Naan

Using a regular oven rather than a tandoori oven.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup yogurt
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 4  tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 2  eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 (1/4ounce) packages quick-rising yeast
• 3 1⁄2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon poppy seeds or 1⁄2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. Warm the yogurt and stir in the milk until thoroughly mixed. Remove from the heat and cool. (This can be done in a microwave.) Place the yogurt mixture in a mixing bowl for a very heavy mixer, such as a KitchenAid. Otherwise do this by hand. Add the baking soda, sgar, 2 tablespoons of the butter, eggs, and yeast. Mix until the yeast dissolves.
2. Stir in the flour and salt.
3. Using the dough hook for your electric mixer, knead the dough for 15 to 20 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place the dough on a plastic counter and cover with a large stainless-steel bowl. Let the dough rise to twice its size, about two hours.
4. Dust your hands with flour. Knead the dough again for a few minutes and divide into 8 balls. Roll each ball into a 10-inch pancake. Pull each pancake gently to give it an oval shape. Cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Do not stack the pancakes as they will stick together. I use plastic trays covered with plastic wrap.
5. heat your oven to 450 along with clay tiles for baking bread or an upside-down baking sheet. mix the remaining two tablespoons of butter with poppy seeds. Place a bit of flour on a small plywood board and place a loaf on the board. Brush the top with some of the butter and seeds and then slide into the oven. Bake just until the bubbles that form on the dough turn a bit brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven using the plywood board and brush the bottom of the loaf with a bit of water. Stack the loaves and cover with plastic wrap until serving time.