Naan bread with baba ganoush

Yield 6 servings

Prep Time 20-25 minutes

Cook Time 30-35 minutes

Special Equipment: KitchenAid® K400 blender; KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer with dough hook, sheet pan; 25cm  or larger cast iron pan; pastry brush

For Baba Ganoush

• 2 medium (1100g) eggplants
• 4 cloves (24g) of garlic
• 3 tablespoons (48ml) lemon juice, more if necessary
• ¼ cup (80g) tahini
• ⅓ cup (83g) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing eggplants
• 2 tablespoons (8g) flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 1 ½  teaspoon (9g) salt
• ½ teaspoon (1g) ground cumin
• ¼  teaspoon of smoked paprika, for garnish

 
Method

1. Prepare the eggplant. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, drizzle each half with a bit of olive oil, and use your hands to evenly coat each half with the olive oil. Place each half, cut side down, on a sheet pan and roast at 425°F/2187°C for 30-35 minutes, or until skin is collapsing. Remove eggplants from the oven. Once slightly cooled, set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and then scoop the insides of the eggplants into the strainer. Allow eggplants to rest for 10 minutes, pressing once or twice while resting.
2. Add drained eggplant and all other ingredients into the high powered blender jug such as the KitchenAid® K400 blender jar. Turn blender to speed 3 and blend for 20 seconds, or until mixture is smooth. Use a pastry spatula to remove mixture from blender. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of smoked paprika, and lemon zest.

For naan

• 1 teaspoon (7g) honey
• 1/2 cup (118ml) warm water
• 2 ¼ (6g) teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 (270g) cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (13g) olive oil
• 1/4 cup (61g) plain yogurt
• ¼ cup (59g) whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves (12g) garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon (2g) anise seed
• some oil, for greasing the skillet
• 3 tablespoons (42g) melted butter

Method

1. Combine warm water, yeast, and honey in a large measuring cup, and gently whisk. Let sit for five minutes, or until foamy.
2. Add flour, olive oil, yogurt, milk, salt, minced garlic, anise seed and flour into the bowl of your KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer, then pour in the yeast mixture. Turn mixer to speed 2 for 30 seconds, then increase to speed 6 and and knead dough hook for 3-4 minutes, or until dough is smooth and bouncy.
3. Remove dough from mixer, form a ball, and place the dough into a lightly greased medium sized bowl. Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. Once dough is ready, cut dough into six pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece ¼” thick so that it will fit into your cast iron skillet.
5. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl, and mix in 1 tablespoon of minced parsley; set beside your cooktop with a pastry brush. 
6. Heat the cast iron pan until it smokes, and cook each circle of naan in dry pan for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Just before removing naan from the pan, brush the top side of the naan with the melted butter sauce, then remove from pan and generously brush the other side before setting aside. Serve warm with baba ganoush.