Cooking with Ish

” We never make Naan at home”, I would proudly tell any Naan- Indian food enthusiast. It is made of white flour, while the humble roti that is made of whole wheat flour is much more nutritious. But then, after making dosas ( Indian Crepes) on the griddles at the Creperie for six  Indian dinners. I was ready to try something new… so why not try making Naan…

I didn’t think it was possible to make a good Naan without the  tandoor -special clay oven that is heated up to 800 degree F. A tandoor would only heat up the kitchen apart from causing hand and arm burns.Especially for a clumsy cook like me. So I tried various Naan recipes at home, before coming up with my own recipe.

At home I use Bethany’s griddle that I bought at a Walmart in Williston, ND. It is used for making Lefsa, but its size, shape  and temperature ( it can go upto 500 degree F), make it a versatile griddle. So now, it is a Naan griddle too!

The experiment Naan turned out just fine on the griddles at the Creperie. They were set at 225 degree C.

So, I guess we will continue to make Naans on the very same griddles meant for making Crepes…for our Indian dinners, as we have for the last two. I can never make enough, people absolutely love them and so do our boys from “Xteam Robotics” – who serve the food. At the last dinner, I must have made about 70 – 80 Naans…

So today, I am making Naan at home for a change, or is it ok to say we love Naan too… It is fluffy and melts in your mouth when served hot off the griddle

Blend all the dry ingredients

Add the liquid blend

Blend for a couple more 2 – 3 minutes

Add more flour if the dough is runny

Knead the dough

Let the dough rise for about an hour

After One hour, when the dough has doubled in size Punch dough and….

Shape dough into balls

Flatten dough ball by transferring it from one palm to another

Slap the dough onto the hot griddle at 450 F

Cook it for 2 minutes on each side…

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients
5 1/2 to 6 cups all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoon (2 packages) Red Star Quick Rise Yeast
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water, 120° to 130°
6 T oil
6 T Greek yogurt
Cooking spray bottle

Directions

1. Put 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
2. Sift them twice with a flour sifter or use a blender for 30 minutes..
3. In another mixing bowl blend hot water, oil, and yogurt and mix well together to turn it into a homogenous liquid blend..[ make sure the temperature is atleast 110 degree F]
4. Add the liquid blend to the dry flour blend
5. Knead by hand or run the blender to mix it well for 1 minute.
6. Add in the remaining flour little by little and blend it by hand or use dough hook to mix in remaining flour.
7.  Use the cooking spray on your hands and dust your hands with some flour, so the dough does not stick to your hands..
8. Knead until the dough is smooth
9. Add more flour as necessary.
10. Knead for 5 – 7 minutes.

Let the dough rise

10.Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top.
11.Cover and let rise, in a warm places until the dough doubles, about an hour.

Shape the dough into balls and roll with a rolling pin or use your hands

12. Punch the dough down, and divide dough in to 10 – 12 pieces.
13. Shape each piece into a ball.
14. Let it rest five minutes covered.
15. Slap or roll each ball of dough between your hands in to a tear drop shape about 6-8 inches long and about 1/4 inch thick.

I prefer slapping and transferring each ball of dough with my slightly oily hands( you can spray your hands with the nonstick cooking spray to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.).. also it keeps it softer and help retain the moistness that way……in to a tear drop shape so the edges are thick and the center is thin…

Bethany’s griddle (400  – 450 degree F) or a cast iron skillet on the cooktop

Preheat griddle/skillet 
1. Lightly mist the griddle with the cooking spray
2. Slap the naan onto the hot griddle
3. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side
4. Remove form the griddle, apply butter liberally before serving…

We like to serve the naan right off the griddle  at the Creperie