While many people were throwing themselves at sourdough bread making during the pandemic, I was in my kitchen standing over a ball of naan dough. I was constantly working to figure out how to fix some of the issues my longtime recipe had been giving me for years. They’d always turned out fine, my naan breads, but seeing as how naan is literally my favorite thing to eat EVER, I set out to really perfect things. I wanted to learn how to make some stretchy, perfect, restaurant-style, show-stopping naan. And friends, I think we’ve got it with this recipe. This is The Best Homemade Naan I’ve ever tried.
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What is Naan?
Naan is a Southeast Asian yogurt-based, teardrop-shaped flatbread, typically cooked in a clay tandoor oven. While the origins of this bread are often debated, some say its birth was the result of an experiment after the arrival of Egyptian yeast to India. But a lot of people assert that it was invented in Iran, by the Mughals and Persians.
Indian food is just incredible to me. I love it and don’t currently have many restaurant options where I live (Charleston, SC) to satisfy my cravings. This truth has resulted in lots of fun recipe testing in my home kitchen, giving me a taste of the Indian cuisine I adore so much. If you love trying Indian recipes at home, too, you might want to try my Aloo Tiki inspired Chutney Smashed Potatoes or my Broken Yolk Chutney and Cheddar Baked Naan Sandwiches. These Chickpea Bowls are also amazing.
How to Make the Best Homemade Naan
From the size of the actual breads to the addition of a little honey and the multiple rests the dough takes, I’ve got several easy little steps in this recipe that all matter, in one way or another. They all add up to the best homemade naan I’ve ever tried – no contest. To figure this out, I literally made a naan spreadsheet and compared and contrasted a lot of different recipes that I’d sort of studied, trying to figure out the best combo of both ingredients and steps to get me to my ideal breads.
To that end, my ideal naan is sort of dramatically huge – meant to be pulled apart and shared, or rolled into an amazing wrap. Stretchy and totally, utterly pliable – that’s how I like this bread. And I’d never really nailed that, my naans always being a little dry, a little stiff. Tasty, but stiff. That’s not it for me. It’s not enough.
So, this recipe has eliminated those bad qualities for me, and renders these fluffy, perfectly charred, totally pliable and stretchy flatbreads that I just can’t stop thinking about. I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Tips for Making the Best Homemade Naan
In terms of its difficulty level, this recipe is probably considered moderate. You shouldn’t be intimidated by the dough making and stretching, as it’s no different than pre-school play-doh, and is just as fun and even MORE rewarding since you get to eat it when you’re done. I’ve got a handful of tips and tricks to help you glide right through the process with the greatest of ease.
Water temperature matters
Yeast is alive and therefore needs to be treated accordingly, not dousing it in water so hot that it essentially dies, and can’t go to work on your bread. So, while it does tend to vary a bit from bread type to bread type, lukewarm water is typically what is called for when building bread doughs.
For our stovetop naan recipe today, we’re aiming for lukewarm water as well, and while I never actually check the temperature, it should be somewhere between 110 and 120 degrees. This is where the yeast, quite literally, lives its very best life. Just use warm water right from your tap and you’ll be fine. No need to fuss around with this – just don’t use cold water and don’t boil it.
According to the CBC, “Lukewarm water always for activating. Yeast is a living thing and is killed off at high temperatures, around 140 degrees F. This is especially important to remember when you’re rehydrating active dry yeast. The water should be lukewarm, 105 degrees F to 115 degrees F, something you can comfortably wash your hands in.” www.cbc.ca
www.cbc.ca
A pinch of sweetness
You could technically leave the honey out of the dough and things would still work out nicely. Or, you could use sugar or maple syrup in its place. But I like the very subtle sweetness the honey lends to things, and since we’re already using honey in the salty honey butter topping, it just makes sense here.
But there are some chemical reasons why sugar is almost always added to bread doughs, beyond that little bit of sweetness. When a small percentage of bread dough is made up of a sweetener of some sort, this ensures that the yeast will be fed and fermentation will be sped up to a degree. Furthermore, sugars also can act as a preservative against mold and can even help bread maintain its moisture.
That last point was/is especially intriguing to me, and since this naan recipe is meant to be on the moist side – stretchy and flexible and tender and … not dry – that touch of honey makes sense, you know?
Resist the Urge to Rush Things
While it may be tempting to just throw the breads onto the griddle/pan as soon as you’ve shaped them, just resist that urge and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes before cooking them. This enables the glutens in the bread to relax and the bread to hold its shape for you as you’re working with it.
