Grilled Garlic Naan Pizzas
I wonder how many of you have had Naan? I don’t know why, but it took me years to finally try it. I’d heard a bit about it, but for some reason I just never remembered to give it a go. It is FANTASTIC!! Yes, I’m yelling it. It is so light, and airy, plus mine has garlic in it. mmmmmm Garlic.
I actually decided to give this recipe a go and turn it into our favorite kind of pizza for a reason. You see, Margarita Pizza is actually what got us cooking….
Years ago I worked for Jet Blue, (which I still consider to be an awesome airline and one of my favorites) and my husband and I decided to travel to San Fransico for our anniversary. We have both always loved food, and cooking, but I wouldn’t say we were really into creating out own recipes and ideas. Anyway, off we went to San Francisco and we had the most wonderful time. In fact, I would post a few pictures, but they are all on the computer upstairs, so clearly that would take far too much effort. 😉 We had a bunch of different foods there, but I’ll tell you what, three things really stood out.
When We Fell in Love With Basil
First was the pizza. I cannot even remember the name of the place, but it was delicious. I’ll probably never have another like it. The crust was perfectly thin and crispy, there was a tiny hint of garlic, and oh my holy cheese. It had to have been a fresh buffalo mozzarella. It was so unbelievably creamy. Last but not least, the basil. Listen, I know this doesn’t make any sense, and I’m positive it was sweet basil, because I asked, but it was the yummiest basil I had ever had. Aw crap, I’m hungry again.
How Sweet Basil, the Food Blog Was Born
This pizza is what started it all. We just knew that we could be cooking and eating better. Slowly over time, through amazing friends like, Lindy Baker, Nalani Badsgaard, Savannah Shaw, etc we started to experiment more and more. We were gathering recipes and spending all of our time reading about techniques, philosophies etc. Our palate began to change and our food philosophy grew. We finally decided that it would be fun to start putting our favorite recipes online so that we could share with our friends and family. And then people we didn’t even know began commenting. It had begun…
This has been a long journey and we still have so much to learn about food, health etc. We love it and we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for our little, Sweet Basil.
What Is Naan?
Naan is a flat bread.
It is a leavened bread used in Indian cooking.
What Is The Difference Between Greek Yogurt and Regular Yogurt?
Greek yogurt is strained 3 times.
It is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt.
Greek yogurt has a stronger flavor than regular yogurt.
Because Greek yogurt is concentrated, it has more protein than regular yogurt.
How Long Will Naan Keep?
Naan can be kept in an airtight plastic bag for 3 days at room temperature.
Or freeze naan for up to 2 months.
Grilled Garlic Naan Pizzas
Grilled Garlic Naan Pizzas
Ingredients
Naan Bread
- 1/2 Cup Low Fat Milk
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Instant Yeast
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 3 Tablespoons Plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 Cup All-Purpose Flour click here to see how to measure it as that can change the consistency
- 2 Cups Cake Flour
- 1 Tablespoon of water**see note
Toppings
- Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese found in the specialty cheese case
- Fresh Tomatoes
- 1 clove Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
Bread
- Warm the milk and water in the microwave. Do not use hot water. If it gets too hot let it cool a touch.
- Add the sugar and yeast and let proof (let it get all foamy and puffy). I realize you don't need to with instant yeast, but I do anyway. This should take about 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl add the egg, yogurt, salt and garlic.
- Whisk to combine.
- Once the yeast has proofed, add it to the large bowl with the other ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Add the flour and mix until the dough begins to come together.
- Begin to knead the dough, until you produce a smooth ball. I almost always need one additional tablespoon of water. However, I have occasionally skipped it. If you are struggling to get a smooth dough, go ahead and add it.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled (olive oil) bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place, for 30-60 minutes.
- Give the basil a quick chiffonade (click the link below for easy directions).
- Set aside.
- Cut up the tomatoes and place them in a bowl.
- Cover with just enough olive oil that they are completely submerged.
- Add one clove of garlic and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Use an oiled paper towel, squished between tongs to grease the grill.
- Heat a grill to medium high heat.
- Cut off chunks of the dough and pat it out to about 1/4" thick.
- Lightly oil one side and place it on the grill, oiled side down. We like to flip it once grill marks appear, but it's up to you. I also suggest moving the pizza just off the flame for the next step.
- Using a pastry brush, brush a little of the garlic and olive oil over the top crust and add tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Close the lid until the cheese it melted.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy!
chiffonade (click the link for easy directions).
Other great Pizzas-
BBQ Chicken Bacon
Four Cheese Margarita
From our fellow bloggers:
Double Delicious Pizza-Sweetnicks
Ranch Pizza- Taste and Tell
Bacon Egg and Cheese Breakfast Pizza-Barbara Bakes