Gourmets Sesame Onion Nan Uyghur Flatbread Recipes

2 INGREDIENT NAAN FLATBREAD (AND GARLIC NAAN TOO!)

Steps:

• DOUGH: Combine the self-rising flour and greek yogurt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. This can also be done by hand using a silicone spatula. Mix the ingredients until the dough starts to form. If the dough is dry, add 1 tablespoon of water. Continue to knead and bring the dough together. If the dough is still barely holding together, add another tablespoon of water. Repeat with more water if needed, until the dough comes together.
• ROLL: Dump the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Work the dough out into a large disc. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece out until it is about 1/3 inch in thickness and has a 6-inch diameter.
• FLATBREAD: Place a griddle pan over medium-high heat and let it get very hot. Cook the naan on each side for about 2 minutes. The flatbread should puff up and have a light char. If desired, brush each side with olive oil and a small pinch of sea salt. See notes for flavor variations!

SESAME ONION NAN

Steps:

• Make bread dough:
• Stir together warm water and sugar in a measuring cup, then sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Stir together flour (3 3/4 cups), salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir together yogurt, egg, and oil in a small bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add yeast mixture and yogurt mixture, then stir in flour mixture gradually with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface with floured hands, lightly reflouring work surface and your hands when dough becomes too sticky, using no more than 1/4 cup flour, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Make topping while dough rises:
• Put oven rack with pizza stone in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450F. (Heating pizza stone will take about 1 hour.)
• Coarsely grate onion on largest holes of a box grater and drain well in a sieve. Cook onion and sesame seeds in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is just beginning to turn golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface without punching down. Cut dough into 2 pieces and transfer 1 piece to parchment-lined pizza peel or baking sheet. (Keep remaining piece of dough covered with plastic wrap.) Flatten dough with lightly oiled fingertips, patting and gently stretching into an 11- to 12-inch round.
• Spread half of onion mixture over round, then poke holes through dough all over with skewer.
• Slide bread, along with parchment, onto pizza stone. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove bread from oven by sliding peel under parchment. Transfer bread to a rack and discard parchment.
• While first flatbread is baking, make another bread on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner. Serve flatbreads warm.

UIGHUR NAN WITH CUMIN AND ONION

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time. Stir the dough 100 times in the same direction, about 1 minute, to develop the gluten. Add 2 teaspoons salt, then continue adding flour until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Clean and lightly oil the bread bowl. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and arrange quarry tiles, if you have them, on the rack, leaving a 1-inch gap between the tiles and the oven walls. If you have no quarry tiles, place 1 large or 2 small baking sheets on the rack to preheat. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 pieces. Using lightly floured hands, flatten each piece into a 4to 5-inch round. Cover the rounds with a dry cloth. Keeping the remaining pieces covered as you work, roll each dough round out on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch round. The dough may spring back as you roll; it's best to work on 2 or 3 dough rounds at a time, alternating between them, to give the gluten time to stretch before you resume rolling. Then cover the large rounds with plastic wrap and let rise for 10 minutes.
• Working with 2 breads at a time, using a bread stamp or a fork, stamp the center portion of each bread; work from the center out until the dough is thoroughly pricked and flattened, leaving a 1 1/2- to 2-inch rim all around. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon of scallions, a generous pinch of cumin seed and a generous pinch of salt over the center of each bread, then dip your fingers in water and sprinkle the centers of the breads.
• Slide each round onto a baker's peel or flour-dusted baking sheet and slide off onto the quarry tiles or preheated baking sheet. Bake until the tops of the breads begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes, then wrap in a cloth to keep soft and warm. Repeat with the remaining dough, scallions, cumin and salt. Serve warm.

GOURMET'S SESAME ONION NAN (UYGHUR FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Stir together warm water and sugar in a measuring cup, then sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.
• Stir together flour (3 3/4 cups) salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir together yogurt, egg, and oil in a small bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add yeast mixture and yogurt mixture, then stir in flour mixture gradually with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface with floured hands, lightly reflouring work surface and your hands when dough becomes too sticky, using no more than 1/4 cups flour, until dough is smoother, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Make Topping While Dough Rises: Put oven rack with pizza stone in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees (heating pizza stone will take about 1 hour).
• Coarsely grate onion on largest holes of a box grater and drain well in a sieve. Cook onion and sesame seeds in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is just beginning to turn golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface without punching down. Cut dough into 2 pieces and trasfer 1 piece to parchment lined pizza peel or baking sheet. (Keep remaining piece of dough covered with plastic wrap).
• Flatten dough with lightly oiled fingertips, patting and gently stretching into an 11 to 12 inch round.
• Spread half of onion mixture over round, then poke holes through dough all over with skewer.
• Slide bread, along with parchment, onto pizza stone. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove bread to a rack and discard parchment. While first flatbread is baking, make another bread on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner. Serve flatbreads warm.