Indian Naan: A Simple Recipe Without Yeast, Eggs, or Leavening
Fresh bread, hot off the stove and slathered with butter and garlic is quite the temptation. Indian naan only requires a few simple ingredients to create a soft, rich, and chewy bread, perfect for your next meal.
Servings: 10 naan
Ingredients
- 360 g (3 cups) bread flour (plus more as needed) fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 2 tsp (12 g) granulated sugar superfine is preferred
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
- 171 ml (½ cup + 3 tbsp) whole milk or water or mix of milk & water
- 161 g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) plain yogurt whole milk yogurt is preferred
Optional Mix-ins
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Optional Toppings
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 4 tbsp melted butter or ghee
- Nigella seeds for sprinkling on top of the cooked naan
- white &/or black sesame seeds for sprinkling on top of the cooked naan
- coriander seeds for sprinkling on top of the cooked naan
Instructions
Night before or morning of day you want to make the naan (at least 4 hours):
- In a large bowl, whisk or stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in milk and yogurt until a dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough just until all the ingredients are well combined. Add flour or milk/water as needed, but the dough should be firm & all ingredients mixed in. It will be dense but not dry.
- Return dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight up to 3 days.
Evening of or following day:
- Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. While skillet heats up, divide dough into 10 dough pieces and roll each into a ball. For a stronger garlic flavor, you can knead minced garlic into the dough before dividing it. You could knead half of the garlic into half the dough and leave the other half plain.TIP: Eyeball the cuts or weigh each dough piece (~70 grams each).
- On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out or push out (with fingers) each dough round into ovals or circles. The thinner the dough the crispier it will be. For soft, chewy naan, roll each out to ¼ inch thick.
- Once the skillet is hot (when sprinkles of water sizzle upon hitting the hot pan), place one naan in the dry skillet and cook for a minute or two. Brown spots should form on the underside and bubbles should form on top. Flip when the underside browns. Cook until brown spots form on the flip side and naan is cooked through.TIP: Use a paper towel to wipe flour out of the skillet after 2-3 naans to prevent it from burning.
- Stack naan on a foil-lined plate as they bake. Cover the top naan with foil to keep all of them warm as you cook them.TIP: You can store them in a 200˚F (93˚C) oven in the same manner until you’re ready to eat them.
- For optional flavoring topping, while the naan is still warm, melt butter in a small bowl and stir in minced garlic. Brush garlic butter on both sides of each naan. You can sprinkle on Nigella seeds, black or white sesame seeds, or coriander. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy naan with hummus or dips like eggplant- baba ghanouj. Serve it as a meal accompaniment or alone. It goes great with grain dishes, curries, lentils, and paneer or meat cooked in a sauce. You can even top the bread with veggies, meat, and cheeses to make a quick pizza.
Storage:
Store unbuttered naan at room temperature in a sealed bag or container for about 5 days or freeze for up to several months. If buttered, freeze in a sealed bag or container, then remove preferred number of naan 30 minutes before eating to thaw on the counter. You could heat immediately out of the freezer for ~30 seconds and eat.