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Naan Bread
Naan is an Indian recipe; it’s a type of flat bread.
Traditionally they are baked inside a very hot clay tandoor oven, with charcoal or wood fire.
The naan bread are stuck to the inside of the oven just like the picture below.
The tandoor oven retains very high heat, up to 900°F and hence fills the inside of the flat bread with air pockets and bakes them to perfection.
In a modern day kitchen, we do not have a tandoor oven, but you can make naan at home with a hot cast-iron skillet on the stove stop, or bake in the oven.
My naan recipe is made on a stove top, using a very hot cast-iron skillet.
The naan turn out extremely delicious, soft, puffy, airy, with the beautiful golden brown spots on the surface.
They taste just like the best Indian buffet restaurants!
Recipe Ingredients
Frequently Asked Questions about Naan:
Is Naan Bread Healthy?
Yes, it is super healthy. My recipe is quick and easy, fail-proof and cooked on a skillet. You do not need a tandoor oven!
Does It Have Eggs?
There is no eggs in the recipe. Vegan can’t eat them as this recipe calls for yogurt, which is not vegan-friendly.
The Origin of Naan
It originated from Iranian. However, different countries have its own version of the bread.
It’s a staple in Iran, many middle eastern countries, the Indian subcontinent countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.
The Difference between Naan and Roti
They are both flat breads but different because of the ingredients used. Roti, for example, chapati is made with whole wheat flour and there is no yeast.
Naan is made with all purpose flour and you will need yeast to make the dough.
Tips on How to Make Naan
- First, you want to make the dough by combining the yeast and flour together. Knead the dough with hand or using a stand mixer and then rest to double the dough in size.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls. Heat up a cast-iron skillet on high heat to make naan.
- The high heat makes the dough rises and fills the middle part of the bread with an air pocket. It’s done when burnt brown “blisters” or spots appear, just like my pictures.
- Brush the fresh-off-the-skillet naan with some melted salted butter and top them with cilantro leaves.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 295 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with Naan?
They are great with Indian curries with sauce, for example: chicken tikka masala or butter chicken.
For a wholesome Indian dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
How to Make Naan Bread?
Please refer to the recipe card below for detailed step-by-step method on how to make naan at home.
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Naan Bread (The Best Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 oz. (10g) active dry yeast ((2 1/4 teaspoons) )
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- some oil (for greasing the skillet)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. The yeast should be activated when it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the flour to a flat surface and make a well in the middle.
- Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, salt and oil, knead the dough until the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place (for example: beside the stove top or warm oven). The dough should double in size, about 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough to a 8” (230g) circle using a rolling spin.
- Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place the dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and burnt spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat the same until all dough are done.
- Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Great recipe they came out brilliantly #cookingontheboat
Hi,
Thank you for your detailed recipe. I am going to try it soon.
Awesome!
Hi!
How many calories per serving size or portion?
Congrats on this recepie,. Made it againband came out perfect. Thank you!
Carmen
Please check the calories information in recipe card.
We are going to try this recipe while camping – in a cast iron over a fire. How long before using can I make the dough? Would 24 hours work?
You have to make the dough before going camping.
These are super yummy thanks! I brushed olive oil (kinda cheated) on each serving because I kept burning the first few (my bad), and the rest with a little oil turned out amazing.
Just a head’s up on the sodium posted……..
Salt has 2300mg sodium per tsp. Recipe calls for .5 tsp making total in dough 1,150.
Realistically, each serving clocks in at about 143.75 mg sodium.
Thanks for this recipe!
Can you substitute the Yogurt with something non dairy?
Sorry but I am not sure.
You sure can do. I am Iranian myself. In Iran, there are hundreds of recipes for Naan breads belonging to different regions. Surely, they are a little different from each other. Most Naan breads are as simple as just flour, water, salt and yeast. But there are some recipes, with added fat, milk, yogurt, etc.
I make both the Indian and some Iranian recipes with sourdough. Sourdough has been the original raising agent. A great way of making bread for nomads
American standard units are used.
This recipe is incredible. I’ve tried many naan recipes and keep coming back to this one because it’s so forgiving. I have used things other than yogurt, added seeds to the dough before rolling, left the dough overnight to rise, rolled cheese and herbs into the dough, and it turns out perfectly every time.
Awesome Marisa, I am so happy that you love my naan recipe!
Did you leave in the refrigerator overnight to rise?
Hi Bee, I love your naan recipe. Reflecting on the comment below I Googled how many countries don’t use it and this is what I discovered: ‘The metric system is the most used measurement system in the world. Only three countries in the world don’t use the metric system: the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar. Every other country around the world uses the metric system.’ I think that says it all. Great website, well done. ?
Could you please use non-retarded units? Thank you very much!
Your comment reflects on yourself, not me.
You’d think with a name like Jirka they would try to be a bit nicer. The naan is amazing thank you!
I followed the recipe but found my dough was very tough to knead.
Any advice on how to resolve it?
Just add a bit more water.
Can Instant Yeast be used in this recipe??
Yes you can.
What a real Jerka!
American standard units are used.
easy google search converts standard to metric, visa versa