Sunday, August 7, 2011

Naan Bread recipe


I adore Naan bread, (...actually any kind of bread), dripping in garlic butter. I've never made it before and ready made offerings from the supermarket are always disappointing.
To accompany our Chickpea Curry and Silverbeet and Potato curry I decided to give making Naan bread a go using the first recipe I found online. It promised the best Naan bread the author had ever eaten outside an Indian restaurant.
I'm amazed the odd time I make any kind of bread and pasta without the aid of my bread maker how strenuous kneading for 10 minutes can be...and I wonder if this might also be a good enforced form of exercise for me...but never follow though of course.

I left out the garlic so that the little person would happily eat them and instead made a very garlic laden garlic butter to drizzle over them.

They were smaller than you get in a restaurant - about half the size but this was good for a family dinner.

I cooked these in my heavy Le Creuset frying pan. I have to wonder if the BBQ might have been a good option. While they didn't look all that authentic, they will be something I will make again.



Ingredients

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
  2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
  4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

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