I will never forget the first time I remember eating Naan. We were at a little Indian restaurant called ‘Taste of Punjab’ and the Naan was delivered to our table, hot and dripping with butter and garlic. It was heavenly and the perfect thing to sop up the Butter Chicken. I was hooked and could not wait to try and make it at home. In my house, bread is a MUST and this soft, chewy homemade naan is a family favorite. When my boys see this out at any meal, they can’t come to the table fast enough.
We all love this Homemade Naan bread and it really does make ANY meal so much better! It is the perfect bread to tear apart and use to soak up sauces or wrap up with a big spoonful of curry in the middle. It is fabulous plain or brushed with garlic butter if you want to take it up a notch. Either way, it is delicious!
You will find that it is a very simple recipe to make with basic ingredients that most people have on hand. Here are the balls of dough after rising and ready to flatten and cook.
The dough cooks quickly on your stovetop but tastes like it was created in the traditional tandoor at an Indian restaurant. Many recipes call for yogurt in the dough, but I find it to be unnecessary, and can even make the bread gummy in the center if you aren’t careful. I love this recipe because you cook it in a cast iron pan on the stovetop instead of working with one at a time in a hot oven, like I have done in the past. Easy peasy!
What to eat with Naan?
Naan is perfect with traditional Indian foods such as these recipes here:
Green Chicken Curry
We also love it used like a pita with:
Greek Chicken and Mediterranean Yellow Rice
Another non traditional way we love to eat naan is using it like a soft taco or burrito…(kind of like a “Taco Bell Gordita”)
Homemade Naan
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
Fluffy, bubbly and CHEWY, just like you get at your favorite Indian restaurant! The perfect bread for any meal and, it is shockingly easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant / rapid rise yeast
- 1 cup warm tap water
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 large whisked egg (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Bloom yeast: Mix yeast with warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Cover with cling wrap, leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Egg and milk: Whisk milk and egg together.
- Flour: Sift flour and salt into a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients: Make a well in the flour, add yeast mixture, and butter and egg mixture. Mix together with a spatula. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, switch to your hands and bring it together into a ball. No kneading is required.
- Proof 1: Cover the bowl with cling-wrap, then leave in a warm place for 1 – 1.5 hrs until it doubles in size. (Note 7)
- Cut into 6 pieces: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6 equal pieces, then shape into balls into spheres with a smooth surface by stretching the surface and tucking it under (see video).
- Proof 2: Place balls on a lightly-floured tray or plate. Sprinkle lightly with flour, cover loosely with a lightweight tea towel. Put in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes until it increases in size by about 50%.
- Roll out: Place a round on a lightly-floured work surface, flatten with your hand. Roll out into 3 – 4mm / 0.12 – 0.16″ thick rounds (about 16cm / 6.5″ wide).
- Heat skillet: Rub a cast iron skillet with a very light coat of oil using 1/2 tsp oil on a paper towl (unless already well seasoned). Set over high heat until you see wisps of smoke. (Note 8 for other pans)
- Cook naan: Place a naan dough in the skillet and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the underside is deep golden / slightly charred – the surface should get bubbly. Flip then cook the other side for 1 minute until the bubbles become deep golden brown.
- Cook remaining naan: Remove, set aside, and repeat with remaining naan, taking care to regulate the heat of the skillet so it doesn’t get too hot.
- Finishing: Brush freshly cooked naan with melted butter, garlic salt and freshly chopped or dried parsley.
Recipe Source–slightly adapted from: Recipe Tin Eats
Looks delcious, must try to make it soon