Naan is a popular Indian flatbread. It’s fluffy, pillowy, soft and chewy, but also crispy and flaky. It melts in your mouth and is the perfect bread to accompany delicious Indian curries such as Butter Chicken. It’s so easy – No Kneading and simple to make and you only need a few ingredients. All you need for a good naan is flour, salt, yeast, water and oil.
What is naan?
Naan is an Indian flatbread that is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven (a very hot clay oven). In private households, however, it is usually prepared in a very hot pan on the stove. Naan bread is soft, fluffy and chewy, whereas pita bread is denser and has a slightly crispy texture on the outside.
Naan has a distinctive teardrop shape. The pita is round and often has a hollow inside or pocket. Naan is almost always spread with butter or ghee before serving. This soft and pliable bread usually takes the place of utensils for scooping curries, sauce or drier dishes such as tandoori chicken.
Ann’s Tips:
1. Use lukewarm water to activate the yeast. Cold water does not activate the yeast (and it makes the dough too sticky). Hot water kills the yeast.
The water should be between 100-110ºF (37.8-43.3ºC) to activate the yeast. I usually microwave water at room temperature for 20-25 seconds and that is usually enough.
2. Do not add more flour to the dough. As soon as you start kneading, the dough is no longer dry, but really sticky. Don’t be tempted to add more flour. The dough will only come together well if you oil your hands several times while kneading. This helps to hold the dough together, but also to reduce the stickiness of the dough. After a few minutes of kneading, the dough will no longer be sticky, but soft, supple, mostly smooth and well-moistened.
3. Preheat the pan. If you are using a cast iron skillet, you will need to heat it on medium to medium-high heat until it is almost smoking. This usually takes 5 minutes, sometimes longer. But after cooking the third or fourth naan, I have to reduce the heat on my stove from medium-high to medium.
4. Dab a small amount of water on the back of the dough (this helps the naan stick to the pan).
What do you need:
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
⅔ cup (160 mL) lukewarm water (water needs to be at 100-110ºF)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon olive oil or any oil, plus more to oil your hands
Spread:
3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (optional but recommended)
3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
How to make:
- Make the dough. Prepare a container, pour in lukewarm water at a temperature of 100-110ºF and sugar. Stir well until it dissolves. Then add the yeast and stir well. Set aside for 15 minutes until the yeast becomes frothy and foams a little.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder and stir well with a silicone spatula to form a dough. Make sure you mix the flour until there is no dry flour left. This only takes 1 to 2 minutes.
- Let the dough rest. Pick up the dough and put 1 tablespoon of oil at the bottom of the container. After you put the dough back, put 1 tablespoon of oil on the dough and spread the oil around the dough with your hands. Leave to rest in a warm for 90 minutes until the dough has risen and at least doubled in size.
- When the dough has risen, punch the dough to release the air. Knead the dough briefly into a ball with your hands until it is smooth (it should not stick to your hands).
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough into 8 balls with your hands. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rest for 10 minutes to “proof”.
- Garlic butter or olive oil – Place the chopped garlic, chopped coriander and (vegan) butter in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Roll out the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into teardrop shape that is about 8 inches long and 5 inches wide at the widest point (20 cm x 13 cm). Roll out the naan almost as thin as possible.
- Dab a small amount of water on the back of the dough (this helps the naan to stick to the pan).
- Cook the naan. Take the naan in your hand and carefully place it in the hot pan, watered side facing down. As soon as you see bubbles everywhere and the edges start to dry out (45 to 60 seconds, depending on the heat level), turn the naan over. Now cover the pan with the lid and cook for a further 30 to 40 seconds.
- Transfer the naan to a plate, brush with the melted garlic butter or olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Cheese naan recipe:
- Take a ball of dough and shape it into a cup with your thumb and fingers. Once you have formed a cup, put your cheese filling inside.
- Press it down and seal the dough ball. Roll it out and shape it like a naan.
- Bake the cheese naan like the naan.
Watch how to make:
Other bread or pastry to try:
No-Oven Turkish Bread With Only 3 Ingredients (Bazlama)
No Knead Bread Rolls -So Soft and Fluffy
No Oven, No Knead, 3 Ingredients Frying Pan Bread
Cheese and Potato Bread
No-Knead Sandwich Rolls
Fluffy Greek Pita Bread – No Kneading, No Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water (water needs to be at 100-110ºF) (160 mL)
- 2 tsps sugar
- 1 1/2 tsps active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil or any oil plus more to oil your hands
Spread:
- 3~4 tsp finely chopped cilantro (optional but recommended)
- 3 tbsp melted butter or olive oil
- 2~3 gloves garlic grated or minced
Cheese Naan Recipe:
- some grated cheese
Instructions
- Make the dough. Prepare a container, pour in lukewarm water at a temperature of 100-110ºF and sugar. Stir well until it dissolves. Then add the yeast and stir well. Set aside for 15 minutes until the yeast becomes frothy and foams a little.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix everything into a dough.
- Let the dough rest. Pick up the dough and put 1 tablespoon of oil at the bottom of the container. After you put the dough back, put 1 tablespoon of oil on the dough and spread the oil around the dough with your hands. Leave to rest in a warm for 90 minutes until the dough has risen and at least doubled in size.
- When the dough has risen, punch the dough to release the air. Knead the dough briefly into a ball with your hands until it is smooth (it should not stick to your hands).
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough into 8 balls with your hands. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rest for 10 minutes to “proof”.
- Garlic butter or olive oil – Place the chopped garlic, chopped coriander and (vegan) butter in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Roll out the naan. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into teardrop shape that is about 8 inches long and 5 inches wide at the widest point (20 cm x 13 cm). Roll out the naan almost as thin as possible.
- Dab a small amount of water on the back of the dough (this helps the naan to stick to the pan).
- Cook the naan. Take the naan in your hand and carefully place it in the hot pan, watered side facing down. As soon as you see bubbles everywhere and the edges start to dry out (45 to 60 seconds, depending on the heat level), turn the naan over. Now cover the pan with the lid and cook for a further 30 to 40 seconds. Cover the bread with a cloth to prevent it from drying out while baking.
- Transfer the naan to a plate, brush with the melted garlic butter or olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
CHEESE NAAN RECIPE:
- Take a ball of dough and shape it into a cup with your thumb and fingers. Once you have formed a cup, put your cheese filling inside.
- Press it down and seal the dough ball. Roll it out and shape it like a naan.
- Bake the cheese naan like the naan.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Use lukewarm water to activate the yeast. Cold water does not activate the yeast (and it makes the dough too sticky). Hot water kills the yeast.
The water should be between 100-110ºF (37.8-43.3ºC) to activate the yeast. I usually microwave water at room temperature for 20-25 seconds and that is usually enough. - Do not add more flour to the dough. As soon as you start kneading, the dough is no longer dry, but really sticky. Don’t be tempted to add more flour. The dough will only come together well if you oil your hands several times while kneading. This helps to hold the dough together, but also to reduce the stickiness of the dough. After a few minutes of kneading, the dough will no longer be sticky, but soft, supple, mostly smooth and well-moistened.
- Preheat the pan. If you are using a cast iron skillet, you will need to heat it on medium to medium-high heat until it is almost smoking. This usually takes 5 minutes, sometimes longer. But after cooking the third or fourth naan, I have to reduce the heat on my stove from medium-high to medium.
- Dab a small amount of water on the back of the dough (this helps the naan stick to the pan).
Leave a Reply