Introduction: Naan Recipe
This is a good basic naan recipe that I've made a few times now. The naan comes together pretty quick and easy - just mix together, knead and let rise about an hour before you want dinner. :D
You can mix in all sorts of things - garlic, cilantro, cumin seeds - or just brush it with ghee to finish! I like mine plain because the naan tastes so nice with sauces.
This naan recipe is also cooked really quick on the stovetop, which makes it nice and convenient. And heats up the kitchen less in the summer!
Step 1: What You'll Need:
- 2 cups AP flour (you can sub in a little whole wheat!)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut!)
- 3 tablespoons yogurt (I used coconut here, too! but dairy is awesome.)
- 3/4 cup warm water
Step 2: Combine the Wet and Dry
Combine the flour, salt and and baking powder and mix with a fork. Add in the oil and yogurt and set aside.
Now combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a measuring cup and mix. Let this sit for a few minutes until it gets nice and frothy.
Step 3: Pour the Yeast in and Mix
Pour the yeast into the flour and mix well! You might need to break up clumps of oil or yogurt. :)
The dough will come together and be a little soft and wet.
Step 4: Kneading
Flour your work surface and scoop the dough out onto it.
Put a little more flour over the top and get to kneading! This will take 5-6 minutes. You want the dough to become very smooth and not sticky. I sprinkle the dough with flour during this entire process, kneading in the extra flour as I go.
When it's kneaded, sprinkle some flour in the bottom of your work bowl and place the dough on top.
Step 5: Rising
Cover the bowl with saran wrap or a towel and let it hang out until doubled. Put it in the warmest spot in your house during this time, it'll help speed it up.
This will normally take under an hour. Sometimes a half hour if you're lucky!
Step 6: Forming
Once the dough's turned into a bit of a monster, pull it out of the bowl onto a floured work surface and sprinkle a little more flour on top.
I like to roll my dough and then cut it into six equal pieces, but you could do any number, really!
Roll each of the pieces out until they're 1/2 inch or less thin. I like my naan to be pretty fat (always between 1/4-1/2 inch thick), but you can roll it out super thin for crispy naan, too!
Step 7: Cooking
Spray a pan or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium-high.
When nice and hot, rub a little water onto the side of the naan you want to cook first. Throw it on the griddle and let it sit for 1-2 minutes, or until big bubbles begin to form. Rub the top side with water and flip. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, until it reaches the color you want.
I normally let mine sit on each side until they're a little charred because I love the flavor! You can make yours a little more blond, though.
Step 8: Enjoy!
They're pretty good warmed up in the microwave the next day too! :D
Want some awesome Indian food to eat them with? Check out these recipes:
29 Comments
5 years ago
so glad 2 find this recipe! I worked @ a jcc summer camp & the staff @ outdoor cooking would always make these for falafel or hummus & so many more . Got from the store yesterday but missed the taste if smoke from being cooked over a fire. I was always stunned @ how strong their hands were not 2 be burned by the fire but was how they cooked in the army 2 not give off 2 much fire.
7 years ago
my grandmother's eldest sister,( there were 12 children, my grandmother next to the youngest) my great aunt Nellie, made these for us all the time! Except, she'd call it "ho bread" ... we're from the South & she'd wrap the bacon, eggs sausage or whatever in it & shoo us out the door to school! I am going to try it for my grandsons! thanks for sharing!
8 years ago on Introduction
I just used this recipe--turned out great! Makes a great plain naan for putting other stuff on. Can't wait to try it again with some spices.
8 years ago
Just a suggestion for spices which can be added to this....mustard seeds (black & yellow), chili flakes, coriander seeds, tiny bit of cardamom seeds (too much of these isn't a good thing), turmeric powder, even garam masala or 'curry' powder. My favorite naan are the spiced potato or paneer stuffed ones!
8 years ago
I'm actually drooling! Just a tip for those in a hurry or who are 'yeast challenged', you can use bread machine yeast & throw it directly into the dry ingredients. This speeds up the process significantly for me, no matter what I'm making. I'm a huge fan of bread machine yeast, which I discovered many years ago when I bought my first bread machine. It works with any recipe which requires yeast. Just don't let it directly touch any salt in your recipe as this will kill your yeast.
