minutes in the same direction. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle oil and salt onto the sponge. Mix in enough of the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if the dough is sticky, about 10 minutes.

4. Wash out and lightly oil the large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and arrange baking tiles on the rack, leaving a 1-inch space between tiles and oven walls. Or place a 10-by-14-inch baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

5. Punch dough down and divide into 6 pieces. Using lightly floured hands, flatten each piece on a lightly floured work surface into a 4-to 5-inch round. Cover dough rounds with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

6. Lightly flour a baker's peel or the back side of a large baking sheet. Working with one dough round at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface until the dough begins to stretch. (Keep remaining dough covered.) Brush excess flour from work surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Lay dough out on seeds and roll to a 6-by-10-inch rectangle.

7. Turn dough over. Using a sharp paring knife, cut five 1-inch long slits evenly spaced around the dough, radiating out from the center. Slide dough onto the baker's peel or prepared baking sheet; then slide dough onto tiles. Bake 5 minutes or until top is beginning to brown. Transfer bread to a rack and repeat with remaining dough and sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 naan
Source: Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid