Homemade Naan Bread Recipe

These homemade naan bread are better than store-bought ones!
They are soft, fluffy, and perfect served with grilled meat, or with your favorite curry.

Welcome to Flavors Recipe Series! We are celebrating our favorite flatbread for this week. Please hang around to see a week full of flatbread recipes I share in my space. In case you have missed it, check on the introduction post for more details on the Flatbread week series. 

It’s Day 1 of Flatbread Week, and the first flatbread recipe for this week is Homemade Naan Bread. Since naan bread is a very popular flatbread around the world, I thought of starting this flatbread series with this Homemade Naan Bread recipe. 

 My family loves Indian food, and Naan bread is a must when we eat out, especially, Butter and Garlic naan. I love having naan at our favorite restaurant Bukhara, it is delicious smeared with butter and served warm. 

  When I moved to Qatar, I started trying out many Indian dishes at home, and homemade naan is one that I perfected throughout the years. Did I tell you that this homemade naan bread is soft, fluffy, and so good with any curry or grilled meat and veggies? 

 Homemade naan bread is better and healthier than the store-bought ones. The best part about this Naan bread is that it can be frozen just like other flatbreads. I love having frozen naan in my freezer. It keeps me calm knowing that dinner can be quick on a busy weeknight or even when you have unexpected visitors, especially during summer. ? 

Can I make egg-free Naans

Yes, if you want to make eggless naans, leave the egg out and replace it with 3 Tablespoons of water or milk. 

Vegan alternatives for this Homemade Naan recipe

For Vegan Naan, leave the egg out and use unsweetened non-dairy yogurt and milk or water instead of milk. Use some vegan butter to brush on top of the cooked flatbread. 

How to make homemade Naan bread

This flatbread is made with flour, yeast, salt, sugar, egg, yogurt, milk, and oil. It is an enriched dough. Traditionally, naan is cooked in a high-temperature clay oven called Tandoor. However, homemade naan can be baked in the oven or cooked in a skillet/griddle pan on the stove, and we prefer it slightly charred on top. 

Homemade naan bread is just simple to make like any other yeast bread. The dough can be mixed by hand or in a stand mixer. After mixing all the ingredients, knead the dough for 10 minutes and place it in a lightly greased bowl and rest it for an hour. This dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. 

Next, shape the dough and roll it into an oval, and lastly, stretch the top for a teardrop shape. 

Heat a griddle pan on medium-high, place the rolled naan and cook it for 2-3 minutes on each side until it’s fully cooked with golden brown spots. 

For slightly charred naans, place the fully cooked naan directly on the flame for a few seconds. Take it off the heat and brush some ghee or melted butter. Place it on a plate and cover it with a tea towel or in an insulated food container. Serve warm with your favorite curries. 

How to make Garlic Naan?

Garlic naan is my favorite, and it tastes so good with some ghee or butter brushed on top! I can have it just as it is. Making garlic naan is easy. After rolling the dough into its teardrop shape, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic or more garlic if you like, on top of each rolled naan dough. Next, using the rolling pin, roll it slightly to push the garlic into the flat dough. I love to include some chopped cilantro for the garlic naan. When I make this flatbread, I always have a variety of plain naans and a few garlic naans.

Ingredients

Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you want a healthier option, you can go with 50/50 all-purpose and whole wheat. 

Salt –  Salt is needed for the flavor. However, you can reduce the salt by 1/2 teaspoon.

Sugar –  Use regular granulated sugar or light brown sugar. 

Yeast – I use instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast which might take a little longer in rising. Always check the expiry date before you start. 

Egg – The recipe calls for 1 large egg, but many times I have used a medium egg, and that didn’t make much of a difference. 

*Vegans- leave the egg out and add 3 Tablespoons of unsweetened non-dairy milk. 

*Vegetarians- leave the egg out and add 3 Tablespoons of milk.

Milk – Use warm whole milk (the temperature at 110°C ) and avoid using fat-free or low-fat milk. Depending on the flour and the weather conditions, you might need more or less liquid. Add the milk gradually to get a very soft and slightly sticky dough but not wet dough. If the bread dough is dry, add milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time similarly if the dough is too wet, add flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get the correct consistency. Avoid adding too much flour.

*Vegans – Can replace regular milk with unsweetened plant-based milk. 

Yogurt – Adding yogurt makes the flatbread soft. Use whole milk natural yogurt. 

*Vegan- Use unsweetened non-dairy yogurt

oil –  I used canola oil. Vegetable or any flavorless oil are good alternatives.