9 years ago on Introduction
Just made this recipe.
I will never again buy bread aisle naan. That stuff is okay; this stuff is great.
Thanks!
10 years ago on Introduction
I just made a batch of naan using this recipe. Its fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing Jessyratfink!
I used olive oil, greek yogurt (its all I had) and 4tsp of cumin for taste. The olive oil (not extra virgin) was not too strong a taste at all.
10 years ago on Introduction
Great idea using Coconut instead of oil/yogurt, I will have to give that a go real soon. Flat breads are a favourite in our house, the young ones love what you can add to make them sweet or savoury. The one ingredient that really worked for both sweet and savoury was garlic, yes I know but after you have tried a garlic and honey Naan you will understand. I have started to use yeast instead of Baking powder, it takes an half hour or so to get the life going in the dough, but it will stay lively for a good three to four days (in the fridge), makes for an easy breakfast. I also use a hot frying pan not an oven, they virtually puff right out of the pan, great fun.
I'm off to try a coconut variant of Naan, thank you very much. ¦:•)
P.S. We have even tried dried fruits, choc bits, spices and have not gone far wrong.
10 years ago on Step 8
I made an account just to tell you my wife will be ecstatic with this recipe! We love Naan and Hummus.
10 years ago on Introduction
Would this work on a baking stone in an oven?
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
put oven on 500 (electric) or 550 (gas) degrees. Preheat at least 1/2 hour. I have made Giant "BOBOLI" (commercial product) shells. (think huge nan(a) )Risen on a floured peel spray with water maybe sprinkled edge with seseme seeds and or minced garlic olive oil. Dropped on stone bake just enough to set the dough, cooled chilled frozen, and you get premade pizza crust.
This product seen here can be used for pizza or as a side for Indo-Pakistani foods.
Great instructable.
oh same applies for torching taco's
and if you have no stone, buy new clean clay bricks (splits are best as they are 1/2 thickness) use enough to line the rack, leaving a few inches on all sides. If you have 2 racks do both, place one rack with enough space over the other to get in a bread peel. Then you can get a really good brick oven effect.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
I have lined my gas fored Bar-B-Cue and made 2 crust apple and pear pies on my grill, in 100 degree heat, you could toss on nan, biscuit dough(thin smashed), baked Welsh pasties etc.
Mangia Mangia qui fait grande
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
I bet it would! I'd recommend putting the stone on the top rack and cranking the oven up to about 450 F. You'd have to play with the cooking times, though, not sure about that!
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
The hotter the better.
10 years ago on Introduction
Can any oil be used? Thanks
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
I don't know that I would do olive oil since it has such a strong taste, but anything else will be fine!
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
If you use 100% OLIVE OIL, not Extra virgin, the taste is toned down. Sunflower oil is nicer, but now, here in usa we can only get imported oil and it is not as nice as when Wesson and all the other oil processors used to make it here.
Canola oils smells awful and tastes worse. Many people DO NOT taste it, but to those of us who are cursed with the tasted buds that can taste it, it is VILE.
I may do this one this weekend!
I like the water thing, I spray most breads before baking, I never thought of it with pan doughs, really good with camping and baked beans. mmmmmm
10 years ago on Introduction
The water is an interesting technique, I must say I have never seen it for pan fried breads!
recipe is simple enough, you can make a nice curry or euro style stew(your choice of dead animal), or with (I can't spell or speak Italian, so this is phonetic) Jum-bougt-ta. Kinda like caponata or ratatouille, or stove top pizza.
just place individual nan on griddle but before flipping remove enough seconds to sauce and cheese,return to grddle, then cover with a pot lid till cheese melts, or put in a toaster oven.
10 years ago on Introduction
Very good!Yummy!I just Love the kneading process!I also do a frybread recipe on the grill.No yeast involved but good none the less.Thankyou for a very good insructable.Huggs....Kitty
10 years ago on Introduction
sounds great