Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Na'an

Of all the recipes I've shared, na'an is actually the one I make the most.
I find myself making batch after batch of this simple, Indian flatbread. It's easy, requires very few ingredients and I never seem to get sick of it.

I decided to finally try bigger more complicated breads, but first I thought I should revisit my first experience cooking with yeast.

As I mentioned before in my pretzel post, yeast is easy, treat it with care and it will go all the work for you.
This recipe for na'an should yield 4 pieces, but my pictures only show 3. Why?
Well, when I make na'an no matter what, I always end up devouring the first piece straight out of the oven, slathered with butter and kosher salt, while the rest bake. I just can't help it.

I always plan to make hummus, but the na'an never survives that long.

I used to make double batches of the stuff, in an effort to keep it around longer, but I know I make regular batches frequently instead. I like the ritual of baking bread every few days.

(I pretty much bake whenever I notice that the house is cold.)


Na'an
2 cups of flour
2/3 cup of plain yogurt (regular or fat-free, either works), room temperature
2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
1 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
(Note: by "optional" I mean, "super delicious, you should add them")
Mix everything together in a bowl.

Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth ands elastic.

Let rest in an oiled bowl, covered for 60-90 minutes.

Separate into 4 balls and let rest for another 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


On a floured surface, roll each ball into an 16-18 inch oval (basically as thin as you can get it works).

Bake one at a time on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, until they bubble up and brown a bit.

Serve with hummus, use as the base of a pizza, or eat warm standing in your kitchen (my standard method of snacking).

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