Whole Wheat Naan

Naan bread originally came from India...but it is found in many middle eastern countries and is quickly becoming popular here. Dan and I first tried this yummy flat bread at a local Indian food restaurant several months ago. We came home and decided to try to find a Naan bread recipe. We found several, but many contain yogurt. We finally found one that used almond or soy milk instead. We made that recipe and liked it a lot and it soon became a staple in our home. I have a bread recipe that I have used for 10 years or so and I make bread for my kids once each week, and I decided to try that recipe for making Naan and guess what?! It worked! I like the simplicity of it. Keep in mind, many of my recipes will be HUGE. I have 5 kids and when I make food, I'm not sure how to make a small amount, so if you want you can always request a recipe that will make only a few or you can half this recipe so it works for you.

As I mentioned this is my bread recipe. I will post my bread recipe right after this with pics but it is the same recipe I use for so many things...pizza crust, naan, bread, breadsticks and cinnamon rolls! I will be posting pics of all of these things today!

One more quick note about Naan bread. I like mine plain, but my kids love theirs flavored with spices. There are so many kinds of Naan bread....some infuse theirs with garlic or stuff them with meats, veggies or potatoes. This is a very simple recipe, so play around with it! We have used this recipe to stuff with hummus and veggies, taco's, spread with coconut oil and honey...the possibilities are endless. Hope you enjoy!

Whole Wheat Naan
5 cups warm water (I like my water on the warmer side, maybe shower hot)
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/4 cup oil
1 Tablespoon salt
6-7 cups whole wheat flour (*NOTE 12-14 cups flour will be used total, see below!)
2 heaping tablespoons saf-instant yeast (this is the BEST yeast! Make sure you add the yeast after the 6-7 cups flour, as your warm water might kill the yeast if added straight to the water)



When making this bread, it is VERY important to add the ingredients in this order! Mix it well for about 1 minute.

ADD: 6-7 more cups whole wheat flour ONE cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of your mixing bowl. Knead 6-8 minutes.

This next part is my daughter, Hailey's job! She loves to roll it out and cook it, and it's so nice because it takes about an hour to roll and lightly cook all the dough.

Using a large griddle or frying pan, roll out your individual pieces of dough as seen below. I'm not going to give you a precise measurement for these because how big you make them is up to you!

Mix about 1 cup of softened coconut oil with about 1 teaspoon of basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (this part is optional!) If you choose not to put any spices on your Naan (remember, I like mine plain), then just spray this side with nonstick spray before flipping.

Spray your frying pan or griddle with nonstick spray and put your Naan pieces in the pan. They will begin to bubble a little. While they are cooking on one side, brush on your coconut oil or spray with nonstick spray if you want them plain.

After about a minute or two, flip your Naan. Watch them closely! Our pan doesn't cook these very fast, so we don't worry about them burning.

This is how they look when flipped. These make 24-36. It really depends on how big you make them. They keep well for about a week at room temp. We keep our in the fridge and they should be good for about a month. Ours are usually gone in a few days!

*Lately I have been making these with spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain and in reading the book The pH Miracle, Robert Young, the author talks about using grains that are less acidic and how that influences the pH balance in your body. Basically cancer and sickness can't thrive in a body that is more alkaline. Most all vegetables are alkaline. Very few grains and beans are alkaline. Soy is alkaline. I have tried to make a few changes to help with this. Spelt is actually a +.05 on this ALKALINE FOOD CHART. There are many food charts that will tell you which foods are alkaline and which are acidic. Some are conflicting. There is a chart in the pH Miracle book but I also like this chart by the Alkaline Sisters. This is a great blog with some fantastic recipes! I will write more about this in upcoming posts and will label this so it is easy for you to find for future reference.