Naan Bread

I recently went to The Himalayan Kitchen, here in Honolulu with my friend who is Nepalese. To my delight, she ordered just about everything on the menu and I have been fantasizing about it ever since! I have tried to make naan bread a couple of times before, to no avail. But FINALLY I had success! I made saffron rice, cucumber with yogurt & lemon & garlic, and filled the naan with a curry meat concoction. It was a big hit!!! Give this one a try the next time you need to feel like you have ventured to the Himalayas.

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat a grill pan. The recipe said to preheat it to high heat, but mine smokes up the whole house no matter what, so I tried to not have it too high. It still smoked up the whole house. Anyway...
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes.