Grilled Indian-Style Bread
Inspired by a new book, we attempt to make "Naan"—a delicious bread that we have enjoyed many times at local Indian restaurants. The recipe is very similar to a pizza dough and so we decide to cook it on the outdoor grill like our grilled pizzas. The result is wonderful—flavorful and perfect for mopping up curries. Originally served as part of: Naan Salmon.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons clover honey
- ¼ ounces packaged, active dry yeast
- 3¼ cups all-purpose, plus more as needed flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- ½ cup plain, whole milk yogurt
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil (divided, plus more for bowl)
- sesame seeds
Instructions
We start making the dough in the afternoon, 2 hours or so before we
want to eat. We heat the milk in a
2-cup glass measuring cup in the microwave for 30 seconds and take the
temperature. We want the milk to be between 105° and
In the food processor, we pulse the flour, salt, and baking powder.
When the milky yeast mixture is bubbling and foamy, we stir in the yogurt, egg, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.
With the food processor on, we pour the contents of the measuring cup through the feed tube into the dry mixture. We process until the dough comes together into a ball.
We stop the machine and feel the dough. It is rather sticky, so we add half a tablespoon of additional flour and turn the machine on again briefly. We repeat with a little more flour. The dough should be slightly sticky, but should be able to pull off of your hands. We then "knead" it in the machine for 30 seconds. We want the dough to be smooth and elastic.
We place the dough into a well greased bowl and turn the dough in the oil. We cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour in our microwave (since it is draft-free). We want the dough to be doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, we preheat our gas grill to medium heat. We oil the grates to ensure the dough will not stick. We also preheat the oven to 450°.
We punch the dough down in the bowl and remove it to a large piece of wax paper. We knead it briefly and then divide it into six pieces.
Working with 1 piece at a time, keeping the rest covered with the plastic wrap, we pull the dough into a tear shape about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. We place on the hot grill and let cook for a couple of minutes. We want the dough to be nicely browned. We flip with tongs and cook for another minute or two. We then remove the bread to a clean plate and repeat with another piece of dough.
Meanwhile, we put the cooked bread on a parchment covered cookie sheet and lightly brush with the remaining oil. Sesame seeds are sprinkled on.
When we have three of the breads covered with sesame seeds on the cookie sheet, we place them (on the cookie sheet) in the oven for 5 minutes or so to finish cooking through. When done, we keep warm in foil as we continue with the other breads.
We serve the naan warm.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp clover honey
- 1 package active dry yeast (¼ oz)
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp double-acting baking powder
- ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- 2 tbsp canola oil (divided, plus more for the bowl)
- sesame seeds
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
About 2 hours before dinner, microwave the milk 30 seconds and check that it’s about 105–115°F. Stir in the honey, sprinkle on the yeast, and let it sit 10 minutes, until foamy.
Pulse the flour, salt and baking powder in the food processor.
Stir the yogurt, egg and 1 tablespoon of oil into the yeast. With the processor running, pour it through the feed tube until a ball forms. Add flour ½ tablespoon at a time until it’s only slightly sticky, then process 30 seconds until smooth and elastic.
Turn the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise somewhere draft-free (the microwave works) about 1 hour, until doubled.
Grown-up
Heat the grill to medium and oil the grates. Heat the oven to 450°F.
Kid job
Punch the dough down, knead briefly on wax paper, and divide into 6. Keep the rest covered as you pull each into a teardrop about 10 by 5 inches.
Grown-up
Grill each piece a couple of minutes, until browned, flip with tongs, and grill 1 to 2 minutes more. Move to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, brush lightly with the rest of the oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake three at a time about 5 minutes to finish, and keep them warm in foil.