Indian-Style Flatbread (Naan)

I recently made an Indian/Nepalese dinner for one of Bart's coworkers, Nirmala, and her son. Nirmala is from Nepal, and she helped Alyssa put together her display for the 6th grade international fair. We invited her and her son to dinner to thank her for all the help she gave. I was a little nervous about attempting to serve "authentic" Nepalese food to someone who is from Nepal. To my relief, Nirmala and her son both seemed to absolutely love this meal. In fact, Nirmala even asked for the recipes. She has a friend who has been trying to cook Nepalese without success, and she wants to give these recipes to her friend. This is the recipe I used for Naan. The other items I made were: Chicken Tikka Masala, Potato-Filled Samosas, Cilantro Chutney, Indian-Spiced Rice Pilaf with Dates and Parsley, and Kulfi (saffron-pistachio ice cream).

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

Makes eight 6- to 7-inch breads.
INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups (13 ¾ ounces) bread flour, plus extra as needed
¼ cup (1 3/8 ounces) whole wheat flour, sifted before measuring to remove coarse flakes of bran
1 package (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Table Salt
1 cup water, room temperature
¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for bowl
3 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine flours, yeast, sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt in bowl of stand mixer and mix with paddle attachment on low speed until blended, about 15 seconds. Add water, yogurt, and olive oil andmix on low speed until shaggy dough forms, about 30 seconds.
2. Replace paddle with dough hook and knead dough on medium speed until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes, adding additional bread flour in 1-tablespoon increments, allowing 20 seconds between each addition, as needed for dough to clear sides of bowl but stick to very bottom of it. Transfer dough to clean work surface and knead lightly by hand for 1 minute. (Alternately, you can make the dough in a food processor following standard mixing instructions.)
3. Shape dough into ball, transfer to lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in draft-free spot until dough has doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (At this point, dough can be lightly punched down, wrapped tightly in plastic, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
4. Turn dough out onto clean work surface, cut into 8 equal portions, and roll each into ball. Set balls aside on counter (or baking sheet), cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest 10 minutes.
5. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, lay on lightly floured work surface and roll into 6-inch circle using rolling pin (if dough is sticky, sprinkle very lightly with flour). If using sesame seeds, brush tops of dough rounds lightly with water, sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon seeds, and gently roll over with rolling pin once or twice so seeds adhere to dough. Set rounds aside on floured counter (or floured baking sheet) and cover with oiled plastic wrap.
6. Heat heavy 12-inch skillet (cast iron works particularly well) over medium-high heat until hot, about 45 minutes. (If using lighter pan, heat 2 to 3 minutes.) Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, lift dough, gently stretch about 1 inch larger, and lay it in skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on surface of dough, about 30 seconds. Flip bread and cook until bottom is speckled deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip bread over again and cook until bottom is speckled deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more.
7. Transfer bread to wire rack, brush lightly with butter, sprinkle with salt, and let cool for about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough rounds. Wrap dough loosely in clean kitchen towel and serve immediately.