Sweet Potato Naan Bread + Bonus Sandwich Thins

When I finished making this bread and took my first bite, I was rendered speechless.  It was so much better than I thought possible!  I had a feeling it was going to be good, but not this good. Needless to say, I am super excited about sharing this recipe with you.  This bread is 100% whole grain. Almost half the flour is garbanzo bean flour which gives it an added protein boost.  With sweet potatoes and the char from cooking the dough on a cast iron skillet, this is some pretty irresistible bread!  As a bonus I used the same dough and baked it instead, and made simple and delicious sandwich thins that put the store variety to shame :)

There is a short story behind why I wanted to make naan bread in the first place.  Recently, Nick and I have been loving Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.  Every time we go out we are served amazing naan bread, however it's always made of white flour.  If you don't know me, I'm not a fan of white flour.  I use it here and there, but most of the time I am a 100% whole wheat kind of girl.  It's quite the dilemma when you are out to eat and this delicious, chewy, warm, flatbread is placed in front of you, and it's made with white flour.  Okay, maybe that's a problem unique to me, however I was inspired to make a delicious whole wheat naan bread that I would feel fine stuffing my face with :)

This naan bread is the perfect combination of fluffy and chewy.  Once you make this bread the recipe combinations are endless.  Eat them hot off of the skillet dipped in hummus or slathered with coconut oil.  I have also made open faced sandwiches out of these and they turn out amazing!

I discovered that I could make sandwich thins using the same dough.  Usually I eat my sandwiches open faced because I like my bread to filling ratio one to one.  Sandwich thins fix that problem and these sweet potato thins are the tastiest and healthiest variety I have ever had!

This bread is 100% whole wheat, protein rich, and delicious, so whip up a batch today!

Sweet Potato Naan Bread
Yield: 8 pieces of naan bread

1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp pure maple syrup
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
1 Tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika

cast iron skillet, for cooking

Directions:
1.  Mix yeast, maple syrup, and vital wheat gluten with water and set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof.

2.  Whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  Add yeast mixture, mashed sweet potato, and oil to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Cover and let sit out for 3-4 hours, or in the fridge overnight.

3.  Cut dough into 6 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Flour each ball, and roll out into an long oval (or shape of choice) until it is 1/4 inch thick.  Heat a cast iron pan on high heat.

4.  When pan is very hot, place one piece of naan in the pan and let cook until it begins to bubble.  Flip and cook 20-30 seconds longer.  Remove from heat and place on a cooling rack.

BONUS! Sweet Potato Sandwich Thins:

Follow steps 1-2.  After allowing the dough to rise, preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and form into a disk shape with the palm of your hand, about 6" in diameter and 1/2" thick.  Lay dough disks on prepared pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until bottom starts to brown.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.