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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.

Best naan recipe

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

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

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.

How do you make naan from scratch

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.

How to cook naan bread

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 naan

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.

Why is my naan not fluffy

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.

What makes naan bread different

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!

How is naan traditionally made

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.

What is the difference between pita and naan

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.

What temperature do you cook naan bread at

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.


Watch How To Make Naan (Video)

Homemade Naan Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 363
This homemade naan recipe is so easy to make and tastes delicious! The perfect naan is all in the texture. It should be soft and chewy with charred spots. The brushed garlic butter topping takes this naan recipe to the next level!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 .25oz package of dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 3 1/2 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 egg (scrambled)
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
  • 1/3 cup salted butter
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, active the yeast by stirring together the warm water and sugar. Add the packet of yeast, lightly stir, and allow the yeast to develop for about 5-10 minutes or until the mixture looks foamy.
  • Add flour, milk, salt, sugar, and egg and mix until the dough forms into a slightly sticky ball. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky and doesn’t pull away from your mixing bowl.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a ball. Grease your mixing bowl and return the dough ball back into the bowl, covering with a damp towel. Place the bowl in a warm location and allow to rise for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Right before the dough is finished rising, make the butter. Melt the salted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted. If you're a garlic lover like me, feel free to add an extra 1 tsp of minced garlic to your butter during this step. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
  • When your dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist and remove from the bowl. Add your garlic to the dough and kneed to mix garlic evenly. Break handful sized pieces from your dough and form into loose balls.
  • Transfer the dough balls to a floured work surface and roll each ball into an oval about ¼ of an inch thick.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Place a piece of the prepared dough to the pan and cook until the top of the dough starts to bubble and the bottom becomes a golden color. Once the top of the dough is bubbling and the bottom is a golden color, flip and cook for an additional minute. Brush the naan with the butter and sprinkle with additional cilantro if desired. Repeat this process with the remaining dough ovals. Serve warm.
Calories: 363kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 808mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg

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I’m a mom of two, food and wine lover, and recipe creation enthusiast. Good food brings families together. Which is why I’m devoted to sharing my best recipes that are simple enough for even the beginner cook that your family will love!

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