Fluffy tender and so irresistible. So much you can do with homemade naan! This recipe uses everyday pantry staples that I’m willing to bet you already have and turns them into soft and fluffy naan that tastes just like it came hot from your favorite Indian restaurant. Take it from someone that eats Indian food at least once a week; these naans are the real deal. They’re tender, a little chewy, and brushed with garlic butter for good measure right at the end. I shared a batch with my parents, and they couldn’t believe I actually made them! They kept raving about how soft and tender they were, and I just sat back and let them go on and on. You know why? Because these homemade naans are just that rave-worthy!
Naan is a type of Indian or Pakistani flatbread that is leavened and somewhat similar to the pita bread. Typically naan’s are shaped and clung to the walls of a hot clay oven, called a tandoor. The tandoor quickly cooks and puffs up the naan leaving you with a tender bread that is served with seasoned sautéed vegetables, curries, and stews of all kinds.
All-purpose flour: works better for this recipe rather than bread flour because we want the flatbread to be soft and tender, not chewy. You’ll end up with a more elastic or chewy naan if you swap the all-purpose flour for bread flour. Sugar: is used in this recipe as food for the yeast. But it also helps keep the naan tender by absorbing the liquid and slowing down the formation of gluten. Instant dry yeast: using instant yeast helps the naan dough to rise more rapidly, and you don’t have to go through the process of activating the yeast, so it cuts down on prep time. Kosher salt: the main function of salt is to help flavor the dough. Warm water: is used in this recipe so that the yeast quickly starts up. It also helps keep the ghee in a liquid state, which will then coat the flour when we knead the dough. Coating the flour in ghee (or butter) helps prevent too much gluten from developing when you mix the water and flour mixtures. Since the flour is coated in ghee, it’s like it’s waterproof. So when you knead the dough to make naan, it minimizes the formation of gluten, which gives you a more tender naan. Plain yogurt: yogurt adds a nice tang and softness to the naan. Melted ghee: thought you can also use melted butter in this recipe, melted ghee or clarified butter is what is more traditionally used.
What if I only Have Active Dry Yeast?
If you have active dry yeast, you can still use it for this recipe. Just be sure to activate your yeast. Instant yeast does not require activation so that we can combine everything directly in a bowl. Active dry yeast does, so you’ll need to mix the sugar, water, and yeast in a bowl and allow for it to activate for at least 5-7 minutes or until you start to see it foaming at the top. The quantity of yeast you use will vary depending on how quickly you want to make naan. Here’s what you need to know:
How to make garlic naan:
If you’re making garlic naan, I suggest mincing a couple of cloves of garlic into a small saucepan and adding a knob of cold butter in with the garlic. Allow it to heat over the lowest heat setting until the butter melts completely. This allows all that garlic flavor to infuse into the butter. I like to keep it on the stove on the low heat setting so I can brush the naans with the prepared butter right as I’m about to take them off the pan.
What if I don’t want garlic naan, can I use any other toppings?
You don’t have to brush fresh naan with melted garlic butter. Here are a few other ways of topping freshly made naan.
Melted butter + sprinkle with a pinch of cilantro or parsley for color Brush with melted butter + sprinkle with sesame seeds Melted butter + sprinkle with nigella seeds Brush with melted butter + a sprinkling of za’atar seasoning
Can you store/freeze homemade naan?
YES! You can cook the naan, allow them to cool to room temperature, and then place them in an air-tight container or a zip-top bag and let them sit in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you want to reheat, just spritz with water and reheat them in a warm skillet over low heat until they heat through. You can also freeze prepared naan. Just add them to a zip-top bag and freeze. You can freeze them for up to 4 months. Allow them to defrost in the refrigerator overnight or zap them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at half power. Once they’re room temperature, you can reheat them with the same method listed above.
Recommended Equipment:
Mixing Bowls Measuring Cup Food thermometer Rolling Pin Cast iron skillet (budget-friendly) Cast iron skillet (splurge) Turner
What do you suggest serving with homemade naan:
My Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken Chicken Tikka Masala 30-Minute Spicy Shrimp Masala Weeknight Chana Masala Palak Paneer (coming soon!)
If you liked this recipe, you might also like:
Homemade tortillas No-knead dutch oven bread Jalapeno cheddar bread Swirled banana bread One Hour Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls Roasted Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Garlic Irish Cheddar Chive Soda Bread Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
You can also use active dry yeast for this recipe, just be sure to allow at least 2-3 hours for the dough to double in size.
