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
- â…› teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- â…“ 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.
Is there a non dairy sub for the yogurt?
any plain dairy free yogurt will work perfectly
Making today but I have instant yeast. I just add the yeast directly to the flour, right? I read something about separating it from the salt when you put it in the flour. Not sure I understand that part. Can you clarify? I read this when googling on how to substitute with instant.
I haven't tested it with a different yeast! Did you make it?
This was amazing! SO easy and worked out great in a nonstick skillet, even though I was really worried it wouldnt. Thank you!
I have been a little intimidated to make this, but I have all the ingredients, so now there is no excuse.
Easy and so delicious!
Yesterday I started this then had something come up and had to leave my house, not returning for 9 hours. It was late. I put the dough in a quart baggie and into the refrigerator. Today I made it and oh my! I ate 2 pieces straight off the iron skillet. So delicious! The only ingredients change I made was using non-dairy yogurt and it turned out beautifully. This is now my go-to naan recipe. I have only made it once before using another recipe and it was terrible. So thank you Gaby!
Surprisingly easy and delicious! I made these at home then brought them to a dinner party a few hours later. I reheated them in the oven on 200 and they were perfect. Only issue I had was using my cast iron pan. I had burned bits that I couldn’t easily clean. Will try a different pan next time.
I have shared this recipe with two friends now, and we ALL love it! SO easy and SO good. I am making again today for my teen boys. They devour it like beasts 🙂
Can the dough rest longer than 3 hours?
I've made this naan twice in the last week - my family and I love it! It's so delicious and .... I've got to go into naan detox! I can't stop eating it. Excellent recipe!
Gaby my son loves Naan. But we just realized that he is lactose intolerant. Any way we can make this dairy free?
you could certainly try with your families fav DF substitutes!
I am so happy to learn this is an easy make. I just LOVE Naan!!
What is a non dairy alternative to the yogurt?
I havent tested it with a dairy alternative so I can't say for sure
Could we make this with self raising flour?
Never tried that!
Love that its one bowl and can be stored in the freezer!