Transform your kitchen into an Indian bakery with this effortless Indian Naan Bread recipe! Soft, tasty, and versatile, it’s the perfect companion to countless meals!
What is Naan Bread?
Naan bread is a soft, pillowy flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent, traditionally baked in a clay oven called a tandoor. It is typically made from ingredients like flour, yeast, milk, and yogurt, giving it a distinctive texture and taste.
This Indian Naan Bread recipe is incredibly easy to make, but somehow you just never get around to making it. But it’s totally worth it. With this Indian bread, you’re simply mixing the dough and letting it sit for 2 hours. Then, roll the dough into 12 balls, and let them sit for another 30 minutes, before rolling the balls into ovals and baking them in the oven. It’s really not that complicated, yet somehow, I build it up in my head to be this day-long baking extravaganza.
Table of Contents
Reasons to Love This Indian Bread
- Naan is versatile and complements a wide range of dishes, pairing well with everything from spicy curries to milder gravies.
- I love its fluffy, pillowy texture makes it irresistibly enjoyable to eat.
- This Naan bread recipe is easy to make, requiring only simple ingredients and straightforward preparation.
Recipe Ingredients
- Greek Yogurt: Adds tanginess and moisture and gives the Naan a tender crumb and slight tartness.
- Ghee or Butter: Imparts a rich, nutty flavor and a soft, luxurious texture.
- Cardamom: This spice adds a subtle, sweet aromatic note. Its unique taste is key in distinguishing this naan from other flatbreads.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Garlic Naan: This involves infusing the dough with minced garlic or brushing the baked naan with a mixture of melted garlic butter and finely chopped garlic. It adds a fragrant, flavorful kick.
- Cheese-Stuffed Naan: In this variation, the dough is filled with a mixture of cheeses, like mozzarella and cheddar, before rolling and baking. The result is a gooey, cheesy center that oozes with each bite.
How to Make Indian Naan Bread
Step #1: Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup, whisk in the Greek yogurt, and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 degrees Celsius). Pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt, cardamom, turmeric, and 2 ½ cups of the flour.
Step #2: Mix well with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl (it will still be sticky). Knead the dough using the dough attachment on your stand mixer, or by hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
Step #3: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly, for about 2 hours.
Step #4: After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal portions, rounding each into a ball shape. The dough will still be a little sticky, but you won’t have too much trouble forming it into balls.
Step #5: Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius) and place a pizza stone or large cast-iron pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
Step #6: Once the dough has rested for a half-hour, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6 inches wide. Open up the oven and lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone. Spritz the top of the dough with a little water or vegetable oil. Close the oven and bake the naan for about 2-3 minutes, until it is lightly puffed and brown spots begin to appear on the bottom. Turn the naan using tongs and return to the oven for another 2 minutes or so.
Step #7: Remove the naan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack or large plate. Brush lightly with Ghee or melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven to help keep the pieces warm.
Expert Tip
To achieve evenly shaped and uniformly thin Homemade Naan Bread, use a rolling pin. Dust it lightly with flour to prevent the naan dough from sticking. This ensures consistent thickness, contributing to even cooking and perfect texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast. Activate it first in warm water (110°F or 43°C) with a pinch of sugar until frothy. Then, add to the recipe. The rising time might be slightly longer.
Naan bread pairs excellently with various dishes, enhancing an Indian-inspired dinner. Try it with flavorful options like Mulligatawny Soup or Chicken Korma.
Storage Info
Store the naan bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap the naan tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How to reheat Naan Bread
When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature if frozen. To reheat, wrap it in aluminum foil and warm it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 175 degrees Celsius) for about 10 minutes.
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Indian Naan Bread Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 to 4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 1/4 c. milk
- 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
- 4 Tbsp. melted Ghee or butter
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup, whisk in the Greek yogurt, and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 degrees Celsius). Pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt, cardamom, turmeric, and 2 ½ cups of the flour.
- Mix well with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on your stand mixer. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl (it will still be sticky). Knead the dough using the dough attachment on your stand mixer, or by hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly, for about 2 hours.
- After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 equal portions, rounding each into a ball shape. The dough will still be a little sticky, but you won't have too much trouble forming it into balls.
- Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius) and place a pizza stone or large cast-iron pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Once the dough has rested for a half-hour, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6 inches wide. Open up the oven and lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone. Spritz the top of the dough with a little water or vegetable oil. Close the oven and bake the naan for about 2-3 minutes, until it is lightly puffed and brown spots begin to appear on the bottom. Turn the naan using tongs and return to the oven for another 2 minutes or so.
- Remove the naan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack or large plate. Brush lightly with Ghee or melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven to help keep the pieces warm.
NOTES
Nutrition
There’s no need for cast iron. Just buy some plain, unglazed, square-cut quarry tiles from Home Depot or Lowes or similar. They’re very cheap and work great. You’ll probably need about six of them to cover an oven rack.
Neat idea, David! I might have to give that a try 🙂
Great! then you are not heating the oven for so long cooking one at a time. that did not seem practical to me.
Also, if you roll the dough out to like 10 inches, then it becomes a pita pocket! Fun stuff! 🙂
What a fun idea! I love pita pockets 🙂
Super easy to make and versatile. I substituted with almond milk & sour cream cause its what I had on hand as well substituted 1/2 whole wheat flour.
I’m glad you liked it! Great to know that it turned out well with the almond milk, sour cream, and whole wheat flour 🙂
Your site is really horrible via iPhone (possibly other mobile devices). I would guess you get a ton if hits via mobile and it’s frustrating just to finish this comment. Your site jumps all over the place, is littered with ads, and honestly I haven’t even been able to get to the naan recipe I can here for. I would suggest checking it out.
Hi, Sara! I’m so sorry you’ve had a bad experience using the mobile version of my site via iPhone. It’s very important to me that my readers are able to access the site in a way that is aesthetically pleasing – I am looking into different mobile options for my site, however, many of them are expensive. One way I mitigate the costs of running a site and providing free recipes to readers is through placing ads on my site. It’s a bit of a Catch-22! Thanks for your input and your honest feedback. I haven’t heard about these issues before, and don’t experience the same thing when viewing from my iPhone or tablet.