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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!
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.
This looks Delicious i love Naan Bread.
can i use a Ceramic skillet instead of a cast iron skillet?
i just prefer that over a cast iron skillet when i cook on my gas stove top.
i am trying to find easier Naan bread recipes.
please let me know by emailing me at midnight0675@frontier.com
Heather, this is the easiest naan recipe. Yes, you can use ceramic skillet.
I make this twice a month. It is the BEST Naan recipe – and I have seen dozens of others. Make it just like directed.
Hi Chef Jimmy, thanks for great review of my naan. Yes, all my recipes are amazing please try more: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Happy to report these work very nicely when grilled on a barbecue as well!
Yummy!
Can bread flour replace the all purpose flour ?
Should be but I can’t guarantee the same results.
I tried bread flour because I like to experiment. It does work but is a bit tougher.
Great recipe – thank you.
I’ll add salt to the dough next time. Really needs a bit but otherwise very good and easy. I also cooked at 7. My stove was a bit too hot.
Hi, I would like to use my kitchen-aid mixer, how long should I mix it? Thanks for sharing!
I made mine in my kitchen Aid mixer, for about 7-8 minutes and it was spectacular
Antonio, thank you so much!!
I cooked them in the oven at 475 for about 5 minutes on a cast iron pizza stone and they were amazing! Thank you!
Hi Heather, thanks for letting me know about oven baked naan. :)
This recipe was wonderful and very easy for the home cook. Instead of oil I added ghee to the dough. Also I didn’t have regular yogurt and substituted Greek style, adding a little water to thin it out to make a half cup. I added a half teaspoon of salt to the dough but still found it lacking in salt. I’ll add a teaspoon next time and see how it goes. The dough was so silky and tender. Very easy to work with. I wrapped and froze half the dough in 4 balls, the same way I do with pizza dough so I’ll see how it does when thawed and cooked. Thanks very much for this recipe.
Thanks for trying my naan recipe. Yes, you can add more salt to your taste.
This was delicious! I had fat free plain Greek yogurt on hand and it worked beautifully. I wasn’t able to get them 8 inches though, the disks were way too thin but that may have been from the thickness of the Greek yogurt? Doesn’t matter because they looked & tasted amazing! Thank you.
This recipe is fabulous and fail proof! The texture is amazing. Thank you!