Nothing is better than homemade bread and that applies to this Indian-style Naan, so simple to make, yet so delicious! Super easy to put together and so good you’ll never have store-bought naan again!
I love fresh bread, there’s nothing better. The smell is what gets me every single time. Over the years, I’ve certainly baked my share of breads and while I may have some favorites, in general I love all bread!
I’m what they call an equal opportunist when it comes to fresh bread. I’ve made many bread rolls and flatbreads, but sometimes I just love a good old piece of naan to dip in some good homemade hummus or butter chicken.
Why You’ll Go Nuts For Naan
- Easy To Make
- Simple Ingredient List
- Extremely Versatile
- Delicious & Better Than Store Bought!
The dough for this naan bread is actually quite simple and requires just a handful of ingredients. It’s also one of those breads that pair well with just about anything! Perfectly soft, chewy, and always so delicious, you must give this naan a try, I guarantee you will love it!
Ingredient Notes
- Active dry yeast – You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast in this recipe. If you use instant yeast then you won’t need to activate the yeast, just add it to the rest of the ingredients along with the water.
- Sugar – This is needed for the yeast, combine it with the yeast and water to activate it. You’ll need this even if you use instant yeast.
- Vegetable Oil – Any vegetable oil will work.
- Egg – I use large eggs.
- Yogurt – I recommend using a good plain Greek yogurt for this because I like the consistency of it. The yogurt will add a bit of mild acidity.
- Flour – You need all-purpose flour. Gluten free flour can be used as well, however the recipe may differ a bit.
- Olive Oil – You need olive oil to fry the naan.
- Butter – For brushing over the naan. This is optional.
- Parsley – This is optional if you want to sprinkle some over the naan.
How To Make Naan
Prep:
- Preheat Oven: If your oven has a proof setting, preheat it to the proof option, otherwise turn on your oven to the lowest heat, mine is around 170F. Turn it off once it’s come to that heat.
- Activate Yeast: In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Lightly whisk it all together, then let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam.
- Add Ingredients: To the same bowl, add the oil, yogurt, egg and whisk well. Set aside.
- Make Dough: To the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix for a couple minutes, until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, starting with a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be nice and soft but not sticky.
- Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place the bowl inside the preheated oven and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. I use this trick all the time to speed up the rising time. Mine only took about 40 minutes, so the time depends on your yeast and your environment.
Cook:
- Cut & Shape: After it rises, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small ball.
- Cook: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Roll out one ball at a time until it’s about 1/3 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Add the piece of rolled dough to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute. The skillet should be very hot, so you’ll see bubbles forming as you cook the dough on the first side. Flip the dough and cook the other side until the bottom is golden.
- Repeat: Repeat with remaining dough until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep the naan covered in a towel so that it doesn’t dry out. When all of them are cooked, brush each one with the melted butter and garnish with some parsley.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Naan is an Indian-style bread usually baked in a tandoor oven, which are cylindrical clay or metal ovens. The great thing about tandoor ovens is that the temperatures can reach 900ºF which means these naan cooks almost instantly!
One at a time! You can either roll and fry, roll and fry, or roll out all the pieces at beforehand. If you are going to roll out all the pieces all together, I would keep them in between parchment paper so they won’t dry out or stick to each other. The naan should cook fairly quickly, about a minute per side, but again it depends on how hot your skillet is. You will notice that the dough will bubble up nicely as you cook it.
It most likely has to do with your yeast! Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn’t expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
There are so many great things you can serve this naan with. I personally love it with some good homemade hummus. I’ve also served it with an amazing butter chicken. But beyond these recipes, you can use to the naan to make gyros, wraps, curries, the sky’s the limit. Another option? Brush it with garlic butter to enhance the flavors even more.
Tips
- I used active dry yeast which you have to activate first, but you may also use instant or rapid yeast which doesn’t require you to dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar, though you still need to add those ingredients.
- Make sure your water is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the water should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that’s not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast.
- To help your dough rise faster, heat up your oven to 200 F degrees, or the lowest temperature it will go to, then turn off the oven. Place your dough in the oven, close the door and let the dough rise in peace for about 30 minutes. If your oven has a proof function, use that.
- I usually add about a tsp of olive oil for each bread and brush it in the skillet so that it’s evenly distributed.
- As you fry pieces of naan, keep them covered in a towel so that they don’t dry out!
Storing Naan
Cool the naan first, then store it in airtight plastic bags at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing
Naan can be frozen in airtight plastic bags for up to 2 months.
More Great Recipes To Try
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Naan Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For Dough
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup water lukewarm
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg large
- ¼ cup yogurt plain
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Other
- 12 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: If your oven has a proof setting, preheat it to the proof option, otherwise turn on your oven to the lowest heat, mine is around 170°F. Turn it off once it's come to that heat.
- Activate Yeast: In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Lightly whisk it all together, then let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam.
- Add Ingredients: To the same bowl, add the oil, yogurt, egg and whisk well. Set aside.
- Make Dough: To the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix for a couple minutes, until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour, starting with a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be nice and soft but not sticky.
- Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Place the bowl inside the preheated oven and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. I use this trick all the time to speed up the rising time. Mine only took about 40 minutes, so the time depends on your yeast and your environment.
- Cut & Shape: After it rises, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a small ball.
- Cook: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Roll out one ball at a time until it's about 1/3 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Add the piece of rolled dough to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute. The skillet should be very hot, so you'll see bubbles forming as you cook the dough on the first side. Flip the dough and cook the other side until the bottom is golden.
- Repeat: Repeat with remaining dough until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep the naan covered in a towel so that it doesn't dry out. When all of them are cooked, brush each one with the melted butter and garnish with some parsley.
Video
Recipe Notes
- I used active dry yeast which you have to activate first, but you may also use instant or rapid yeast which doesn’t require you to dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and sugar, though you still need to add those ingredients.
- Make sure your water is not too hot or it could kill the yeast which will cause your dough not to rise at all. The ideal temperature for the water should be between 105 F degrees and 110 F for proofing. While 95 F degrees is the best temperature for yeast to multiply, that’s not warm enough for proofing active dry yeast.
- To help your dough rise faster, heat up your oven to 200 F degrees, or the lowest temperature it will go to, then turn off the oven. Place your dough in the oven, close the door and let the dough rise in peace for about 30 minutes. If your oven has a proof function, use that.
- I usually add about a tsp of olive oil for each bread and brush it in the skillet so that it’s evenly distributed.
- As you fry pieces of naan, keep them covered in a towel so that they don’t dry out!
- Cool the naan first, then store it in airtight plastic bags at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Naan can be frozen in airtight plastic bags for up to 2 months.
How would you reheat the naan that has been frozen?
You can thaw it at room temperature or just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.
I dont have a stand mixer, can I just use a wooden spoon ?
For sure, you might have to knead it by hand a bit too.