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Naan

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Naan

Very often when I see Indian dishes they are accompanied by freshly made naan. Naan is a yeast based Indian flat bread that is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven at very high temperatures. I thought that it would be nice to have some freshly made naan as a side for my palak paneer dinner. I have to admit that I had tried to make naan before and it did not work out too well. I baked it in the oven but it baked hard before it got all nice and golden brown so this time I decided to try something different. I figured that I would have more control if I pan fried the naan and since they were brushed with ghee or butter anyways they were all ready for pan frying anyways. The pan fried naan worked out really well! I was able to get the naan nice an golden brown on both sides! The tops and bottoms were also slightly crispy and the insides were nice and light and fluffy and moist and best of all still warm! I cannot believe how good, and addictive, freshly made naan is! I had a hard time resisting just eating my fill of naan despite the fact that the palak paneer was really good as well. I can’t wait to make another batch of naan!

Naan

Naan

Prep Time:2 hours 30 minutes Cook Time:7 minutes Total Time:2 hours 37 minutes Servings: 8
ingredients
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 cup water (warm)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter or unsalted butter)
  • 3 tablespoons yogurt
  • * ghee (clarified butter or unsalted butter)
directions
  1. Mix the yeast and sugar into the warm water in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the salt and flour into the liquid followed by the ghee and yogurt and mix until it forms a dough.
  3. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic.
  4. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover.
  5. Let it rise for 90 minutes.
  6. Punch the dough down and knead it for 10 minutes.
  7. Divide the dough and form balls.
  8. Roll the balls out.
  9. Brush both sides with ghee and fry in a pan until golden brown on both sides.
  10. Serve while still warm.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. giz says

    July 21, 2009 at 1:54 am

    You took all the mystery out of the whole naan thing. I love the texture of this bread and really not a tough thing to make. Love it.

    Reply

  4. Anonymous says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:43 am

    Yum. I've been thinking about making pita bread or naan for a few days, but I think you just convinced me.

    Reply

  7. Marcy says

    July 21, 2009 at 4:47 am

    Yum. Looks great, I'll have to try pan frying it sometime.

    A while back I saw a Youtube video made by an Indian lady who used a conventional oven turned to broil. I use my pizza stone on the top rack for this method (putting it in ahead of time so it can absorb the heat well), then slip the naan under the broiler for a very short amount of time. Also, she wet her hands and then patted the dough rounds with her wet hands just before putting them in the oven. They turned out very soft that way; I think it's the combo of high heat and short cooking time. But I want to try the pan method now, too.

    Reply

  9. Jenn says

    July 21, 2009 at 5:10 am

    That's really neat. I love naan. I've always want to learn how to make these. I like the suggestion of pan frying them. I must give these a try!!

    Reply

  11. Marie says

    July 21, 2009 at 6:40 am

    I've been away on holidays these past few weeks and have missed so much of your delicious cooking Kevin!! That Naan bread looks perfect! You did a great job on this and on the paneer! I am in awe of you!

    Reply

  16. Carrie says

    July 21, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    I've been wanting to try homemade naan for a long time, but I was always scared that it wouldn't turn out. I love how you pan fried them…it seems so much less intimidating. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  17. Jeff says

    July 21, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Sweet I have been looking for a good naan recipe! A local place here combines cheese in theirs too so I may have to add some to make it extra heart healthy. Looks awesome as always!

    Reply

  20. Aparna says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    I like your way of making naan. Unusual for me, but looks pretty good.
    Anyways, in my experience, stove top naans are always better than those baked in an oven.
    And nothing quite beats home-mde paneer either.

    Reply

  21. Irene says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:23 pm

    Fantastic! Freshly baked naan is one of the best things in the world. I'd also love to know how to make arabic flat bread, so if you have a recipe for that, bring it on!

    Reply

  23. Grace says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    kevin, that bread looks astounding—so soft and fluffy and perfectly browned! frankly, although it’d make a terrific vehicle for any number of toppings, i’d just like to eat it plain!

    Reply

  24. Ivy says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    You are so talented Kevin, you make everything to perfection. Naan has been on my list to do for more than a year now but will stay there for a while until I am back to normal cooking again 🙂

    Reply

  41. Pam says

    July 22, 2009 at 10:54 am

    I've never tried it in a pan, sounds good. Mine never fit on my baking sheet and I always end up with some draped off the ends!

    Reply

  43. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    The Indian lady Marcy was referring to was probably Manjula from manjulaskitchen.com. I am in love with her.

    -B

    Reply

  44. Hillary says

    July 22, 2009 at 8:36 pm

    My boyfriend is in India now eating Naan "naan"-stop and he has me craving some when he talks about it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Have you had/made garlic naan?

    Reply

  55. Marshall says

    January 30, 2011 at 3:06 am

    Great site! This recipe is good and will produce naan exactly like the picture. For me, the naan was too dense and had an outside crust that was too crispy. My suggestion is to follow a recipe that uses an egg so it will be softer. Keep up the good work 🙂

    Reply

  56. Varun says

    August 21, 2011 at 7:55 am

    I was just going through your site and saw this. As an Indian I have to say that does not look like naan. It looks more like a 'kulcha'.

    Naan is traditionally made in a 'tandoor' and the closest thing to a naan in the west is an italian pizza base made in a wood fired oven. You can make the naan in a wood fired oven or on a pizza stone and it should turn out well.

    Also I believe a lot of Indian restaurants and homes make it without yeast. Let me tell you the way my mother makes it at home.

    In India we have cheap 'kadhais' (like a wok) made out of cast iron or some material that can stand high heat on both sides. Take that and put it on the stove upside down. You can dab your naan with a little bit of water and stick it on the side away from the heat.
    Alternatively you can use an Indian 'tawa' (its like a shallow pan but concave). Stick the naan on the concave (the right) side on the tawa and heat the naan by holding the tawa upside down against the heat. The water will keep the naan stuck to the tawa or kadhai. This is also how we make 'missi' (chickpea chapatti) rotis.

    Also a naan is shaped exactly like a italian pizza base. Stretch it and make it about the same thickness as a traditional italian pizza base.

    I hope you try it again and post new pics.

    Reply

  58. Arpit says

    August 25, 2011 at 10:25 am

    Even I agree with Varun. "Most of the Indian restaurant and kitchen makes naan without yeast".

    I would suggest you try out a Naan without Yeast.

    Basically, direct flame or heat is very much necessary for a perfect naan.

    Reply

  61. poppers nz says

    August 18, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    I love these! We also make them but call them haphazard Panamanian. Traditional recipes are so difficult to present and photograph but you have done this so well.

    Reply

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