Oasis Naan {For Tuesdays with Dorie}

I have had an obsession with making pita bread for years.  I've been trying to make a pita that has a nice big pocket and have spectacularly failed each and every time.  Of course, each attempt did result in a pretty yummy flatbread, certainly edible and great for dipping.  But that wasn't what I was going for.  I've even solicited help from a Jordanian friend who swears by his mom's pita recipe.  But even he couldn't help poor, little pocketless me.

I had all but given up the hope of ever making a pita pocket in my own oven.  So when I learned that the Tuesdays with Dorie group was making the Oasis Naan from Baking with Julia, I was certain that I'd have success with it.  After all, I had been making tasty flatbread for years.  Naan is nothing if not flat.   Why should this give me any trouble?

I enlisted the help of my three year-old little baker and set to making some naan.  I loved making the dough, especially the kneading.  I have been making no knead breads (like this one or that one) so often, I had forgotten how nice it is to get your hands into the dough.  This dough was like silk.  And my little guy loved stabbing the heck out of the it with a fork!   That's his little hand above.  I did make a couple of changes to the original recipe.  I didn't have cumin seeds, so I liberally sprinkled ground cumin over the uncooked naan to accompany the sliced scallions.  And to make up for the missing crunch I used coarse sea salt and sesame seeds.  Stab, stab, stab... Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle...

I popped my first naan into the oven and said a little prayer that it would all work out as it should.  When I opened it up to take out my beautiful flatbread, I was stunned to see a round, perfectly puffed up pita!  Only when I am NOT trying to make a pita can I have any success with it!  Regardless, the naan/pitas were a great addition to our dinner.  They were the perfect vehicle for scooping great gobs of tzatziki into our mouths. I'm not sure I ever will perfect the pita pocket or flat naan, but I am certain that this recipe was flat out a winner (ha ha).

As we are asked not to post the original recipe, I will refer you to our hosts for this week- Julia of Always Add More Butter and Phyl at Of Cabbages and King Cakes.  You find the recipe there as well as read about whether they were better flatbread makers than me.  And of course, check out all the other bloggers in the Tuesdays with Dorie group and see how well their naan came out!