Homemade Naan Bread

And now for the much anticipated Naan recipe!

If you’re unfamiliar with naan, it is basically just an Indian style flat bread. Okay, maybe it’s not “just” flat bread. This stuff is AMAZING. It is soft, pillowy, full of lovely bubbles and so extremely versatile. This recipe is so quick, easy and delicious that it is most definitely my new favorite yeast bread recipe. I can’t quite get enough of it. Scroll on down to see how I freeze my naan so I always have it on hand!

See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep. Originally posted 8-8-10, updated 12-15-15

Homemade Naan Bread

What do you eat with Naan Bread?

Pretty much anything. You can eat naan along side of a meal to sop up gravies or dip into sauces,  use it to make flat bread “wrap” sandwiches, top it with tomato sauce and cheese for a quick naan pizza, use it in place of tortillas for quesadillas. The possibilities are truly endless! Which is why I try to keep naan on hand in the freezer at all times.

How to Freeze Naan

This recipe makes more naan than I can eat (surprisingly) in a week, so I always end up freezing at least some. To freeze your naan, first let it cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a zip top freezer bag, label and date it, then toss it in the freezer. Try to use up your frozen naan within a few months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature.

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Homemade Naan Bread

Soft, pillowy, homemade naan is easier to make than you think and it's great for sandwiches, pizza, dipping into soups and sauces, and more. 

Keyword From Scratch, Vegetarian

Total Cost $1.73 recipe / $0.22 serving

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings 8

Author Adapted from The Novice Chef

Ingredients

• 2 tsp dry active yeast $0.19
• 1 tsp sugar $0.02
• 1/2 cup water $0.00
• 2 1/2-3 cups flour, divided $0.39
• 1/2 tsp salt $0.05
• 1/4 cup olive oil $0.64
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt $0.17
• 1 large egg $0.27

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. Once frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt, and egg until evenly combined.
2. In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, pour the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour, a half cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
3. At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You'll end up using between 2.5 to 3 cups flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky. Avoid adding excessive amounts of flour as you knead, as this can make the dough too dry and stiff.
4. Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 1 hour). After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball.
5. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Stack the cooked flat bread on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!

Recipe Notes

TIPS: For the most bubbles, don't roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. I experimented with different skillet temperatures and found that a medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough and does not burn the surface.

Step By Step Photos

Start by dissolving 2 tsp yeast and 1 tsp sugar into 1/2 cup warm water. Let the mixture sit a few minutes, or until it becomes frothy. Meanwhile measure out 1/3 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek style), 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 large egg.

Once the yeast mixture is frothy, whisk the yogurt, oil, and egg into the yeast water until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix only 1 cup of the flour with 1/2 tsp salt until they’re evenly mixed.

Pour the bowl of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir well.

Continue adding flour, a half cup at a time, until it forms a cohesive ball of dough that you can no longer stir with a spoon.

Turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Add small amounts of flour as needed (to keep the dough from sticking) until you have a smooth, very soft ball of dough. I used about 2.75 cups of flour total for the dough. Avoid adding too much flour as you knead because this can make the dough stiff and dry, and prevent the classic bubbles.

Shape the dough into a ball, loosely cover and let rise until it is double in size (the photo is BEFORE it has risen).

After it has risen, flatten it out slightly and cut into 8 equal size pieces.

Shape each piece into a small, smooth ball.

Heat a skillet over medium flame. While waiting for the skillet to get hot, roll out a ball of dough until it is 1/4 inch thick or about 6 inches in diameter.

Place the rolled out dough in the hot skillet and cook on one side until large bubbles form and the side touching the skillet is golden brown. The bubbles will start small, like in the photo above, but eventually grow and merge together to form larger bubbles.

Flip the dough over and cook on the second side until golden brown as well. Naan is kind of like pancakes in that the first side is smooth and has relatively even brown marks, while the second side (where the bubbles were), has a different texture or pattern in the browned surface.

Here’s that second side flipped back up so you can see the characteristic browned bubbles.

As the naan comes out of the skillet, stack them on a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm.

Brush the naan with melted butter, garlic butter, or traditional ghee!

Original Photos