Cheese Naan (no-yeast)
This grilled naan is filled with melting mozzarella and pesto, requires no yeast, and can be cooked in a skillet inside or outdoors! You can have it ready in an hour and you can vary the flavors of the filling.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour you might need a little more
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup plain yogurt natural, unsweetened
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- ¼ cup olive oil + extra to brush the bread
- ½ cup pesto any type works
- 7 ounces mozzarella cheese or another melty one, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the mixer, mix 5 cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.
- In a medium bowl mix ½ cup plain yogurt, 1 egg, 1 ½ cups warm water and ¼ cup olive oil. Mix and pour into a well in the flour mixture.
- With the dough hook start mixing at low/medium speed, until a smooth dough forms that sticks around the hook, about 5 minutes. If it is too wet, add a tablespoon of extra flour. If making by hand, integrate the ingredients inside the bowl and then knead until smooth.
- On a floured counter, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
- Form buns and put them on a plate dusted with flour.
- Lightly brush the surface of each with olive oil, cover with loose plastic, and let rest for 1 hour.
- Divide each bun into two parts.
- Flatten half of the dough portions, and put 1 tablespoon of pesto in the center, spread it a little without breaking the dough, and put a piece of cheese on top.
- Cover with another piece of dough, joining the edges well and taking care that the filling does not escape.
- Turn on the skillet or grill, brush it with olive oil and add the bread.
- Cook slowly over low heat until the dough is dry and the loaves are golden brown.
- Repeat on both sides, allowing time for the dough to cook well.
- Eat right away.
Notes
Dough: make sure you take into account the resting time. The dough is somewhat sticky, so refrain from adding too much extra flour, it will be less sticky by the time you have to assemble the bread.
Filling: use no more than 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1 or 2 thin slices of cheese. If the final pieces of bread are too thick, they will not cook properly inside.
Grilling: You can use a cast iron steak skillet, like I used, or a regular one, like the ones used for baking skillet cookies. You don't need to butter or oil it, and this bread produces no smoke while cooking. You can also use an outdoor grill.
Freezing: Unfortunately, these do not reheat well after freezing, probably because they’re not yeasted.
