If you've never had a warm, buttery naan right off the grill or tandoor, then you are seriously missing out!
The good news is that making naan at home is ridiculously easy (you do not need a tandoor oven, the traditional Indian charcoal or wood fired oven). The even better news is that naan is delicious and can accompany different cuisines. It can be used to scoop hummus and baba ganoush, to dip into sunny side eggs, to use as the basis of a wrap or sandwich, and of course, to accompany many Indian dishes like Dal, Chicken Tikka masala, korma, and my favorite, Saag Paneer!
Traditional recipes call for yogurt but I don't always have yogurt in my fridge. My recipe uses standard fridge and pantry ingredients. Some people like to include minced garlic in the dough, but I personally do not add garlic. You can also sub out some white flour for whole wheat for the added health benefits (although I'm sure whatever benefit the whole wheat will add will be negated by all that luscious butter you're going to slather all over the naan).
Nigella seeds are a traditional topping, but they are not readily available. I substitute with black sesame seeds. I also use homegrown herbs to garnish my naans but you can garnish whichever way you like. Naan is your canvas!
Naan with butter and herbs
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Dry active yeast
- ½ cup Water, warm
- 1 tablespoon White sugar
- 2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Whole milk - 1% or 2% milk is also fine
- 2 tbs Extra virgin olive oil - you can use vegetable oil too if you prefer
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Garnish
- Butter As much butter you need to cover the naan bread
- Black sesame seeds - Optional
- Mixed herbs (parsley, mint, chives) - Optional
- Flaky salt (Fleur de sel, sea salt, kosher salt) - Optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Combine water, active dry yeast, and sugar. Stir and let yeast activate for 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt, milk and activated yeast mixture. Attach dough hook and run on low until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Approximately 10 minutes. NOTE: Depending on the humidity and temperature in your home, you might need to add more flour or water to get the right dough consistency. Dough should be soft and pliable, but dry to the touch.
- Place dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let proof for 1 hour. Dough should double in size
- Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Let dough balls rise for 15 minutes on counter, covered with tea towel.
Cooking
- Roll the balls into flat disks using a rolling pin. Try to get them as thin as possible without tearing them. The shape doesn't matter. Rustic is best! Mine always end up looking like the continents.
- Heat up a cast iron pan, or other pan that can withstand high heat (do not use a Teflon coated pan!). You can also try cooking these naans on a charcoal grill.
- Cook naans one at a time. Place naan on piping hot pan. Bubbles should start to appear on the top of the naan. Let cook for approximately 30 seconds.
- Flip the naan using a tongs or a spatula. Press down so that you get even contact with the pan. Let cook for another 30 seconds.
- After about 60-90 seconds, your naan should be cooked through, golden grown and charred in spots. If you find that the naan is burning too quickly, adjust the heat and continue. Every stove is different so you'll have to trust your gut and adjust as necessary.
Garnish
- Rub copious amount of butter on both sides of the naan, sprinkle with herbs, sesame seeds and flaky salt. Delicious!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Naan cooked on a charcoal grill 
Charred naan
I also tried this recipe on the charcoal grill. My preference is to cook them on a cast iron pan on the stove.
If you tried this recipe out, let me know what you think! Check out my social media links at the bottom of the page.
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