Authentic Naan Bread Recipe

A ridiculously easy, authentic naan bread recipe that is soft, bubbly, and chewy - just like the ones you get at Indian restaurants. No tandoor oven or special equipment required!

Why make this Naan Bread Recipe?

• Tastes just like the real thing - wonderfully fluffy and chewy just like the naan from your local Indian restaurant!
• Very little prep needed - Simple enough to throw together on lazy weekends when you want something special with the least hassle. An easy recipe - most of the time is spent proofing the dough - don't skimp on this, its what gives the naan that delicious yeasty flavor.
• Fun, satisfying cooking process - there is something tremendously satisfying about seeing large perfectly round bubbles gradually form on top of your naan.
• Just seven easy to find ingredients - sugar, yeast, warm water, flour, yogurt, salt and ghee ! If you don't have ghee any kind of oil will do!
• No need to own a tandoor - easy step-by-step directions provided on exactly how to use a cast iron skillet to easily replicate the tandoor effect - you get that classic char too!

What is Indian Naan Bread?

Naan is a classic Indian flatbread that is baked in a "tandoor" oven. A tandoor oven is a beehive-shaped clay oven with an opening on the top. Charcoal or wood is placed at the bottom of the oven, produces heat upwards of 900°F. Naan bread is baked by slapping the dough onto the walls of the oven which quickly puffs up into soft, chewy, bubbly bread.

Authentic Naan Bread Recipe Ingredients

Only seven ingredients are needed to make the enriched dough - sugar, yeast, warm water, flour, yogurt, salt, and ghee. You may already have all these ingredients as they are pantry staples.

I use full-fat strained greek yogurt (Fage). You can also use low-fat or non-fat yogurt - the yogurt adds that signature tangy flavor to the naan. If you don't have yogurt, you can use buttermilk. For a non-dairy option, use vegan yogurt - I have used cashew yogurt in this recipe with great success.

Whenever using substitutions, note that you might need to use a little less or more flour as the amount of liquid may differ from that used to develop in this recipe.

For example, Danon's whole milk yogurt has a lot more liquid than Fage, which is strained, so I add an additional cup of flour to get the dough to the right consistency.

Active Dry Yeast is an important ingredient in naan because it not only provides the authentic yeast-like flavor but also creates the bubbles. You can save time by using Quick Dry Yeast - this way you can skip proofing the dough. I prefer using Active Dry Yeast because I feel that it creates a more intense flavor.

There is really no substitute for yeast in naan because it is, by definition a yeast-based bread. Having said that that you can use baking powder instead - the yogurt will still give it flavor but the texture will be more like pita than naan.

All-purpose flour gives this Authentic Naan Bread Recipe the soft, fluffy texture characteristic of Indian restaurant style naan. Substituting the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat and spelt flour will also result in a delicious naan that tastes a little heartier than classic soft naan bread.

Ghee is a clarified butter, where butter is simmered until all water is gone. Ghee adds a distinctly nutty, buttery flavor to the naan bread. Melted butter is the closest alternative to ghee. In this recipe, any type of fat like vegetable oil, avocado oil and olive oil can be used as a substitute for ghee in this easy homemade naan recipe.

Cilantro is used as a garnish in this recipe. Other great garnishes include herbs and seeds like parsley, nigella seeds, and scallion. You can easily make popular garlic naan by sprinkling minced garlic on top of the naan or for a milder taste, brushing the naan with garlic-infused butter.

How to make this Easy Naan Bread Recipe

Step One: In a small bowl add the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Whisk, then set aside for about 10 minutes. The yeast is active and fresh if the mixture is bubbly and foamy.

Step Two: Add the flour, yogurt, salt, and oil to the yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough can be kneaded either by hand or by using a stand mixer with a kneading hook. At the end of the kneading period, the dough will look silky and smooth. It should have a very appetizing yogurt-yeast-like smell. Press the soft dough into a ball. Drizzle it with a little ghee or oil and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.

