With just a few minutes of prep, you will have the beginnings of this beautiful authentic naan bread recipe. This buttery flatbread is to die for, ready for your next shawarma bowl or butter chicken!
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You don’t need to be a baker (bread or otherwise) to make naan! It comes together quickly and easily, and I’ll walk you through a step-by-step process. Your family will line up to eat the next hot naan fresh out of the pan!
How to make Authentic Naan Bread
Let’s start with prepping our yeast, don’t freak out on me if you’ve never worked with yeast before; it’s fairly forgiving and before you know it you will have your own airy and light naan bread.
TIPS FOR WORKING WITH YEAST
- In a medium glass or ceramic bowl, combine your yeast and sugar (yeast, LOVES sugar, metal not so much).
- Pour in your hot (not boiling, just tap hot water) and give it a gentle stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved.
- Allow it to hang out for 5-10 minutes until it’s frothy and rises a bit, it should smell yeast-y or breadlike.
MAKING NAAN DOUGH
While your yeast is doing it’s thing, warm your milk in a small saucepan, just until warm, not hot, not boiling, you don’t want to kill your yeast. It should feel warm, using the back of your index finger/knuckle to test.
Once your yeast smells like yeast; add flour, warm milk, yogurt, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a good stir with a wooden spoon.
Mix with wooden spoon until it comes together and forms a sticky ball. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with oil or a damp tea towel and set in a warm place for an hour.
BAKERS TIP | If you have a proof setting on your oven use that, if not, you can warm the oven to the lowest setting and turn off, then place the bowl inside oven, covered and allow to rise until doubled.
Shape dough into a disc, then divide using a knife or a bench scraper into 8 or 10 roughly equal parts. They do not need to be perfect, in fact it adds to the rustic look of the bread.
Do you Bake Naan?
On a lightly floured surface, one by one, roll out a dough ball into about 6-8 inch flat bread, not too thin. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
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Now comes the fun part, it’s time to bake your bread, but not in the oven, on a hot skillet.
Heat your skillet over medium-high heat until pan is hot. A cast iron skillet or even a dutch oven works great.
Brush both sides of naan dough with melted butter or olive oil. Try sprinkling on other spices as well, such as garlic, cumin or paprika.
One at a time, place the dough in the hot pan and cover with a lid and bake for one minute until bubbles form.
Flip and bake on other side until golden about 1-2 minutes. Remove and if desired, brush a little more butter and a sprinkle of a little kosher salt and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Place warm naan in a cloth lined dish or basket to keep warm.
These homemade naan are best when eaten warm and fresh, however; they will keep well in a baggie in the fridge or freezer. Easily warm them by popping into the toaster on a low setting until warmed through.
Do I Have to Brush Naan Bread with Butter?
No, you don’t, although I personally say, “why would you not brush with butter” but I get it, not everyone is a butter-aholic as I am! You may need to spray the pan with a little spray oil before “baking” though!
Try Naan with these recipes!
- Easy Butter Chicken
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- Chicken Shawarma
- in place of any warm dinner bread or rolls.
This recipe is lightly adapted from Half Baked Harvest.
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Easy Authentic Naan Bread Recipe
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Print Pin Save RateEquipment
- Dough Cutter
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water not boiling, from your tap
- 1 tablespoon sugar all natural cane sugar, regular may be used
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm milk not hot, I use whole milk
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt I like whole milk yogurt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour I use unbleached
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder I like aluminum free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for sprinkling
- 2-3 tablespoons melted butter for brushing or olive oil
- Fresh cilantro parsley or other herbs for sprinkling
Instructions
- Meanwhile, warm your milk in a small saucepan, not hot, or boiling, you don’t want to kill your yeast. It should feel warm to the touch. Once your yeast smells like yeast; add your warm milk, yogurt, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a stir with a wooden spoon and mix until it comes together and forms a sticky ball. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with oil or a damp tea towel and set in a warm place* for an hour.
- Once raised, shape your dough into a disc, then divide using a knife or a bench scraper into 8 or 10 roughly equal parts. They do not need to be perfect, in fact it adds to the rustic look of the bread. On a lightly floured surface, one by one, roll out dough ball into about 6-8 inch flat bread, not too thin. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Heat your skillet over medium-high heat until pan is hot. A cast iron skillet our dutch oven works best. Brush both sides of naan dough with melted butter or oil. Try sprinkling on other spices as well, such as garlic, cumin or paprika.
- One at a time, place naan in the hot pan and cover with a lid, baking one minute until bubbles form. Flip and bake on other side until golden about 1-2 minutes. Remove and if desired, brush a little more butter and sprinkle a little kosher salt along with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Place warm naan in a cloth lined dish or basket to keep warm.
- Naan is best eaten warm and fresh, however; they will keep well in a freezer baggie in the fridge or freezer. To warm, pop into the toaster on a low setting until warm and toasty. These are delicious served with any Indian dish, such as Easy Butter Chicken, Coconut Curry Chicken or Chicken Shawarma
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Notes
Nutrition
Margaret
This is a wonderful recipe! Easy to prepare and so delicious, especially warm! We ate it with Chicken Shawarma and it beats store bought naan by a mile!
SO love hearing this Margaret, and I couldn’t agree more, goes amazing with Shawarma!! Thank you!
Sarah Vanderkooy
My family and I love naan, I thought it would be much more difficult to make. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be trying it.
And it is an easy, a no-fuss, no-muss can’t really mess it up kind of side dish!
Lynn Spencer
Girlfriend, you are killing me! Tryng so hard to cut carbs and then you pop out with this recipe! We love all things Indian food and Naan is about Terry’s most favorite thing when we go to Indian restaurants. Guess I’m going to have to give it a try!
Uh, sorry — not sorry (for Terry’s sake), yes they have carbs but every carb is so worth it!!
michele
Had a contest at our house to come up with the best naan to go with our Chicken Tikka Masala…. Your recipe won HANDS down! The right thickness, the perfect texture and a lovely flavor! Thanks!
Deb Clark
I had no idea how easy this is to make, we loved it!!
Malena P
Your recipe looks like a winner love to
Try it soon
Eliza from Happy Simple Living
Yum! This looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try it. Your photos are mouthwatering!
Awe, thank yoU Eliza!!