Make Your Own: Naan bread

For some reason, making bread scares me.  It totally has to do with waiting for the yeast to rise.  I tend to be a cook who just throws ingredients into the pot as I'm cooking...which you can't quite do with baking.  Now, breakfast breads...that's my jam. This banana bread recipe is AMAZING!

I happened to find a recipe for Naan on Pinterest one day and I was shocked at how easy it seemed.

That recipe bombed and even Rambo was confused if it was food or a Frisbee.  (#pinfail)

Second round, I wasn't expecting much either but it turned out AMAZING!  It is almost as tasty as Olga's bread, which I wasn't expecting.  This naan is light and fluffy, yet doesn't get soggy when you use it for wraps or pizza.  Score!

Best part?  You can freeze either the dough or the prepared pieces of Naan.  Double up your recipe and save even more time and money.

When you buy Naan at the grocery store, it runs from at least $2.50 for 4 pieces.  You can make it for MUCH cheaper.

What do you do with Naan?  I love to make individual pizzas, wraps or break it off for a soup dipper.

As you saw earlier, I like to make Tzatziki sandwiches at least once a week.

I found this recipe from Budget Bytes and I made some changes.  I used Grapeseed oil (I'm a new fan) and I used our Ultragrain flour from Costco.

Love Pompeian!  Always look for the great 50% off sales at Meijer!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp dry active yeast 
• 1 tsp sugar 
• 1/2 cup warm water 
• 2.5 cups flour (I like Ultragrain or 1 cup whole wheat and 1.5 regular), plus more to sprinkle
• 1/2  tsp salt 
• 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil (or Olive Oil)
• 1/3 cup 0% Greek yogurt 
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid (or regular bowl, if mixing by hand), add yeast, sugar and water.  Stir and allow to dissolve and get frothy...about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in yogurt, oil and egg.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together flour and salt.  
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.  You may need more flour if it ends up sticky.  Kneed for 3 minutes.  (Your stand mixer might jump...no worries!) 
• If you are mixing by hand, kneed until no longer sticky (at least 3 minutes)
5. In the end, the mixture should be smooth and NOT sticky.  Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes (should double in size).  Punch down and break into 8 pieces.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pieces until they are very thin (about 1/8-1/4 inch thick)
7. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, spraying with Olive Oil spray. Place one piece in the pan at a time.  Cook until golden brown on each side. Bubbles are okay!  
8. Finish by brushing with butter or garlic oil and seasoning with herbs of your choice.

Once you try this recipe, it gets faster once you know the process.  I tend to double the batch (making in 2 separate bowls) and cook up 8 pieces, freezing 8 pieces of dough.  You must let the dough rise BEFORE freezing.  

Whole pieces of cooked naan can be frozen, I like to use the Perfect Portion bags for individual pieces, then put 2-3 in a gallon sized freezer bag.

How do you like to eat your Naan?

Like this recipe? Make sure to check out my Facebook page for more recipe & money saving updates!