What you’ll need to make this homemade naan
The cast of characters here isn’t unique – it’s classic by all accounts. But it’s the specific amounts and combinations of things that really helps to accomplish the final texture we’re going for with this naan bread (fluffy, stretchy, pliable, chewy).
INGREDIENTS
4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant active yeast (usually about 1 packet plus a little more of a second)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
One teaspoon honey
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Finely chopped cilantro or parsley, for topping
For the Salted Honey Butter Topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Big pinch salt
One teaspoon honey
DIRECTIONS
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, yeast, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix on low until well combined, about a minute or so.
Add the honey, yogurt, and 1 cup of warm water (about 120 degree F, if you’re measuring – not boiling hot, not cool. Just warm. See note for more). Still using the paddle attachment, mix on low just until a loose dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook, and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, until the dough has been worked and has come together.
It’s going to be VERY sticky, which is what you want. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour over top. Knead for about a minute and form into a ball. Cut into four equal portions, and roll those into balls. Set them on a lightly floured surface and cover (kitchen towels work great). Let them rise for one hour.
Shaping and Cooking Your Naan
To create the individual naan breads, use a floured rolling pin to roll each dough ball out into a long ovular shape, as thin as you can get it. Then, like you’re making pizza, pick the breads up and stretch/pull the dough a bit to thin them out even further. Let these rest for at least 8 minutes while you preheat the pan and make the salted honey butter.
Set a large cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat and let it heat for 3 minutes before cooking the breads.
Combine the butter, honey, and some salt in a small bowl.
When the breads have rested for 8 minutes, take one and lay it in the preheated skillet/griddle. Let it cook and bubble up for about a minute. When it is beginning to brown on the bottom, flip and cook on the other side for about 2 to 2.5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or platter and brush with the salty honey butter. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro/parsley. NOTE: If the breads darken too much/fast, just lower the heat a bit.
Repeat with the remaining three breads. These are best enjoyed the day you make them, but will last covered for a day or so.
If you like the looks of this amazing Homemade Naan Recipe, you might also want to check out:
Roasted Grape and Italian Sausage Flatbreads Agrodolce
Falafel Stuffed Flatbreads with Chili Lime Garlic Fries
Quick and Easy Indian Butter Chicken
PrintThe Best Homemade Naan (Salted Honey Butter Naan)
The greatest homemade naan recipe I’ve ever made, this is the result of many, many trials and errors. Fluffy, stretchy, and flavorful, this gorgeous Indian bread is the best of the best (from a tandoor-less home kitchen, at least).
- Yield: Makes 4 naan breads 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon instant active yeast (usually about 1 packet plus a little more of a second)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Finely chopped cilantro or parsley, for topping
For the Salted Honey Butter Topping
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Big pinch salt (to taste, really)
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, yeast, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix on low until well combined, about a minute or so.
- Add the honey, yogurt, and 1 cup of warm water (about 110 to 120 degrees F, if you’re measuring – not boiling hot, not cool. Just warm). Still using the paddle attachment, mix on low just until a loose dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook, and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, until the dough has been worked and has come together.
- It’s going to be VERY (almost too) sticky, which is what you want. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour over top. TIP: You want to add as little extra flour as possible here, just enough to make the dough workable for you. Knead for about a minute and form into a ball. Cut into four equal portions, and roll those into large balls. Set them on a lightly floured surface and cover (kitchen towels work great). Let them rise for one hour.
- To create the individual naan breads, use a floured rolling pin to roll each dough ball out into a long ovular “teardrop” shape, about thin as you can get it. Then, like you’re making pizza, pick the breads up and stretch/pull the dough a bit to thin them out even further. Let these rest for at least 8 minutes while you preheat the pan and make the salted honey butter.
- Set a large cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat and let it heat up for at least 3 minutes before cooking the breads.
- Combine the melted butter, honey, and some salt to taste in a small bowl.
- When the breads have rested for 8 minutes, carefully lay one in the preheated skillet/griddle. Let it cook and bubble up for about a minute and, when it appears toasted and is beginning to brown on the bottom, flip and cook on the other side for about 2 to 2.5 minutes (just peek to keep an eye on things – it goes fast). Transfer to a plate or platter and brush liberally with the salty honey butter. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro/parsley. NOTE: If the breads darken too much/fast, just lower the heat a bit.
- Repeat with the remaining three breads, stacking them on top of one another as they finish (helps with moisture retention). These are best enjoyed the day you make them, but will last, covered or wrapped, for a day or so.
Keywords: Best Homemade Naan
