Homemade Garlic Naan + Recipe

Hello, my name is Kirsten and I am a bread-aholic. Fluffy, flat or crusty bread...pass the basket of the carby, starchy stuff por favor. I'm addicted. Add some cheese in there, and I'm done for. That can be my meal right there. During the week with my "domesticed shmomesticated" attitude, I went on strike and didn't feel like grocery shopping. Our fridge was looking a little empty, so I grabbed a can of chickpeas and toasted those up. Protein? Check. Now I needed a vehicle to transport said protein to my mouth, and a plain old fork just wouldn't do. Bread was the answer. Flat bread. Bread that is fool proof. Bread that can be made in under 2 hours. After a quick recipe search, naan was the clear winner. I busted out the bread flour, and began mixing. As you can see, I didn't get those massive bubbles that restaurant naan somehow manages to get....but it still tasted realllllllly good. I froze about half of the dough balls, so there will definitely be attempt #2 coming up soon.

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar or honey. Sprinkle yeast over the water, and let stand about 10 minutes (until frothy). Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, baking soda, and enough flour to make a soft dough. I transferred the mixture to my KitchenAid stand mixer using the dough hook - I am terrible at kneading, and the mixer seems to do a good job every time. If you are an old school bread-making artisan, knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface. You are done kneading when the dough looks smooth.  
2. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Temperature really matters here - if it's not rising well, put it in a warmed oven (150-200 degrees with the door cracked - a crazy thing to do in the summer, I know) or a part of your house where the AC isn't cranked to the max. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
3. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. After the garlic is kneaded in and the balls are formed, freeze the ones you don't want to make this time around before the second rising.
4. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. I used an open George Foreman because I was sweating like a crazy menopausal lady from having the oven on, and there was no way I was adding the heat from a full-fledged cooktop to that.
5. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly butter grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Adapted from AllRecipes