⅔ cup warm skim milk

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

5 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon mustard powder

⅛ teaspoon dried lemon granules, crushed

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons charnushka

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons canola oil

⅔ cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 large egg, beaten

Spectrum Naturals Canola Spray Oil with Butter Flavor

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

• In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat the milk until warm (15 to 20 seconds on high). Stir in the sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to proof.

• Add the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, lemon granules, fennel seeds, charnushka, and cumin seeds to mixing bowl. Place a cover over the bowl and mix on low with the dough hook long enough to combine the ingredients. Add the milk-yeast mixture, oil, yogurt, and egg. Mix on low until the dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl, then knead until the mixture becomes elastic. Cover and let the mixture rise until doubled.

• Place a heavy baking sheet in the oven; preheat oven to 475°.

• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down, then knead the dough for about 1 minute. Divide into 6 equal pieces; cover with a damp cotton towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

• Roll each naan (flatbread) out to a teardrop (rather than round) shape, leaving the dough about 10 times the thickness of a tortilla or about half the height of a hamburger bun. (Keep the remaining dough covered with the towel while you roll out each naan.) Lightly spray the top of the naan with the spray oil and sprinkle ⅓ teaspoon poppy seeds over the top. Transfer to the baking pan. Bake for 3 minutes, until puffed, then place under the broiler until the top is lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining 5 naan segments. (If you prefer, you can bake the flatbreads 2 at a time.) The bread is best served warm, immediately after baking; however, it can be baked and then broiled later immediately before serving.

• If preparing on the grill, grill over indirect heat until puffy, then turn the bread and grill an additional 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Treat the side of the bread that is brownest with the spray oil, sprinkle with the poppy seeds, and return to the grill — poppy seed-side up — for another 15 to 30 seconds.

Pan Quality Affects Baking Time

The quality of your bread pan (bread takes less time to bake in a heavier, steel-clad pan than it does in a lighter aluminum pan; see Appendix B), the humidity, the type of oven you use and how well it maintains the temperature, and other factors can all affect how bread turns out. Putting a pizza stone (see Appendix B) on a lower oven shelf can help maintain oven temperature, even when you're not baking directly on the stone. Putting a pan of water in the oven or using a mister to spritz in some water immediately after placing a loaf in the oven can also help develop a crispier crust.