I was planning to bake some fresh Turkish bread to accompany the grilled Turkish chicken thighs for dinner. However, there is no more olive oil left in my kitchen. Sigh. Luckily I still have plenty of clarified butter and Greek yogurt left. So I decided to make some Naan bread as an alternative to Turkish bread (I know they are QUITE different) and it turned out that it is actually quite delicious and goes well with the grilled chicken.
I had fun making Naan bread because I wasn't actually 'baking' it. Instead, I was cooking the bread directly on a hot heavy-bottomed skillet, just like making pancakes! This garlic-flavoured Naan bread is best served hot.
- Makes 8 small pieces
- 1/4 cup clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup warm water
1. Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand in a warm place for 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy.
2. Combine flour, salt, the yeast mixture, half of the clarified butter, and yogurt in a large bowl. Mix into a soft dough then knead on floured surface for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place until the dough's volume has doubled (about 1 1/2 - 2 hours).
3. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Once the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down. Knead in the minced garlic and continue to knead for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Let them stand for another 30 minutes.
4. To cook the Naan bread. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (I used a cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Roll out dough until it is thin and brush it (I used a silicone brush) with some melted clarified butter. Then put it directly into the hot skillet. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes at medium heat. Check to see that it is not burning. Once nicely browned, flip it over and cook the other side. The bread will puff a little and try not to overcook it as to let the centre of the bread remain soft. Once done, flip it out and start with another dough.
5. Serve hot.
