Softest Homemade Naan

The homemade naan is a classic Indian bread served with many Indian dishes. This simple and easy recipe makes a deliciously soft and chewy flatbread on the stovetop or in the oven. Serve it with your favorite curry or enjoy it as a sandwich wrap. In fact, you can even use it as a pizza base too.

Table of Content

• Why make this naan recipe?
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions  
• More flatbread recipes
• Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Join the conversation

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If you love Indian food, then you probably have eaten naan. And, if not, the next time you visit an Indian restaurant, make sure you order naan.

What is naan? It's an Indian flatbread!! Naan is actually a Persian word for bread and it's pronounced as 'NAHN'. The traditional naan is baked in a tandoor, which is an earthen oven. Of course, since most don't own these the staple bread in Indian homes is chapati or roti, paratha, etc. Over the years we have learned to accept naan made in the oven and stovetop as compared to the tandoor. Trust me it is still an absolutely amazing bread.

• The naan has come a long way over the years with many creative ways to serve it.
• For example, brush the naan with melted butter to make a butter naan.
• Or, add a few crushed garlic cloves in the butter to make garlic naan.

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Why make this naan recipe?

• This is the softest most delicious naan you will ever make.
• The recipe itself is simple and easy. Unlike bread, which is shaped and baked, here we roll it into a flatbread.
• You can cook naan in the oven or on the stovetop using a cast-iron skillet. And, you can also cook it on the open grill, which makes it the perfect bread to serve with a BBQ.
• The dough can be made with just an hour of rising and proofing. But it can also be left to rise in the fridge overnight. Therefore, it's perfect for make-ahead meals.
• You can keep naan as a plain flatbread, as we are doing here, or you can make garlic butter naan.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Flour - Naan is traditionally made with all-purpose flour. Whole wheat is more coarse. So, the naan will be less soft and less chewy but still delicious. And if you prefer, you can also replace half the white flour with whole wheat flour.
• Yogurt - Apart from adding softness and flavor, this really helps with over-night fermenting. Also, it adds a unique special flavor. You can also use sour cream instead.
• Egg - Helps keep the naan soft and flaky. And, if you need to make it eggless, you can also replace the egg with additional ¼ cup yogurt.
• Warm water - The water MUST be warm, not hot or cold. In fact, hot water will kill the yeast, while cold water will not revive the yeast. So, it has to be around 110 F.
• Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. It’s not necessary to activate the yeast, but I like to take the guesswork out and make sure my dough will rise. You can also use
  • Active dry yeast - you will need 2 ¼ teaspoon or one packet. And,
  • If you use fresh yeast you will need about 21 grams.

Step by step instructions  

Dough

• In a mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine warm water (110 F), yeast, sugar, and oil. Stir and set aside to foam for 3 mins.
  Pro tip - Instant yeast does not need to be activated but I like to ensure my yeast is good and working for me. You may choose to add all ingredients directly to the flour.

• Measure the flour and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture followed by the yogurt and egg. Combine well.
  Pro tip - If you do not like kneading, I highly recommend using a stand mixer with the hook attachment.

• Knead
  • By hand - transfer to a well-dusted worktop and knead for 5 to 6 minutes
  • Stand mixer - once all the flour is well incorporated knead on medium for 4 to 5 minutes

• When the dough is soft, shiny, but still slightly sticky, shape into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
• Leave in a warm place. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes until double in volume.
  Pro tip - In winter you may need 90 minutes or more but in summer the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can't attend to it at that moment, de-gas, reshape, and let double in volume again.

Shaping the naan

• When the dough is double in volume, transfer to a well-dusted floured surface. De-gas, reshape into a ball. Then, roll into a small log.
  Pro tip - At this point, there is no need for additional flour. So, use a light dusting of flour.
• Divide the dough into 12 portions - first in half and then half again, until you have 12 shapes.
• Roll each into a ball and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes.
  Pro tip - Resting helps the gluten relax and makes working with dough easy so use that in your favor.
• Making the naan shape - Roll each ball into a round circle shape. Then, pull/stretch the circle from one end and you have an oval shape.
  Pro tip - This oval shape is usually quite characteristic of the naan bread but all it needs is a pull on the round shape to make an oval shape.

Cooking the naan.

• Stovetop cooking - Heat a skillet pan on medium-high heat.
  1. Place the naan on the skillet - let cook for 30 secs on the first side - you will see some bubbles.
  2. Flip the naan, let cook on the second side for another 30 secs.
  3. Cook on the first side again for another 30 secs.
  4. Flip it back to the first side again - 30 secs.
     Pro tip - You flip three times cooking the naan for 30 secs on each side. Avoid turning too often since it can cause the naan to dry out.
• Oven Cooking - Preheat the oven to 220 C/440 F  for at least 20 minutes before you put the first naan in.
  1. Dust the tray with some cornmeal or flour - place the naan on the tray.
  2. Place the tray in the preheated oven on the top shelf closer to the grill for about 2 to 3 minutes, turning once or twice. Until you see it's puffed up and has dark spots.
  3. Alternatively, place them on a hot pizza stone at 250C / 500 F - for 2 to 3 minutes.
     Pro tip - The time of 2 to 3 minutes will vary depending on how HOT your oven is. So keep a close watch.

Keeping the naan soft

• As soon as you take the naans off the heat, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth. This retains moisture back into the naan keeping it soft.

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Frequently asked questions

Troubleshooting

• My naan bread is dry - overcooking the naan bread can cause all moisture to evaporate making the bread dry.
• My homemade naan is hard - when the naan is taken out of the oven or done cooking on the skillet place it in between the sheets of a clean kitchen cloth. This will let the steam cool in the naan keeping it soft.
• Homemade naan are cracking - this recipe will make about 10 to 12 8-inch long naans. If you increase the number or roll them too large the naan will be thinner which could lead them to dry out or overcook.
• My naan is burnt - flatbread takes just a couple of minutes so it is very important to ensure you do not leave it in the oven of skillet for too long.

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