Step Three: Proof the dough at room temperature or in a warm place like a proofing oven for 1 hour or till the dough doubles in size.

Step Four: Roll the dough onto a floured surface.  Punch out the bubbles and form a ball by pulling the sides into the middle of the dough ball then turning over. Divide the dough into 6 parts and cover with a cloth. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes. The balls will expand. Roll into a circular shape (about 8 inches wide) or oblong shape using a rolling pin.

While the naans served in Indian restaurants are typically round and uniform in shape, traditional naan bread comes in a variety of shapes which range from circular, oblong, oval to a teardrop shape.

Step Five: Heat a cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed skillet on high for at least 5 minutes. The skillet is hot enough when water bubbles dance and evaporate when sprinkled on top. Take a circle of dough and spray or sprinkle water on one side.

Place the damp side on the hot pan. The water on the naan helps the naan to stick to the pan and steam, simulating the traditional process of slapping the naan dough on the sides of a hot tandoor oven. After about a minute, bubbles will form, and the naan will puff up. After about 2 minutes, when no more bubbles are forming, check the bottom - it should have brown markings on it. Flip the naan over and cook till the bubbles are lightly brown.

Another option is to pick up the naan with tongs and cook the top portion over an open flame. The naan is done when both the top and bottom are cooked through and have the characteristic brown markings.

Step Seven: Brush the cooked naan with ghee and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips on making the best Authentic Naan Bread

Overnight proof - When refrigerated overnight and cooked the next day, naan gets a better flavor as the yeast has more time to develop.

Use a very hot skillet - the high temperature is essential to creating the tandoor like condition where the naan dough puffs up into bubbles and gets lightly charred. The skillet should be kept on high throughout the cooking process.

How long does Naan Bread last in the fridge?

Naan should be cooled then stored in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag. Like bread, naan can last up to 3 days at room temperature, up to 10 days in the refrigerator, and about 2 months in the freezer.

Frozen naan is best thawed at room temperature.

Cold naan can be reheated by spraying or lightly patting with a little water and heating over a hot skillet. Alternatively, you can also wrap the water sprayed naan in aluminum foil and reheat in an oven at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes. The heat causes the water to turn into steam which re-hydrates while also heating up the naan. Naan is typically not heated in a microwave because it will harden.

Nutrition

Each serving of this Authentic Naan Bread Recipe has about 226 calories, 2.7g of fat and 38.8g of carbohydrates.

This recipe yields approximately 6 servings. The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only. Please use it as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.

Authentic Naan Bread Variations

There are many variations of this Authentic Naan Bread Recipe in Indian cuisine you can change the topping, stuffing and dough type or use a combination - some examples are shown below:

Topping Variations

Plain Naan - naan bread (not brushed with ghee)

Butter Naan - naan bread brushed with melted butter

Garlic Butter Naan - naan bread brushed with butter and sprinkled with minced garlic

Pudina Naan - naan bread brushed with ghee and sprinkled with chopped mint leaved

Sesame Naan - naan bread brushed with ghee and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Stuffing Variations

Aloo Matar Naan - naan stuffed with potato and green peas

Gobhi Naan - naan stuffed with cauliflower

Paneer Naan - naan stuffed with grated paneer, a soft, unaged cheese

Dough Variations

The flavor of the naan can be varied by changing the flavor of the dough - for example, you can add

• Fennel seeds
• Nigella seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Cumin seeds

Serving Suggestions

Naan Bread is best served with gravy-rich curries, like Butter Chicken, Moroccan Lamb, and Chicken Tikka Masala as the bread is perfect for soaking up the sauce. It also works really well as a sandwich wrap bread stuffed with grilled meats like Chicken Tikka and Pot Roast.

I often eat naan straight out of the skillet, because it is delicious just as is!

Naan Bread FAQs

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Finally, if you make this recipe

I'd love to hear how it went - please leave a comment and rate this recipe. Above all, I love hearing from all of you and will do my best to answer every comment!