Making homemade bread is on my bucket list. I’m not there yet, but I’ve been making fresh pasta and pizza crust for a while, and now I can add naan to bread-like things I’ve made on my own. By using a (simple) sourdough starter, this naan recipe brings me so much closer to my eventual goal of baking a crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, loaf of delicious bread in my dutch oven. I think the major thing holding me back is that I’m afraid I’ll love it too much, and then I’ll eat the entire loaf all by myself. Bread and cheese will be the death of me. That fear is coupled with the fact that we always have way more freshly baked bread than two people can possible eat in a lifetime, graciously given to us by the father of one of the students I tutor. Naan bread, however, is not part of this collection of loaves. And, what’s more, even if I do find it irresistible, it’s not quite dangerous as risking consuming an entire sour batard in one sitting.

This naan recipe, while requiring advanced planning, involves very little prep. I love that it only takes a couple of minutes to turn each piece of dough into a crispy and chewy piping hot slice of bread. Lucas even said he thought it was better than any naan he’s eaten at a restaurant, which is a huge compliment because he’s usually my second biggest critic (next to me, of course). Trader Joe’s has a pretty delicious frozen naan if you’re in a pinch, but I’m now partial to this homemade recipe. The downside: you should have SEEN the disaster zone in my kitchen after cooking chicken tikka masala, basmati rice, curry spiced cauliflower, naan bread, and blood orange curd shortbread bars all in one evening. Every inch of counter surface was occupied by a cooling platter, all four burners carried an in-use pot, the dish drainer was stacked high in a wobbly pile from my (failed) attempt to wash the plates as quickly as I dirtied them, and the sink was still filled to the brim as if I’d used every bowl and plate I owned.

As an aside: I’m incredibly pumped about the fact that this recipe allowed me to use the very last bit of a large container of plain yogurt for the first time in history. I know this complaint sounds silly, but I seriously don’t understand why you can buy every flavor of yogurt under the moon from key lime pie to gingerbread in individual servings, but plain yogurt is only sold in a gigantic jug. I usually only need a few tablespoons as a substitute for sour cream, and the remainder rots faster than I can consume it. And I hate wasting food; sometimes I let the soured yogurt stay in my fridge an extra week because I just feel too bad throwing it out. I’m sure there are people shaking their head at me thinking, “why don’t you just eat it for breakfast?” To that, I have no good response except to say that I am particular about my yogurt (go figure).

Homemade naan bread (Adapted from Ambika’s Kitchen)

Makes 8

2½ cups flour

¾ cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (Optional: extra for serving)

1 egg, lightly beaten