skillet naan

People say your life changes when you have a child. This sounds plausible, even likely, until it happens and you realize that YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

Not a bad thing, but something to mull over.

No more eating brownies/pop corn/potato chips/fill in the blank for dinner.
No more horror/sci fi/period piece/fill in the blank movie binges well into the night.
No more reading a book/knitting/cooking/fill in the blank in peace.

Basically, no more being your own person.You will now be a person for another person.

Oh, I know, some parents are good at keeping boundaries. Their kids go to bed in the early evening and they have the rest of the night to themselves. They have nannies and day care and by necessity largely do not see their kids all that much. We haven't managed this somehow. Lack of conviction? Maybe. Lack of will power? Probably. Lack of resolution? Definitely.

But however hard it is to do my own thing, I have realized that doing for someone else may be more important, in the end. And the kid'll grow up... eventually.

Skillet Naan
Makes 6 naans, adapted from Manjula's Kitchen recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups of All Purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Pinch of baking soda
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 3 tablespoons yogurt
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• Mix-ins: cumin seeds, fresh garlic, sesame seeds
• Melted butter
• Coarse sea salt for finishing
  

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Add the oil and yogurt and mix with your hands until a crumbly dough is formed. Add enough water to make a soft dough that's not sticky. Knead dough until smooth and satiny, about 3-5 minutes. Cover with plastic and an opaque cloth in a warm place to rise until twice its volume, about 2-4 hours.
2. Knead the dough for 2 minutes and divide into 6 balls. Cover again with plastic and a cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.
3. Take each piece of dough, one at a time, and roll into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle mix-in, if using and roll over them to incorporate. (I found that much of the mix-ins fell off in the pan. You can omit this step and sprinkle them on after the butter which makes them stick better)
4. Warm a large cast iron skillet over high flame until it's nearly smoking. Gently lay the dough in the hot skillet. The dough will start to bubble after a minute. It should be blistered. 
5. Flip the dough. Cook for about 30 seconds more. If the dough doesn't bubble and brown in 90 minutes the skillet may not be hot enough or the dough may be too thick.
6. Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.