Have you ever made homemade naan? It's quite possibly the easiest of all homemade breads plus it's soft and buttery and you can use it for so many dinner ideas!
Making homemade bread is dangerous. Very dangerous. In fact the following recipe should come with a warning label. Do not make this while you are home alone because you are almost guaranteed to eat 6 large pieces of Homemade Naan all by yourself. Be advised. It's bound it happen. I speak from experience 🙂
If you're an avid WGC reader, you're aware that I don't make homemade bread frequently. It usually takes a while and who has time for that on a regular basis? Not me! Plus if you find a great bakery in your neighborhood you can literally show up as they take the bread out of the oven and snag a few loaves to take home.
But homemade naan is a different story. You can't get piping hot fresh naan from the market (or at least I haven't found it yet) and fresh hot naan is a magical thing. Especially when slathered with homemade hummus or tzatziki. Even alone, it's just brushed with melted garlic butter and sprinkled with salt and it's perfection. Literally salivating as I write this. Trust me - you won't want to miss this recipe! Make it for your next appetizer or snack! Or use it as a wrap and stuff it with some tzatziki drenched chicken or Greek lamb meatballs, and top with lettuce and tomatoes! You're welcome.
Homemade Naan 101
- What is Nann?
- Naan is a leavened flatbread that hails from Western Asia, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean. And it is DELICIOUS. You might think it looks similar to pita but they are in fact very different as naan uses yogurt to give it a thicker consistency.
- How do you store homemade naan bread?
- If you make more Naan than you can eat in one sitting, just store it in a zip top bag in the fridge for the remainder of the week. Pop one out whenever you need it and either warm it in a skillet over medium low heat until warm or in the microwave for 15 seconds.
- How is naan made?
- Naan is one of the easier yeasted breads to make. It all comes together in 1 bowl and then rests for 3 hours. Then all that's left to do is form it into small balls, roll those into circles and cook them off in a skillet one at a time.
- Can I freeze naan bread dough?
- Absolutely! I prefer to make this recipe start to finish and then freeze the already cooked naan. Again, use an air tight container like a zip top bag for maximum freshness.
- How do you keep naan warm for a party?
- Once you take the freshly made naan out of the skillet, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm dry place. Add the additional pieces of naan to the same kitchen towel so they can retain as much heat as possible.
- What do you eat with naan bread?
- a Hummus Bar is always a good idea
- Use it to sop up all that delicious liquid in a Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
- Same thing goes for a Butter Chicken
- Cheesy Artichoke Dip
- Serve it up alongside my Moroccan Dinner Party menu
- And of course you could serve it with some homemade tzatziki for a great snack or appetizer
Homemade Naan
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup melted butter mixed with 3 cloves minced garlic
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large glass, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar with ¾ cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.
- Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading, it should feel a bit sticky. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, assemble 2 bowls, one with extra flour, and one with water. The dough will still be sticky. Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.
- Shape the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle. It should be about ¼-inch thick. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough.
- Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.
- Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your naans, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.
- After about 1 minute, flip the naan. It should be blistered and somewhat blackened, and cover the skillet with the lid and cook for about 1 minute more.
- Remove the naan from the skillet, brush with copious amounts of butter and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.
Will I need to purchase kosher salt or can I just use regular?
are you using table salt? if so, kosher is preferred for this for sure!
Caution, the instructions do not scale up the amounts if you change the amount of servings. I incresed the amount to 12 servings, but the recipe did not include the amount of water (it was only mentioned in the instructions), so it was not increased, so I initially only added 3/4C water to the yeast. Similiarly, the instructions state to add 1 tsp of sugar to the yeast, but it should say add 1/2 the amount of sugar, (in my case 3 tsp.) If I was an avid baker or simply read ahead, this may have been obvious. I adjusted the amounts after the fact, so hopefully it comes out well.
Can the dough rise for more that 3 hours. I would like to make it in the make and cook
It when I get home
This recipe was fantastic. I paired it with the butter chicken recipe and was so impressed by how well they both turned out. My husband who usually skips the naan when I order it ate THREE pieces. It was super easy and delish.
Hi Gaby, this looks fantastic and similar to your Garlic Flatbread in your cookbook. I recently got a bread maker-do you I sonic I can use the dough or other setting to do the mixing rising and then bake as instructed in the oven? Thanks!
Allison
Actually I see now that you cook it on the stove, but I still have the same question about using a bread maker for the mixing and rising. Thanks!
I've never tested it in a bread maker so not exactly sure how that would translate! sorry!
Making this for the second time. Super easy and delicous!