Garlic Naan

The only thing getting in the way of you making restaurant quality naan is one ingredient that all restaurants use: butter! Pillowy soft naan is easily achievable at home, and there should be no reason for you to try to buy some outside. Like most food, it always tastes better homemade.

For those who don't know, naan is a leavened flatbread typically found in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Naan accompanies a wide variety of foods, from curries to dal, to paneer. It is similar to a pizza dough, but doesn't use yeast and is even softer than any other bread out there.

At first, I never thought I could make restaurant quality naan, but in reality, there isn't a secret. Just mix flour and milk and some leaveners and you pretty much got naan dough. Because none of us home cooks have a tandoor at home, I modified this recipe to still achieve the same browning that is found when using a tandoor.

Recipe:

For the dough:

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (preferably double-acting)

2 tablespoons oil

For the toppings:

3 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 cup basil, chopped

3 tbsp butter, melted

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium size bowl. Add yogurt, milk and oil and mix together until a soft ball forms.

2. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until the outside the dough is soft, but still has some structure.

3. Let the dough sit for anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight. This will cause bubble formation, which is incredibly important in soft naan.

4. After the dough has rested, divide the dough in to 6 pieces and roll one out to a circle. Make sure to gently roll out the dough, as we don't want to pop all of the air bubbles. Next, add a splash of water to one side of the dough.

5. Preheat broiler and heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add the naan water-side down onto the skillet. Cook for 1-2 two minutes, brush on butter and add garlic to the top side.

6. Transfer to the broiler and broil until the top is lightly brown. Garnish with basil.

7. Enjoy!