After tasting delicious food time after time from my cousins cast iron pan I knew it was time to pull the trigger and get my very own pan! I went to amazon and got this cast iron! Its perfect for making anything and everything. I use it in the morning to toast my favorite kalamata olive bread while I slightly undercook my perfect and luscious scrambled eggs. Then at night ill make my dinner in the exact same pan! It retains heat really well, gives great flavor, and color!
The first thought I had when I ordered my pan was that I was going to make my very first batch of naan bread. And let me tell you that I never knew how easy it was to make fresh naan bread! It so so so easy, it only takes a few ingredients, and it doesn't take forever to get done like most breads!
The first step is to mix all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient with a spoon. It will come out as a shaggy wet dough but don't worry it comes out super tender because of the moisture in the dough. Let the dough rest in the bowl for about 15 minutes. You do this so that the gluten get a chance to relax before you give it a turn. Which happens to the be the thickest part to explain but is actually super easy to do.
Get the spoon you used to mix the dough and lift one side of the dough and fold it over to the top middle section of the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees to another unturned section of the dough and repeat lifting the dough until all sides have been folded. This is a simple and easy way of developing gluten.
Then cover the dough and let it sit for about 45 minutes. The dough should grow a little less than twice its size but nonetheless it will be super soft and have plenty of air in it. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and set your well greased cast iron to a medium high flame. Flour your working surface lightly and flatten your dough into a oblong shape. But be sure that it isn't bigger than your pan! I made about eight 10 inch pieces and my pan is about 10.25 inches so it was the perfect size.
Set your naan bread down in to your cast iron pan and let your naan bread cook on one side for about 1-2 minutes or until you see bubbles fully formed and the dough has some nice brown spots. Flip the naan over to the other side and cook for another minute. As they comes fresh out of the cast iron pan it will hot, bubbly, fragrant, and most importantly super tender. Keep these puppies nice and warm under a blanket and be sure to eat them while they are still warm!
garlic naan bread
Makes eight 10" naan breads
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of greek yogurt
3/4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 garlic cloves finely minced
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium sized bowl mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar just until they are combined.
Next add in the greek yogurt, water, olive oil, and garlic and mix until all the liquid ingredients have been absorbed.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes and then give it one fold. To do this you will take a spoon and lift one section of the dough into the middle of the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees to another unturned section and lift the dough with the spoon into the middle. This is just an easy way to developing a little bit of gluten while keeping the dough in the bowl!
After turning let the dough rest for 45 minutes.
Once the dough has puffed up a little less than double its size take it out of the bowl and on to a lightly floured surface.
Cut it into eight smaller pieces and flatten each piece out into an oblong shape.
Heat up a cast iron pan to medium high heat and grease it with a little bit of oil. Place the dough onto the heated cast iron and cook each side for about 1 -2 minutes or until you see bubbles starting to form.
Repeat until all the dough has been used up and topped with parsley
Enjoy while warm!!