Recipe Light Naan Bread

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I've made naan bread many times. My regular naan bread recipe includes olive oil, which this one omits. And while naan bread is traditionally made with yogurt, it's not used in the proportions I use here. The recipe for Light Bagels that I posted previously uses the same technique: the fat free yogurt adds volume, and is healthier than the volume containing flour and water in a normal recipe. So, the naan turns out to be less calories (compared to at least 200 calories for a naan of the same size):

Ingredients

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work space
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons fenugreek leaves, finely chopped
2 cups plain fat-free yogurt
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 sugar with 1/2 cup warm water. Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

2. Using a large, deep bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and fenugreek leaves.
Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt into the small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the large bowl with salt, sugar, and baking powder.

3. Gently mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. When the dry ingredients are blended, knead the dough by hand. It should feel slightly sticky. Resist the urge to add more flour, as this is exactly how it should feel. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

NOTE: Pita bread recipes will have you "punch down" the dough after it rises, but don't do that here! If you plan to finish the bread later, seal the large bowl securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before continuing the preparation.

4. Dust the work area with flour. Separate the dough into 12 equal portions. The dough should be extremely soft and sticky; again, resist the urge to blend in extra flour, since this is perfect. Flatten the dough by hand, using flour on the work space to keep it from sticking, and stretch out the dough. The dough will be too sticky for a rolling pin, so try to stretch it by hand into a teardrop shape that's about 1/4-inch thick.

5. Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Reduce heat to medium-high. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet. Do not oil the pan!

6. Combine garam masala and garlic salt in a small bowl. Have sesame seeds ready separately.

7. Fill a small bowl with warm water and have it handy with a near the skillet. Lightly dust your first piece of naan with flour so it won't stick to your hand, and place in the palm of one hand. Use the other hand to brush the surface with water. Gently lay it in the skillet - water-side down- and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

8. After 1 minute, brush the uncooked (facing up) side with water, and flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, but don't worry if it isn't. Brush the cooked side with water, and sprinkle with garam masala, garlic salt, and sesame seeds. Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

9. Remove the naan from the skillet. Place the naan on a cooling rack. Repeat with the next 5 naans. After making a few naans, the skillet surface will burn somewhat, so clean it with a wet paper towel. This will prevent blackening the remaining naans. Repeat the above procedure for the remaining naans, and serve.