553.Multi grain garlic naan

MULTI GRAIN GARLIC NAAN#BREAD BAKERS     

A healthy take on naan

As much as we all love naan with our curries, naan is made from refined flour (plain flour, all purpose flour) which is not that healthy. During the process of refining the flour, the husk and bran, the most nutritious part of the wheat grain and rich in fiber is removed. What is left the white part which is carbohydrate, without any vitamins or minerals. Bleaching chemicals are used to make the flour more white. Consuming white flour on a regular basis along with sugar is bad for the body. Weight gain, insulin resistance and diabetes may result in over consumption of white flour. In order to enjoy naan but in a more healthy way, I make it using multi grain flour. I make my own mixture at home as we don’t get it in the shops here. I use about 8 different grains to make my multi grained flour. I use this flour daily for rotis and parathas. The recipe for the multi grain is given below. When Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories set the theme of using garlic in our bake for the month of April, I kept on thinking about garlic bread. I’ve already baked breads using garlic. So had to clear my head and think of other options. Made egg curry a few days ago and multi grain naan. That’s when the tube light went on and I decided on my bake for April. Naan with garlic are just awesome, tasty and add a whole new dimension to the boring plain naan.
So without much rambling, here’s the recipe for multi grain garlic naan.

MULTI GRAIN GARLIC NAAN
Makes 10-12 naans

Multi grain flour :

6 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup finger millet flour (ragi, wimbi)
½ cup barley flour (jowar, jau)
½ cup soya bean flour
½ cup oat flour
½ cup millet flour (bajra)
½ cup green gram flour (moong flour) or can add chickpea flour
½ cup amaranth flour (rajgira, terere)

Mix all the flours very well in a large container. Store in an airtight container. I prefer to sieve the mixed flour for an even mix.

For the multi grain garlic naan :
4 cups multi grain flour
2¼ tsp instant dry active yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup warm milk
1½ tsp salt
¼ tsp soda bicarbonate (baking soda)
¼ cup yogurt (at room temperature)
4 tbsp oil
extra flour for dusting and rolling
extra oil for greasing

For topping :
some water for brushing
4-6 tbsp butter
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3-4 tbsp black sesame seeds or nigella seeds(kalonji)

1. Mix flour, yeast, salt, soda bicarbonate and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Rub oil into the flour.
3. Mix milk and yogurt together.
4. Using the milk yogurt mixture form a dough.
5. Dust the worktop or board with flour and knead the dough till becomes smooth. (About 5 minutes)
6. Put the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let the dough rise till its double the size. This takes about 1-1½ hours.
7. Knead the dough gently. Divide it into 10 -12 parts.
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
9. Grease a baking tray with oil.
10. Roll the dough parts into balls. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes.
11. Dust the worktop with a bit of flour.
12. Take one ball and roll it out into a round or oval shape about ¼” thick.
13. Scatter the garlic slices and black sesame seeds (or nigella seeds) over it and gently roll over it once twice, lightly.
14. Roll out the remaining dough and place on baking trays.
15. Brush the top of naans with water.
16. Place the rolled naan in the hot oven and bake for 5-6 minutes. Half way through, flip the naans over.
17. Remove the naans from the oven. Bake the remaining naans.
18. Just before serving, switch on the broiler (grill). Let the naans bake for 2-3 minutes till its light brown on top.
19. Brush with butter and serve immediately.