Red Pepper Naan

Adapted from Bread by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter

8 ounces unbleached bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, or cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 tablespoons lukewarm milk
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 egg
2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing

1. Cream the yeast in the milk. Set aside for 15 minutes, or until foamy.

2. Sift the flour, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, oil, yogurt, and egg, and mix to form a soft dough.

3. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to its highest setting, or at least 450º F. If you have a baking stone, heat it up in the oven. If not, place a couple of heavy baking sheets in the oven to heat.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide into four pieces and shape into balls.

6. Cover three of the balls, and roll the fourth out into a teardrop shape about 10 inches long and five inches across.

7. Turn the broiler on to its highest setting, in the preheated oven. If you have a grill, you can absolutely use that instead. Place the naan on the hot baking stone, or the preheated baking sheets and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until puffed up.

8. Remove the naan from the oven and place under the broiler or on the grill for a few seconds, or until the tops brown slightly. Wrap the cooked naan in a kitchen towel to keep warm while rolling out and cooking the remaining dough. Brush with melted butter and serve warm.



Notes:
1. If you like your naan thicker and more bready, by all means leave it a little thicker when rolling out. Personally, I like mine thinner; I think it has a better texture. I didn’t roll mine out quite as thinly as I prefer, but it was still very good!

2. For whole wheat naan, substitute about half the flour for whole wheat flour. Any more than that, though, and the bread will be too dense.

3. The pepper you use here will obviously be a stand-out flavor, so use the best you have! You can of course omit it for a plain naan. To make naan with seeds, you can either mix them into the dough, or roll them onto the tops of the unbaked dough.

4. For the best results, make sure your oven and baking stone or pans are hot for at least 10 minutes before cooking the naan.

5. I used olive oil to brush instead of using butter. I just couldn’t be bothered to melt any.