If you’re making Indian cuisine tonight, take it a step further and make this naan recipe! This soft, delicious bread is perfect for dunking into all those amazing sauces. That’s how my husband and I got the kids into Indian food in the first place. They love the naan and sopping up every last morsel of bold flavor on their plates.
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Best Naan Recipe
There are lots of naan bread recipes out there, yes. But some seem so complicated that it can scare away new home chefs. I’ve taken care to ensure this one is easy to follow no matter your cooking level so you can create wholesome naan to serve with your favorite Indian dishes. No more processed store-bought naan for you!
Naan Bread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – The base of this easy naan bread recipe.
- Dry yeast – To give your naan a lift!
- Warm water – Blooms the yeast.
- Salt – Adds some flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Helps activate the yeast.
- Whole milk – Adds richness.
- Egg – Helps bind your dough.
- Garlic – Mince it to give your garlic naan recipe a yummy and savory taste.
- Salted butter – Adds more flavor and richness.
- Fresh cilantro – For topping it off!
Easy Naan Recipe
While you’ll need about 2 hours for the dough to fully come together, cooking your naan only takes 20 minutes. This is perfect for having guests over on the weekend or even making ahead for when you want something delicious in the middle of the week.
To me, you’re second to Naan.
Megan
How do you Make Naan from Scratch
- To make homemade naan bread, you’ll start by activating the yeast with water and sugar, letting it bloom for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Then you’ll add the flour, milk, salt, sugar, and egg until you get dough that forms a sticky ball. Grease your mixing bowl and put the dough ball in there with a damp towel for cover.
- Let it sit and rise for an hour so it doubles. Before it finishes rising, melt your butter.
- You can add garlic in this step too.
- Then punch the dough down and add garlic to it. Break pieces off and form into balls. Roll those balls on a floured surface so they’re ¼-inch thick ovals.
- Now, heat your cast iron skillet on medium-high and put the dough in, cooking until it bubbles and becomes golden on the bottom, then flip for an additional minute.
- Brush it with butter and top with cilantro, then serve warm.
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Naan Bread Recipe Every Time
- For garlic naan bread, add garlic to the butter. You don’t have to but if you love garlic as much as I do, it’s just delicious this way! A garlic naan recipe is delicious!
- Heat the skillet until it smokes first. This will ensure your naan cooks up perfectly when the skillet is hot enough.
- Feel free to experiment. Once you get the hang of it, you can make naan the way your favorite Indian restaurant does, topping it with cheese or garlic or anything you like.
What is Naan?
Naan is a soft and chewy flatbread that is served in Indian cuisine. It is wonderful for sopping up sauces and even tastes great warmed up all on its own.
What are the different types of naan bread?
There’s garlic naan like in this recipe, kulcha naan which is less fluffy and soft, peshwari naan which is usually eaten for breakfast, and keema naan which is filled with spiced lamb (sometimes goat).
What is the difference between pita and naan?
Pita is tougher and drier than naan. It is often stuffed with ingredients while naan is used to either dunk into sauces or top with food.
What makes naan bread different?
Naan is made with egg and milk as part of the base and while it is flat, it is still fluffy and delightful. It’s perfect for dunking into sauces.
How is naan traditionally made?
Naan is usually made in a tandoori oven, though since most people don’t have that at home, a skillet (such as cast iron) will work just fine.
What does milk do in naan?
It makes the dough soft and fluffy, which helps give you those pillowy results with the finished naan.
How to Cook Naan Bread
You’ll make the dough first and when it’s ready, you’ll cook it in a cast iron skillet on your stovetop.
How is naan traditionally cooked?
Naan is traditionally made in a tandoori oven. As most of us don’t have something like that, this recipe shows you how to make it in a skillet on your stovetop with delicious results!
What temperature do you cook naan bread at?
Naan is made on the stovetop, but if you want to reheat cooked naan, you can set your oven to 400F. Once it preheats, you can heat the naan in there for 2 to 3 minutes.
Can you toast naan in the oven?
You can once it is already made. This is a great way to warm it up!
Why is my naan not fluffy?
Perhaps your yeast didn’t bloom. If you use old yeast, it won’t give the lift you need to get that fluffy texture.
What goes well with Naan?
Pretty much any Indian dish you can think of – curries, saag paneer, tandoori, chicken tikka masala, and even chutneys are just amazing with this bread.
How to Store Naan Bread?
You should put your leftover naan in a plastic zippered bag in your fridge to save it.
How Long Does Naan Bread Last?
In the fridge, you can keep it for about 2 days.
Can You Freeze Naan?
If you need to keep it for longer, you can totally freeze naan. They will keep for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Naan Bread?
If your naan is frozen, let it come to room temperature. You can then heat it low and slow in a well-greased pan on the stove.
