Don’t forget to check our vegan pita bread or best avocado flatbread recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Check out our list of interesting recipes to know what to serve with naan bread.
Ingredients
Flour: Traditional naan recipe is made with all-purpose flour (maida), giving this flatbread’s signature chewy texture and a mild flavor. You can use bread flour, self-rising flour, or wheat flour, but the texture will differ. Yeast: This helps your bread dough to rise and becomes fluffy. Water: Brings all the ingredients together, making it easier to work with. You can even use milk if desired, making your bread richer. Sugar: Little sugar helps activate the yeast. Yogurt: It adds the needed tanginess or sourness to the bread and also helps tenderize the dough. You can skip this and add coconut-based yogurt to make your naan vegan. Butter or Oil: Ghee (clarified butter), butter, or oil of your choice is added to give a soft and buttery texture. Salt: Enhance the overall flavor of naan. Other ingredients: You can add spices like green chilies, garlic, nigella seeds, and coriander leaves for garnish. This will enhance the flavor of your naan bread. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
Step-by-step instructions
Activate the yeast
In a bowl, add lukewarm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast. Cover it and leave it undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the yeast activate.
Making of naan dough
Add flour, salt, yogurt, and butter to this, and knead for about 10 minutes until you get a smooth and soft dough. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let this rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Take each portion of the dough and form a smooth ball using a kneading motion (it takes about 1 min for each ball). Rest the dough balls (cover to avoid drying) for about 5 mins.
Prepare the garnish
In a small bowl, melt the butter or ghee. To this, add chopped cilantro or coriander leaves and green chilies. You need this to brush the naan as soon as it is ready.
Making of naan
Heat a cast iron skillet or tawa on medium-high heat. Once the dough has rested for about 5 mins, sprinkle some flour on the working surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into 8-inch diameter flatbread. Sprinkle some water on one side of the rolled flatbread, and then place the wet side down on the preheated tava or skillet. Once a bubble starts forming on the naan’s surface, flip the tava / skillet such that the top surface of the naan is about 1 inch from the flame and gets directly roasted over the flame for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it develops desired color. (This gives the restaurant style traditional texture) Flip the tava back, remove the naan using a flat spatula, and transfer it to a plate. Immediately garnish with melted butter (or ghee) and herb mixture. Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.
Alternate method
If you do not want to flip the whole tawa or want to use a nonstick pan, you can simply flip the naan once you see the blisters on the bottom surface and cook on the other side.
Pro Tips
Use a cast iron pan or skillet as this allows the naan to stick to the pan using its wet side, and it can be roasted directly above the flame by flipping the entire cast-iron pan halfway through the cooking process. If the yogurt is thick or the dough looks dry, you may have to add a splash of water and knead. But if the dough looks wet and sticky, then add more flour in increments and knead till you get the smooth, shiny dough. You can use salted butter for garnish. This simple naan recipe works even on cooking ranges that use electric coils. You can substitute green chilies with serrano pepper or jalapeno. The amount of flour or maida to make the dough may vary depending on the flour brand and weather conditions. So it is always good to add flour in parts. You can also add the garnish ingredients to the dough.
Serving suggestions
You can serve and eat this naan bread in various ways. I have a complete list of what to eat with Indian naan bread. My favorite ways to serve naan are with paneer butter masala, butter chicken, chicken handi, mushroom masala, and chicken tikka masala for a complete meal.
Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Naan tastes the best when made and served fresh. But you can store it for a more extended period if needed. Store: Wrap any leftover naan in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and keep it in airtight conatiner. Naan lasts at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Keep it in the refrigerator if you want to store it for up to a week. Reheat before serving. Freeze: you can freeze naan bread for up to 3 months. Wrap the naan tightly in aluminum foil and place it in a freezer bag. Thaw and reheat before serving. Reheat: You can use an oven or skillet (tava) to reheat naan bread. If using a skillet, heat the skillet. Place the naan on the skillet, add a splash of water, and heat it on both sides until heated through. If using the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Place the naan and heat it for about 10 minutes.
More easy Indian flatbread recipes
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Recipe card
