It is a rainy Sunday today and I got inspired by Middle Eastern spices, Greek salad, Indian flatbread and decided to combine them all together in an Italian charming classic – pizza. So, I am sharing a recipe that I’ve shared with lots of people in my life and I thought you should know it too as well since it is so quick and easy to make and it so delicious. Flatbread, naan bread, pita bread, what is it even? Naan is a leavened flatbread found in the cuisines mainly of Middle East, Central Asia, and Indian subcontinent. We all know what pizza is, so let’s combine them together. Here you go, this is my take on a very traditional recipe.
For naan itself, which is the recipe we are focusing on today you will need:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp honey
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt (vegan substitutions will work as well)
- 1/1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
First things first, we all already know you should mix the dry ingredients together first (mix flour, baking soda, salt) then add olive oil, yogurt (should be room temperature) and previously melted butter and mix it all together with wooden spoon. Next step will be adding the water, but be careful and add it gradually. Your dough should be very soft, but not sticky – you will know you are on a right way if your bowl looks pretty clean around the edges. Now, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, this will make your naan chewy. When done, form your dough in a ball and massage it with little bit of olive oil. This is the part where you should cover your dough and let it sit for about 3 hours in warm place. This is the part I often skip, because patience in not key in my life, but the fact is your naan is going to be better if “rested well”. That is the exact reason why it will taste better if you bake it the next day, or the day after.
After being patient (or Ivana impatient) divide the dough in four parts and roll the naan one at a time on a lightly floured surface. I love to flatten the naan with my hands as well because it doesn’t have to be perfect. Your naan shouldn’t be too thin or thick. When finished sprinkle little bit of water over your naan (just before baking them) and put them on a medium heated pan and you will know it is time to turn it around when they start to bubble and dough starts drying. Bake it a bit shorter from this side and then (I know this will sound crazy), remove the pan and carefully expose the naan to an open flame. Once you are satisfied with your naan remove it from a fire (if making just naan then top it with butter, garlic and salt mixture, but for pizza – you are done with baking).
When choosing your toppings for this pizza, be free and creative. Keep in mind that his is nothing close to a traditional pizza anyways. Toppings that I’ve decided to choose here are:
- tomato salsa with Za’atar
- goat feta cheese
- pickled red onion (cut it, add lemon and parsley and voila)
- kalamata and green olives
Honestly there are so many things you can add here, so just either be super fancy with sour cream, garlic, truffles, add prosciutto cotto or go for a vegeterian version with tofu, sesame and lots of greens. Or just work with what you already have in your fridge.
Photographed by Ivana Pirizović.
