Whole Wheat Naan

Quite often I'll make some sort of fresh bread to serve with our dinner.  Pita, biscuits, or dinner rolls are the norm, and always whole grain.  A while back I had a craving for Indian food, and since we live in a culture desert, I knew I was on my own, unless I wanted to pack the kids up and drive almost 2 hours one way to the closest Indian restaurant! 

Making ethnic grub is not foreign to me, as evidenced by my posts on this blog.  I enjoy all types of cuisine, and it's fun to introduce the different types to my kids and figure out how to make it myself.  Naturally I add my own touches, so it ends up not being quite as authentic as the real thing, but it's usually much, much healthier, and very tasty just the same! 

That's basically how I came to make my own naan, an Indian flatbread.  I had only enjoyed this bread at Indian restaurants, and the whole wheat variety that Trader Joe's sells (that does taste a bit stale, having sat on the shelf indefinitely), so when I first started looking for a recipe I didn't have much to go on.  I settled on one in a cookbook that my sister got for me, but had to make some changes to come up with something whole grain.  Following is my rendition of whole wheat naan, untraditional as it may be!

Whole Wheat Naan
Traditional naan is baked in a tandoori, and some like to "bake" it on a stovetop skillet.  I prefer using a very hot oven and a pizza stone ( a cookie sheet may be substituted) to save on time.  The result is a flatbread similar to pita, but more full flavored and chewy.  This recipe can easily be cut in half, if needed, but naan keeps well at room temperature for a few days, thanks to the yogurt.

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 tbsp instant yeast*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp butter or ghee, melted
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cups very warm water

Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Attach the dough hook and turn to speed 2.  Mix and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, adding more water if conditions are dry.  Turn the dough ball out of the bowl, grease the bowl, and place the dough back in.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

About 30 minutes into the rise, preheat your oven to 500 degrees.  Place a baking stone or flat cookie sheet (not nonstick) on the bottom rack of the oven to preheat as well.

Punch dough down, then divide in half.  Cut or pinch 8 even balls of dough from each half (so you end up with 16).  Cover the ones you're not immediately working with so they don't dry out.  Roll two balls out thinly.  Place on the preheated stone and bake for just 3 minutes.  Using tongs or a spatula, remove to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve warm.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  (If the dough puffs and creates pockets like pita, it's not a big deal; it'll still taste the same, and you'll have sandwich bread for the next day!)

*To substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast, you'll need to proof it first.  Mix the yeast with 1 cup of the warm water and a pinch of sugar in a bowl.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and proceed.