Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

Naan that is light and fluffy, brushed with melted butter and garnished with freshly chopped cilantro with the perfect amount of flavor so you just can’t stop eating it!

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Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (1)

There’s a restaurant in Utah called, Bombay House and I love their naan bread. I mean, it’s bread so of course I do. #carbsforever But until I discovered this Easy Homemade Naan Recipe I’d never tried it at home.

It can’t be denied, I’m a dipper and a sopper. I love dipping my bread in oils and vinegars, sopping up excess sauce on my plate and just eating it to stuff my face. I love bread.

Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (2)

There are so many recipes out there and I started testing them all…like everything I could find online and trying all my own creations and I just could not settle on any. There were plain yeast recipes, recipes with baking powder and baking soda, overnight recipes, 30 minute recipes and recipes that use milk and I hated them all.

And then I found one on America’s Test Kitchen and once again they nailed it. Now listen, after saying that I shouldn’t admit this, but I still changed the recipe because this method just worked better for me.

Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (3)

How is Naan Made?

Making naan at home is easy and just as simple as making your traditional dinner roll. Here are the steps:

  1. Activate yeast: combine water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it gets foamy
  2. Wet ingredients: whisk together the yogurt, oil and egg yolk and combine with the yeast mixture
  3. Dry ingredients: add the flour to a food processor and start it on low, slowly add the wet ingredients and process until it the dough comes together. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Salt: salt is a snob and gets it’s own step, but oh how I love salt! Add salt to the dough and process it until the dough comes all together again and then place it in a glass bowl covered to rise for at least an hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
  5. Divide the dough: pull the dough out and place it on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 4-8 pieces depending on how big you want the pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Cook the naan: after setting the oven to warm and placing an oven safe dish inside, roll one dough ball out into a thin circle and place into a hot cast iron skillet that has been drizzled with olive oil. Cover the skilled and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip it to the other side and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
  7. Keep warm: place the cooked naan on to the warming plate in the oven and cover with foil. Repeat this same process with the remaining dough ball.

Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (4)

What to Eat with Naan Bread?

I could eat naan on its own with nothing else for a meal, but I’m weird like that! Carbs are life!

We love it with our easy coconut chicken curry and our Instant Pot honey chicken. Our kids love to take any naan leftovers we might have and make naan pizzas! We have a copycat Bombay House vegetarian tikka masala recipe too that pairs perfectly with naan.

Is Naan Bread Good For Weight Loss?

Short answer…no, not really. It is made with refined white flour that the body treats like sugar. There are worse things out there for weight loss, but I wouldn’t make this a regular part of your diet if you are trying to lose weight.

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Is Naan Bread Unleavened?

No, this naan recipe contains yeast which is a leavening agent.

How Long Will Naan Bread Keep?

If you store naan in an airtight container at room temperature, it will last up to 3 days. Store it in the refrigerator and it will last up to a week. It can also be frozen and it will be good for up to 2 months. When you are ready to eat it, let it come to room temperature and then re-crisp it in broiler or wrap them up in foil and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10ish minutes.

Does Naan Bread Need to Be Refrigerated?

No, it does not need to be refrigerated, but if you want it to last a little longer, refrigerating can help with that as mentioned above.

Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (6)

If you have never tried naan, then smack yo’self and make this recipe! It is so irresistible! I seriously can’t stop myself!

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Easy Homemade Naan Recipe

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4.39 from 13 votes

Servings: 8 rounds

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs

Cook Time: 4 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 4 minutes mins

Description

It's light and fluffy, with the perfect amount of flavor so you just can't stop eating this easy homemade naan recipe brushed with melted butter and garnished with freshly chopped cilantro

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Water, Warm
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Instant Yeast
  • 1/3 Cup Yogurt, Plain Whole Milk
  • 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Egg Yolk, Large
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1 1/4 Teaspoons Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter,, unsalted
  • 1 Tablespoon Cilantro, Chopped

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add the water, sugar and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

  • Whisk in the yogurt, oil and egg yolk.

  • In a food processor, add the flour and then turn it on to low. While the processor is running, slowly pour in the wet ingredients and process until the dough just comes together.

  • Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

  • Add salt to the dough and process again until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a glass bowl with a drizzle of oil and roll the dough to coat all sides. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest on the counter for up to 1 hour, or in the fridge up to 24 hours.

  • Remove the bowl from the fridge and sprinkle flour on the counter. Divide the dough into 4-8 pieces depending on how big you want it and roll each piece into a ball. Cover with plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

  • Turn the oven to warm, or 200 degrees and plate an oven safe dish in it. Get out a piece of foil so that each finished naan bread can be placed on the plate in the oven and covered with foil to keep everything warm while you're cooking.

  • Sprinkle flour on the counter again and roll each ball out into thin circles.

  • Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat and drizzle with oil. Using a napkin, wipe out excess oil. Throw one circle of dough in the pan and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom is lightly brown and bubbles are appearing on top. The bottom will be flat and golden while the top will have those perfect browned bubble spots. This is normal.

  • Remove the lid, using a spatula flip the naan and cook for another 1-2 minutes uncovered. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cilantro. Place on the warming plate and repeat until all dough is used.

Notes

This naan is great served with Coconut Curry or Easy Instant Pot Honey Chicken if you need ideas!

Stored in plastic bag, at room temperature, naan will keep for 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 396mgPotassium: 56mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 130IUCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mg

Author: Sweet Basil

Course: Yeast Bread Recipes and Quick Bread Recipes

Cuisine: Indian

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Easy Homemade Naan Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

FAQs

Can I leave naan dough to rise overnight? ›

Make the dough up to the end of Step 5 – Proof 1. Then after the dough has doubled in size, put the bowl with the dough it in the fridge overnight (I've done 24 hours). Do not punch dough down or touch it – just put it in as is. The fridge stops the dough from rising any further.

Why is my naan bread not fluffy? ›

Rolling Vs stretching dough: Naan is always hand stretched and not rolled with a rolling pin. Sometimes rolling toughens the dough and suppresses the bubbles making dense flatbreads. Hand stretched naan have a lovely fluffy & light texture.

What is naan traditionally made in? ›

Naan is historically cooked in a hot tandoor oven in the ground or on hot wood charcoal. These cooking methods often result in temperatures of about 900°F (480°C).

What is sweet naan made of? ›

Peshwari Naans are traditional naans cooked with a stuffing of sugar, coconut, nuts and dried fruit such as raisins. They are sweet, though depending on the Naan you have they may not be dessert-level sweet.

Is yeast or baking powder better for naan? ›

Naan is essentially a leavened flatbread, which means it contains some form of raising agent to provide its airy texture. Hence for this naan, the raising agent we will be using is yeast. Other variations do exist which may utilise self raising flour or baking powder/baking soda.

Where is the best place to let dough rise overnight? ›

Putting your dough, whether yeasted or sourdough, in the fridge will help it to develop a better flavour and texture. The longer the dough ferments the more chance of bacteria and enzymes getting to work and unlocking the flavours in the wheat.

What is the trick to fluffy bread? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Why do you sprinkle water on naan bread? ›

you put it on naans to keep them soft.

What does naan mean in English? ›

: a round flat leavened bread especially of the Indian subcontinent.

What is the difference between Afghan naan and Indian naan? ›

Afghan naan is different in shape, texture, and taste from Indian varieties. While the main ingredient – wheat flour – is the same, Afghan bakers hand-shape the dough, rather than rolling it out, and their use of a tandoor results in large, pillowy rounds.

What race eats naan? ›

It is characterized by its light and slightly fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from the baking process. Naan is found in the cuisines mainly of Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Caribbean.

Does naan traditionally have egg in it? ›

Naan is similar to other baked flatbreads but has a few distinguishing characteristics. Naan is enriched with ingredients like yogurt, milk, and eggs, while pita uses water to moisten its dough, making naan the softer bread.

What are the disadvantages of naan? ›

As such, you should avoid filling up on naan if you're watching your saturated fat intake. Moreover, store-bought plain naan has a relatively high sodium content, accounting for around 18% of the DV. Eating too much sodium may increase blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke ( 7 ).

Why is naan unhealthy? ›

Skip: Naan

And like those fluffy spuds, this soft flatbread has little nutritional value. Most naan recipes call for Greek yogurt to give it that airy texture. But that's more than offset by less healthy ingredients like white flour, sugar, and oil.

What are the black bits in naan? ›

Its just the heat that creats the black spots after been cooked. Yeah, if its stale and you find those spots its a big no no. otherwise its only the heat that makes roti naan paratha etc indian bread look like black or brown or red spots on these edibles. Completely edible …

Is it OK to let dough rise overnight? ›

The proofing time for bread dough varies based on the dough's makeup (amount of preferment, flour choices, and hydration) and the temperature at which it's proofed. The dough should generally be proofed for around 1 to 4 hours at a warm temperature or overnight (or more) at a cold refrigerator temperature.

How do you make naan dough rise faster? ›

Set the bowl of dough in the microwave and shut the door.

Leave the glass of water in the microwave with the dough. The glass of water and the heat from the microwave will create a warm, moist environment that will help the dough rise faster.

Can you leave dough too long to rise? ›

If the indentation left by your finger doesn't move, the gluten has stretched as much as it can and the dough is ready to bake. Don't leave it any longer or the air bubbles will start to collapse, as the gluten will be unable to support them.

Can you leave dough out to rise too long? ›

If the dough has risen too long, it's going to feel fragile and might even collapse as you poke it,” says Maggie. If this is the case, there's a chance you can save your dough by giving it a quick re-shape. Learn more about this fix in our blog on saving overproofed dough.

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