The recipe is easy to make and pairs beautifully with curries, soups, spreads, and dips. Naan can be cooked in a skillet or the oven. We’ll show you a great, authentic tip on creating the best flavor. We recommend having naan with curries and dals, such as our lentil curry, creamy dal, chickpea curry, and chana masala. You can eat it plain or topped with garlic, oil, ghee, butter, and fresh cilantro. Its name comes from the Persian word nān, which means bread or food. Similar types of bread, such as pita bread, are popular in Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and other Middle Eastern countries, which are part of old-day Persia. Traditionally, naan is cooked in a tandoor oven or a tawa pan, but here we’ll show you how to make it in a skillet to recreate the same pillowy, soft, and charred effect. Making this homemade naan bread recipe is surprisingly easy. It’s not all that different from pizza dough or flatbread pizza.
1. Gather your ingredients
To make naan, you’ll need all-purpose flour (or pizza flour), olive oil, lukewarm water, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast (not rapid-rise yeast). We tested and liked the brands Caputo dry yeast, Red Start active dry yeast, Red Star saf instant, and Dr. Oetker instant yeast.
2. Make the dough
With the help of a whisk, dissolve the instant dry yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl with lukewarm water. Add the flour, salt, and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until roughly combined. Tip: The yeast should foam lightly. If it doesn’t, your yeast might be dead, and you should use a new one. The water should be lukewarm, not hot or cold. Check the temperature with your finger; it should feel comfortably warm on the skin. Transfer the dough ball to a well-floured worktop and knead with your hands for 5 minutes until smooth and very soft. Shape into a ball. Add more flour if necessary, but ensure the dough stays soft and moist. Note: If you use a standing mixer, add all the ingredients and mix on the third speed for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Proofing
Transfer the dough ball to a large oiled bowl. Brush the top of the dough with oil, then cover with plastic or a damp towel, leaving enough space between the dough and the cloth. Set aside in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in volume. Tip: We recommend putting the dough to proof in an oven with the oven light on. If you can’t turn the oven light on, turn the oven on for 1 minute, then off to create a warm environment for the dough to proof. Once proofed, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, stretch it slightly, and fold it on itself four times. Roll it against your worktop to form a tight ball. Tip: This step is to give structure to the dough. Cut it into 6 to 8 pieces, depending on how large you want your naan to be. Shape each piece into a tight ball by rolling it on your worktop. Arrange it on a floured baking sheet. Sprinkle with flour, cover with a clean kitchen cloth, and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Shaping
Now, roll out the dough on a lightly floured worktop. You can flatten it with your fingertips, pressing from the center to the edges and stretching it, or with a rolling pin. You can roll it out into any shape you want. We do it oval. Brush one side with water and flip the naan on the hot skillet. The water will make the naan stick to the skillet, which is what we want. Cook on medium heat for about 90 seconds, then turn the skillet upside down over the flame of your hob. The naan should stick to the skillet. Cook directly on the flame at about a 6-inch (15 cm) distance. 30 to 60 seconds should be enough time. The naan will start to bubble and slowly char on the outside. This is the best method for emulating an authentic Indian tandoori oven. Keep cooked naans wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. Optionally, brush the cooked naan with olive oil/melted butter/ghee, minced garlic, salt, and chopped cilantro.
2. Non-stick skillet + induction stove
You won’t get the char with this method, but your naan will still be soft and delicious. Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the naan for about 90 seconds per side.
3. Oven-baked method
This method produces a crunchier naan bread that is less pillowy and soft but still delicious. Arrange the naan breads on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pierce them with a fork. Bake in a preheated oven at 480°F or 250°C for 5 to 7 minutes. We recommend it with dal (creamy split lentils), chickpea curry, lentil curry, curry lentil soup, vegetable curry, chickpea stew, chana masala, moong dal, mung bean soup, chana dal, navratan korma, and many other Indian-inspired recipes.
Dal – Creamy Split Lentils
Lentil Curry
Chickpea Curry
Chana Masala
Olive oil: Substitute melted ghee or butter for olive oil. Instant dry yeast: You can substitute fresh yeast for dry yeast. In this case, you’ll need three times more fresh yeast than dry yeast. Water: Substitute milk for water. Freezer: Let the naan cool completely, arrange it in a freezer-friendly bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before reheating it in the microwave.
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