This is the second bread which I have made from The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, and like the other (Albanian Cheese Triangles) it turned out very well. I generally like making flat breads since they cook quickly and do not require any special effort in shaping the loaves. Like pita, naan is also fun to watch as it puffs dramatically in a very hot oven.

It is easiest and most accurate to weigh flour when baking bread.

1 tsp. yeast

¼ cup water

620 g. (22 oz., 4-7/8 cups) bread flour

1 Tbs. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. baking powder

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup whole milk yogurt

1 tsp. unsalted butter, softened

Mix together the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients and the milk and yogurt to yeast and water in the mixing bowl. Mix at low speed with a dough hook until the ingredients are combined, stopping if necessary to clear the edges of the bowl with a runner spatula. Turn the speed up to medium high and mix until a smooth dough forms, which will take about 5 minutes.

 

Put the dough in a doubling container and let it rise for about 2 hours at room temperature.  Here is what the dough looks like when it is getting ready to start its rise.

After 2 hours the dough will be noticeably risen but still relatively firm.

Put the dough on a floured work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place them on a pan lined with a silicon mat or baking parchment.   Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about an hour. Here they are after their rising.

 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and use a baking stone or baking steel.

Begin working with the doughs while keeping the other doughs covered to prevent them from drying out. With lightly floured hands flatten and stretch each ball into an oblong shape about 3 inches by 6 inches.

 

Bake the breads by putting them separately in the hot oven for two minutes, and then flipping them over quickly and baking them for another two minutes.  Here they are puffing in the oven from the high heat of the oven.

Put the cooked breads in a container lined with a cloth and cover them, while cooking the remaining breads. I cooked four breads at a time. Serve them warm or allow them to fully cool and then store them in a zip lock baggie.

The naan were excellent with chicken tikka masala.