Soft and Fluffy Homemade Naan
Made with just 9 ingredients, this soft and fluffy naan is infinitely better than anything you’ll get in the store. With a light brush of garlic ghee, it’s the perfect vessel to serve with curries, stews, and spreads!
One of my favorite things to bake is bread—bagels, croissants, pita, sourdough, you name it—and that includes this naan recipe! In my opinion, nothing can top homemade bread (and honestly, it’s not as hard as you think)!
What is Naan?
Naan (pronounced “nahn”) is a traditional Indian flatbread made with flour, yeast, ghee, and yogurt. It’s fluffy, chewy, and flexible, which makes it the perfect vessel for dipping in sauces and curries. And while the flatbreads are traditionally cooked in a tandoori oven, I always cook mine in a cast iron skillet with perfect results!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour. If you want to use bread flour for an extra bit of chew, you can. This recipe works perfectly either way, but I find there not to be too much of a difference (and all-purpose flour is more accessible, anyway).
- Granulated sugar. The bread won’t taste sweet—the sugar feeds the yeast to help the dough rise faster.
- Instant yeast. I find instant yeast to be infinitely easier to use than active dry yeast, since there’s no need to dissolve anything. If you don’t have any, however, you can easily substitute one packet of instant yeast for 1 tablespoon of active dry. If you go this route, remember to bloom the active dry yeast by mixing it with the water and sugar and letting it foam before adding to the flour.
- Kosher salt. To season the bread.
- Baking soda and baking powder. To create the signature bubbles on the bread.
- Water. To hydrate the dough.
- Olive oil or ghee. Adds flavor and moisture.
- Plain yogurt. Yogurt is really important in this recipe, since it makes the dough soft and tender. Make sure it’s plain yogurt and not Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has a different moisture content since it’s been strained and will produce a different result.
How to Serve Homemade Naan
When it comes to bread (flatbreads, in particular) you can really serve them however you like, but here are a few ideas to get you started. I love to serve homemade naan:
- With curries and stews. The traditional way, of course—I love to eat naan with my homemade chicken tikka masala!
- With dips. I like hummus, raita, tzatziki, muhummara, or pesto.
- As a sandwich or flatbread.
- As a pizza. Layer on tomato sauce and your toppings, pop it into the oven to melt, and you’ve got yourself a homemade naan pizza!
- Make naan chips! If your naan gets too stale, you can bake them low and slow in the oven until crispy for the perfect naan chips.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Properly knead the dough. I know it can be tiring, but you’ve got to fully work the gluten in your dough, otherwise the naan can easily tear and taste tough. I’ve found that I need to knead for at least 10 minutes to do it properly.
- Proofing. Bakers test bread dough for readiness with the “poke test.” If you push a finger about one inch into your bread dough and release, you should notice if the it springs back at all. If the dough springs back immediately and leaves no indentation, it’s underproofed and needs to rest longer. If it springs back slowly and leaves an indent, it’s proofed well and is ready to use. If it doesn’t move at all, it’s most likely overproofed, and there’s no real way to fix it!
- Rest the dough. It’s important to let the dough rest after shaping, otherwise it can tear. If you find the dough to resist you at any point in the process, cover the pieces with a damp cloth and rest for 5 minutes.
Hope you give this recipe a try—happy bread making!
Soft and Fluffy Homemade Naan
Made with just 9 ingredients, this soft and fluffy naan is infinitely better than anything you'll get in the store. With a light brush of garlic ghee, it's the perfect vessel to serve with curries, stews, and spreads!
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Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 (¼-ounce) packet instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ cup olive oil or ghee
- ¾ cup plain yogurt (NOT Greek yogurt)
If making garlic naan
- ½ cup good-quality ghee or melted butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until evenly combined. Make a well in the center and add the water, olive oil, and plain yogurt. Mix the ingredients until a dough forms, then turn it out onto a clean work surface.
- Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until extremely soft and supple. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer on low fitted with the dough hook attachment (keep in mind that the kneading time may be shorter). If the dough is too sticky while kneading, add more all-purpose flour as needed. The dough is finished kneading if it is tacky* and springs back when poked.
- Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough inside, then cover with a damp towel and let the bread proof for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size (this may happen slower or faster, depending on how warm your kitchen is). Test if it is ready by poking it; if the dough springs back and leaves a slight indentation, it's ready to be shaped. If it springs back with no indentation, it needs longer. If it doesn't spring back at all, it's overproofed.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, turn it onto a work surface, and divide it into 10-14 pieces, depending on how large you want each naan. Form each piece into a ball and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest 15 minutes.
- Roll out each dough portion into a thin circle around ¼ inch thick. Pick up the disk and use your hands to gently stretch the dough. It should stretch easily without tearing, but if not, let the dough rest for longer.
- Once rolled out, let the dough rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat (do not add any oil).
- Once hot, place a piece of rolled-out dough into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and slightly charred. Flip the naan with a pair of tongs and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. If the naan cooks too quickly, reduce the heat.
- If not serving immediately, wrap the naan in aluminum foil to keep warm. The bread will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature, or it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- For garlic naan. Mix the melted butter, garlic powder, and chopped cilantro in a bowl until evenly combined, then brush the mixture over the warm naan.
Notes
*meaning, the dough may stick to your fingers but leave no residue.
