SOURDOUGH NAAN

Yield: 6 Pieces

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup sourdough starter
4 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tbsp for frying the naans
½ cup yoghurt
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp Kalonji or poppy seeds

PROCEDURES:

Mix the sourdough starter with the yoghurt and 4 tbsp oil in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, bicarb and seeds. Pour the sourdough mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together, adding some more flour if it’s too sticky. Knead for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let stand for about 4 hours until well risen.

Punch the dough down and roll out with a floured rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4 inch or 1/2 centimeter thick. Divide into 6 pieces.

Heat a cast iron skillet with one tbsp of vegetable oil and with its cover on, on the stove to the smoking point. Take off the cover, slap a piece of dough flat onto the skillet and replace the cover. After 30 seconds, check the naan. It may be burned already or still quite pale. Adjust your heat accordingly and move forward. Like crepes, the first
flatbread off the skillet often ends up an offering to the gods. Flip with a metal spatula and prepare a plate to receive the baked naans. After another 30 seconds, check the other side and remove from the pan. Repeat until you've

a.) baked all the naans and

b.) you've gotten the hang of this stovetop naan baking thing.

Contributed by Mort Goldberg down in Lebanon, Tennessee who borrowed it from this source: Modified from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" by Yamuna Devi (formerly Joan Campanella, California hippie-chick) by Susan in Italy and posted to Porcini Chronicles 7/4/07