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• 2/3 cups hot milk
• 2 teaspoons each: extra-fine sugar, active dry yeast
• 3 ¾ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon each: salt, baking powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for bowl
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg
• Melted butter, optional

1. Put milk in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and all of the yeast. Stir to mix. Set aside until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture is frothy, 15-20 minutes.
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar, the yeast mixture, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, the yogurt and the egg. Mix; form into a ball of dough.
3. Knead dough on a clean work surface until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball. # Pour about ¼ teaspoon of oil into a large bowl; roll the dough in it. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap; set aside in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in bulk, 1 hour.
4. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Heat a heavy baking tray (or an upside down cast iron skillet) in the oven. Punch down the dough; knead it again. Divide into six balls. Keep five covered while you work with the sixth. Roll ball into a tear-shaped naan about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide.
5. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven; slap naan onto it. Put it immediately into the oven for 4 minutes. It should puff up. Keep the naan warm by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel; repeat with remaining dough. Serve hot after brushing with melted butter, if you like.

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's “Indian Cooking.” If you would like a darker bread, place 3 to 4 inches from a heated broiler for 30 seconds after the bread is baked.

Nutrition information Per serving: 377 calories, 17% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 65 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 492 mg sodium, 2 g fiber