Restaurant Quality Naan Bread

by donuts2crumpets | Jan 20, 2022 | Bread and Rolls, Sides

It’s not as hard as you might think to make your own naan bread and homemade naan bread is so much yummier than the stuff you can buy at the grocery store. Naan bread is a grilled flat bread made in Indian cuisine. It has a softer texture than pita bread thanks in part to the yogurt in it. Traditionally it is made in a tandoor oven, but obviously not many of us have access to that in our homes. Thankfully you can make restaurant quality naan bread at home with a few simple pantry ingredients and a cast iron skillet or even a frying pan right on your stovetop!

Naan bread is made from a yeasted dough that puffs when you cook it in a skillet. When you flip it over those puffs cook a little faster than the rest of the dough giving it the golden brown circles on the top. This naan bread is deliciously pillowy soft, buttery, and the perfect vessel to scoop up all kinds of food – we love it with this quick and easy cheat version of Chicken Coconut Curry!

Naan bread will last a few days if you keep it in a Ziploc bag on the counter. I like to make it ahead then wrap it in foil to reheat in the oven at dinner time so I’m not trying to hurry and cook it on the stove while people are trying to eat. I usually reheat for 8-10 minutes at 350. (I also break it in half and reheat in the toaster if I’m just eating a piece with my lunch.)

Once you make this naan bread you will want to make it as a side dish for many of your meals, it’s that dang good. You can use it to scoop up curries, stews and soups, but you can also use it as a pizza base, to scoop up your favorite dip, or as a flat bread for gyro’s or souvlaki’s.

A couple of tips for this recipe:

The amount of flour you need for dough can vary depending on weather, altitude, etc. I always start with 2-1/2 cups, then add spoonful’s of the last 1/2 cup as needed. You want the dough to form a ball that feels a bit tacky, but does not stick to your fingers. However, you don’t want to add too much or your dough will be tough.
If you want to make this dough ahead, after letting it rise, punch down the dough and roll in to a ball – wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a gallon size ziplock bag with all the air sealed out and then refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to cook, take the dough out of the bag and plastic wrap and knead a couple of times on a floured surface. Cover with a towel and let rest on the counter for 15-20 minutes or so, then divide in to 8 pieces, roll them out and cook as directed.
If you don’t like garlic herb butter you can substitute plain melted butter to brush on the naan after they are done cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 of the small packages)
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2-1/2 to 3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, slightly cooled

Garlic Herb Butter – mix together:

4 Tbsp melted salted butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or can use 1 tsp finely chopped or grated garlic)
1 tsp dried parsley or cilantro (or can use 1 Tbsp fresh finely chopped parsley or cilantro)

Optional: Flakey sea salt and chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish.

Instructions:

In a small bowl, add the warm water, yeast and the sugar. Let sit a few minutes until the yeast starts to get bubbly so you know your yeast is good.
In your mixer bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg.
Add in the Greek yogurt, yeast mixture, 2-1/2 cups of flour, salt and melted butter and stir together.
With the dough hook, knead on low speed for 4-5 minutes – if the dough is too sticky add the extra 1/2 cup flour by the Tbsp until a ball forms, (you don’t have to add the entire amount, just sprinkle some in until the ball forms and the dough has pulled away from the sides. The dough should feel tacky, but not stick to your fingers.)
Roll the dough in to a ball, place in a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap and a clean towel.
Let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (It should double in size.)
Punch down the dough and roll back in to a ball. (You can wrap and refrigerate at this point if you want to make the dough up to 24 hours earlier.)
When ready to cook, cut the dough in to 8 equal portions
Preheat a skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat until nice and hot. Carefully coat your pan with a tsp of canola or olive oil, wiping away the excess with a paper towel.
Roll out each portion of dough with a rolling pin in to a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick.
Place the dough in to your preheated pan and let cook on one side for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to puff up with bubbles and has a nice golden brown color on the bottom. Flip over and let it cook on the other side.
Brush the Naan Bread with the garlic herb butter as it comes out of the pan and serve warm! (I like to sprinkle mine with a little flakey sea salt and fresh parsley or cilantro before serving.)

Note, you can reheat the naan bread in the toaster, the oven, or in a skillet on the stove. I usually brush with additional garlic herb butter when I do this.