Na NaNaNa Naan!

Hello my friends! I have a bread baking success story to share with you.

While I was picking out my weekly menu yesterday, I decided to make this Roasted Garlic Naan that I've had bookmarked for a while. I also found a couple of curry recipes that I was thinking about trying next week. Then, randomly the hubby comes home and says he wants to go out for Indian food. How weird is that...considering we have never gone out for Indian food in the whole however many years we've been together?!

So we went...I like Indian food, but I mainly like the bread :) We had a lovely dinner. Afterward, I decided I couldn't wait til next week to have some more naan. I needed to make it today! So I did. And I must say, it was one of my more successful bread-making ventures. I think I might finally be getting the hang of it. I made naan a few months ago for a school project and it did not turn out well....I'm seeing now that there was FAR too much flour in it! So I was happy that I was able to redeem myself.

Here's what you need:
1.5 cups warm water, about 100 degrees farenheight
1 tsp active dry yeast
3-3.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Pretty simple right?
Here's what you do:

Combine the yeast, water and sugar and stir gently. Let sit for about five minutes so the yeast can dissolve.

In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid, combine the water/yeast plus a cup and a half of the flour. Mix on low speed for about three minutes. Add the rest of the flour and the salt and increase the speed to high. Let ‘er rip for six minutes, or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and, when pulled, is elastic. (This is where I had my success I think. I always seem to add too much flour, but this time, I added 1 1/2 cups, and then another 1 and a 1/2 cups and let it run for a while. See how it's still too sticky?)

Then I SLOWLY added about 1/3 cup more...The dough was stickier than I was used to, and I think it could have used a little more, but I didn't want to over-do it...so I decided to under-do it today, if anything. I added a little bit more after this picture below was taken...and then coated my hands in flour when I took it out:

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a new, lightly oiled, bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about two hours. It should double in size. (I like to put mine by the oven if I'm making something else because I know it will be warm)

 

While it was rising, I roasted some garlic to make a little garlic butter. I cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzled it with oil, wrapped it in foil and throw it in the oven with my spaghetti squash.

 

 

Use a fork to help get the cloves out when it's done, mash them up, add a couple tablespoons of butter and mash it all together. 

 

 

After the dough has finished rising, turn it out onto a floured counter-top and divide into four equal sections. (I made five) 

Flatten each section down into a rectangular shape and then sprinkle with water and prick your fingers in each. This gives it classic naan “dimples”.

 
Lay each on a lined baking sheet and bake at 475 for ten minutes. (I used my pizza stone and baked mine at 425 for about 15 minutes)

Let cool for ten minutes and then brush each naan with garlic butter. Broil for four minutes. (I only did this for one of my pieces)

Enjoy plain, with butter or with garlic butter!

Happy Eating!
--Lindsay--