Cheesy Stuffed Garlic Naan

So, last Thanksgiving, I made mac and cheese for the first time ever. Kind of an insane idea I know, because mac and cheese is not easy to make. But this recipe used no roux and no evaporated milk- just a lot of heavy cream, and about a cow’s worth of cheese.

Meaning, I had way more cheese than I knew what to deal with. Costco deals on cheese made it irresistible for my father to grab the large size over the smaller, so when he came home with literally eight pounds of different cheeses, I already knew we’d be eating cheese until the cows came home.

Now, two weeks after Thanksgiving, I am beginning to feel badly for the poor cheeses, sitting cold, staring at me every time I open my fridge. Alright, alright. It’s time. The gouda, in her bright red wax dress, calls to me. I select her from the pile in my fridge. It’s your turn today. I have JUST the thing for you.

Naan is a cozy middle eastern flatbread, usually coated in garlic butter (in my house at least) that is an absolute must-have when serving Indian dishes.

Now, imagine you took this crispy, fluffy, garlicky, buttery flatbread, and stuffed it full of cheese. Oh, man. A match made in heaven.

These turned out beautifully, and it was super easy to make. This recipe will give you more than you probably know what to do with, but that’s okay, these hot cakes won’t be sitting idle for very long anyways.

First, start by making the dough. It’s an easy mix of milk, honey, yeast, flour, and salt, baking powder, and baking soda. The hard part is waiting- take a walk, do some laundry, water your cat. Point is, set your timer for one to two hours, and let the yeast burp their way into fluffy bread.

Then, shred up your cheese. Gouda is great for this, as it’s soft and melty. You could use mozzarella, but I find that it’s hard to shred, and pre-shredded cheese of any kind isn’t a great idea. Dude, this recipe is like two things: bread and cheese. If the cheese is coated with waxy flour stuff to keep them from sticking in the bag (which all shredded cheese is), one half of this dish will turn out wilted and gummy. But you do you boo- maybe you found the holy grail of shredded cheese. If so, help a sister out, and drop the link.

Next, roll out your dough into 8 balls on a floured surface. Take a little ball, roll out flat, and add about a 1/4 cup of cheese to the middle, then fold the edges into the center and roll flat again. Brush each side with olive oil, and cook on a medium high heat pan for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side- it goes fast.

For serving, you do not HAVE to do this, but boy oh boy, garlic butter was calling my name the whole time I made this recipe. I heard her voice from the pantry. And yes, she is always right.

Weird thoughts aside, take a garlic press if you’re lazy like me and mince up some garlic. Then, add it to some melted salted butter (I just stick mine in the microwave, nothing fancy). I also like to add a pinch of salt to really elevate things. Or maybe I’m just an addict, I dunno. You can spread this on with a spoon, which I found slightly easier than brushing it on with either plastic or animal hair brush. The garlic chunks are difficult to pick up with a brush, so just spoon the garlic butter on top and spread. Or, you can even dip your cooked naan in the garlic butter. You do you!

Ingredients

1 cup warm milk
2 teaspoons honey
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups shredded gouda cheese
5 tablespoons white sesame seeds
6 tablespoons salted butter melted
6 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

Combine the milk, warmed to 100- 110 degrees F, with the honey and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes, until bubbly on top.
Add the yogurt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1-2 hours. If not using right away, cover overnight in the fridge.
In a bowl, mix the freshly shredded Gouda with the sesame seeds.
When ready, punch it down and divide into 8 equal balls. Roll each round out into a 10-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. Add about 1/4 cup of cheese to the center. Fold up the dough around the cheese, pinching to seal it in. Gently re-roll the dough out into an 8-inch oval. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the naan with a bit of olive oil. Place the naan on the hot skillet for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then flip and repeat, until golden brown and delicious.
Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Keep warm in a 250° oven. Repeat with the rest of the naan. Mince garlic and add to melted butter with a pinch of salt in a separate dish for serving.
Serve the naan warm, drizzled or dipped into the salty garlic butter.

Eat these hot and warm for the best experience. Oh boy, were these difficult to stop eating! Our family hovered around the stove, eating each hot naan as it came off the grill, not even waiting to sit down. There’s just something about fluffy, cheesy garlic naan that’s hard to resist.

Possible additions

This naan reminds me a lot of khachapuri, a Georgian breakfast bread I used to make all of the time in college. You cannot go wrong with bread, stuffed with cheese, and topped with an egg and sesame seeds. To add to this already tasty naan, you could always add a fried egg on top (kinda artless, but I get it), or shape the bread with a hole in the middle to fit the egg for more protein. That way, you can turn a side dish into an easy breakfast option lickety split.

The Leftover Cheese Saga Continues…

Full and satisfied, stuffed with bread and cheese, I collapse onto my couch and read. The fridge makes a tumbling sound and I flinch- the ice machine. But it’s enough of a reminder. I still have about three more cheeses in there, waiting, watching, biding their time. I will get to you, yet, cheddar, and Monterey, and pecorino. Soon.

Hello! I'm Mia

Cheesy stuffed garlic naan