Tandoori-Baked Flat Breads (Naan)

Another recipe I am posting for India that is from "The BBQ Bible" by Steven Raichlen. Here is what he states: "The procedure is simple enough. When you order naan, the baker takes a soft white ball of dough and rolls it into a flat bread. A few slaps from hand to hand stretch the bread into its traditional teardrop shape. Using a pillowlike holder called a gaddi (literally "throne"), the baker presses the bread onto the walls of a hot tandoor. The gaddi protects his hand-a must when you consider that the temperature of the tandoor can reach 700°F. The bread emerges from the oven puffed and blistered on top and crisp and brown on the bottom. It’s sweet and smoky, pliable and moist, and about as delicious as bread gets. Note: Allow 2 hours for rising.

• Ready In: 23 mins
• Serves: 7-8
• Yields: 14-16 naans

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons  yeast, active dry (1 envelope)
• 5  tablespoons sugar
• 1  cup water, warm
• 1  egg, beaten
• 3  tablespoons milk
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 4 1⁄2-5  cups flour, unbleached all-purpose, plus additional for dusting and rolling
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 4  tablespoons butter, unsalted, melted (1/2 stick)

Directions

1. 1. Combine the yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining sugar, the remaining water, the egg, milk, and salt. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir to form a dough that is soft and pliable, but not sticky. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic either by hand on a floured work surface, in a food processor, or a in mixer fitted with the dough hook; add more flour, if necessary. It should take 6 to 8 minutes.
2. 2. Use 1/2 tablespoon of the oil to lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, brush the top with the remaining oil, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and pinch off 2-inch pieces. Roll them between your palms into smooth balls. You should have 14 to 16 balls. Place the balls on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a lightly dampened clean kitchen towel. Let rise again until puffy, about 30 minutes.
3. 3. Preheat the grill to high.
4. 4. When ready to cook, place a rolling pin, cutting board, bowl of flour, and the melted butter near the grill. (This is incredibly theatrical; your guests will be amazed.) Roll out a dough ball on a lightly floured cutting board to form a disk about 5 inches in diameter. Gently slap the disk from one hand to the other to stretch it into an elongated 7- to 8-inch circle. (The motion is rather like the "patty cake, patty cake" motion in the nursery rhyme.) Stretch the circle into a traditional teardrop shape and immediately lay it on the hot grate.
5. 5. Cook the bread until the bottom is crusty and browned and the top is puffed and blistered, 2 to 4 minutes. Brush with butter. Invert the naan and grill the other side until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Prepare the remaining naan the same way. Brush each naan with more butter as it comes off the grill and serve while piping hot. Serve whole, or cut each naan into 3 wedges to serve the traditional way.