• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Naan

[heart_this] · Jul 21, 2009 · 61 Comments

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.
Similar Recipes:
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Focaccia with Lemon and Dill Marinated Grilled Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers and Feta
Paratha

Bread, Food, Indian, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

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
  2. Anonymous says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:09 am

    Oh do I love naan. I pan fry mine too. Yum! Now I'm craving it. Better put it on the menu…

    Reply
  3. Justine says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:18 am

    I am looking forward to trying this recipe. The whole family loves these!

    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
  5. Anonymous says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:44 am

    Your Naan looks real soft..

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:55 am

    one of my favorites!

    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
  8. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    July 21, 2009 at 5:00 am

    What beautiful naans! A wonderful speciality!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    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
  10. Cate says

    July 21, 2009 at 6:33 am

    I love naan with Indian food, but I usually just end up making chapatis because they're so much simpler!

    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
  12. Nina Timm says

    July 21, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Your naan breads are beautiful and thank you for the tip to make them in the pan. Where is the curry??

    Reply
  13. Manggy says

    July 21, 2009 at 7:36 am

    Your naan looks beautiful– I have to try the stovetop technique, as my previous attempt didn't work out well either :/

    Reply
  14. Clumbsy Cookie says

    July 21, 2009 at 8:42 am

    What a perfect looking naan!

    Reply
  15. ChichaJo says

    July 21, 2009 at 10:05 am

    How perfect for your paneer!

    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
  18. TallieAnn says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Are there actually 2 additions of 6 tbsp of ghee or is that a typo?

    Reply
  19. Marta says

    July 21, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    Great idea to pan-fry it! It looks nice and golden, perfect to soak up the delicious sauce or curry

    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
  22. Zoe says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    I love naan when I have it in Indian restaurants. Now I can make it at home, thanks for sharing your tips.

    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
  25. Victor Yu says

    July 21, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    You can't believe how much I LOVE naan bread.

    Reply
  26. figtree says

    July 21, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    WOw..I am so excited to try this!Much thanks!Figtreeapps

    Reply
  27. Tender Branson says

    July 21, 2009 at 4:13 pm

    Thank you. I am making one of my favorite meals tonight and I always use store bought naan because I've never found a recipe that works. I'll be trying this one out.

    Reply
  28. Deborah says

    July 21, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    I love naan!!

    Reply
  29. Lisa says

    July 21, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    Impressive. Though naan is one of my favorites, I've not yet tried to make my own. Looks great!

    Reply
  30. Cookin' Canuck says

    July 21, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    You made this sound so easy! I'll bet this would be delicious if I used it to sop up curry gravy.

    Reply
  31. The Duo Dishes says

    July 21, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Mouths watering for naan. It is so addictive. All we need is butter to go with it, and we're easily satisfied.

    Reply
  32. Gloria says

    July 21, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    I love this bread Kevin look so tatsy!! Gloria

    Reply
  33. pantryraidblog.com says

    July 21, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    Glad it worked out for you!! The pan frying really works out well. This past weekend, I threw the dough on the grill and that also worked out just famously!

    Reply
  34. Kevin says

    July 21, 2009 at 9:15 pm

    TallieAnn: The second entry for ghee/butter is for brushing the dough before frying.

    Reply
  35. Katerina says

    July 21, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    Have you tried it on the grill? That is my favorite way to do it at home. I have also done it under the broiler.

    Reply
  36. Jennifer says

    July 22, 2009 at 1:22 am

    Oh this is a first for me, Ive not seen someone make their own yet! I LOVE nann, greek food! mmmm!!! Thanks Kevin 🙂

    Reply
  37. Chef Fresco says

    July 22, 2009 at 1:31 am

    We LOVE naan. Thanks for a very yummy looking recipe!

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    July 22, 2009 at 2:37 am

    Oooh naan. I love naan. I must try this. I have to get ghee though.

    Reply
  39. Sook says

    July 22, 2009 at 7:32 am

    This looks wonderful! Perfectly shaped and everything. You're an artist!!

    Reply
  40. HoneyB says

    July 22, 2009 at 9:51 am

    This Naan looks absolutely perfect! It is one of my weaknesses.

    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
  42. Muneeba says

    July 22, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    I'm with you … freshly made naan can sometimes steal the show from even the main dish! And yours looks so plump and scrumptious!

    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
  45. jillian says

    July 23, 2009 at 1:55 am

    Yum! I love naan!

    Reply
  46. amandalouden says

    July 23, 2009 at 2:18 am

    that looks amazing. I love naan.

    Reply
  47. Kevin says

    July 23, 2009 at 10:45 am

    Hillary: Garlic naan sounds really good!

    Reply
  48. Baked Alaska says

    July 23, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    This looks so good. I love naan. Just had it with lunch two days ago. I'll have to try to make it-thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  49. meeso says

    July 24, 2009 at 12:24 am

    The naan looks awesome!

    Reply
  50. Aperella says

    July 25, 2009 at 2:43 am

    I have been looking for a Naan…let me rephrase: A GOOD Naan, recipe! THANKS!!!!

    Reply
  51. NORA says

    July 25, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    Naan looks delicious!. Looks like our gorditas de harina mexicanas

    Thank you for this recipe!

    Cheers!

    Reply
  52. Traveling Spork says

    October 11, 2009 at 4:41 am

    Hi Kevin!

    I just made these tonight and made half plain and half with cilantro added. They were great. We had several people over and they all raved.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  53. Vacman says

    November 10, 2009 at 10:14 pm

    I made this recipe on my Gorge Forman
    grill it turn out great

    Reply
  54. Sonia says

    December 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    Hi Kevin

    Excellent recipe – I tried it & this worked for me right away, you must try something I was able to cook last month – Parantha's made from Corn Meal, they are very popular in winters & eaten with Saag or Palak dishes – here's the link http://onecreativekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/makki-methi-parantha.html

    cheers

    Sonia

    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
  57. Kevin says

    August 23, 2011 at 7:48 am

    Varun: Thanks for all of the tips!

    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
  59. MSWMBA says

    February 12, 2012 at 4:27 am

    Made it last weekend and it tasted great..thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  60. Jahnavi says

    March 10, 2012 at 12:27 am

    You know, I've always bought naan instead of making it cuz I thought it takes too long. Have to give it a try sometime.

    My favorite recipe with this bread is naan pizza. Gives it that personal touch and great flavor when I know what ingredients are going into making it. Check it out sometime: http://www.indiankhanamadeeasy.com/2010/03/indian-style-pizza.html
    I'm sure with your homemade naan, the taste will be incredible.

    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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.