Ok, so I finally got around to making homemade naan. Way back in December, I made Gobi Masala (Cauliflower Curry) and mentioned that next on my list was making naan from scratch. The day has arrived. And it’s a good one.
Surprise, surprise, naan is super easy to make at home (compared to other bread that you have to knead. If you’re looking for a beginner bread recipe, check out the super easy, overnight no-knead bread.). You can whip up a batch on Sunday afternoon, and it’ll be ready for Sunday night dinner or Monday’s leftovers. You can double the recipe and freeze half for future lunches. It’s a perfect side for spicy curry dishes, or even just a snack – try it with hummus or pesto. It’s similar to pita bread – another food I need to try making from scratch! Let’s see how long it takes me to put that together!
Homemade Naan
Surprise! Homemade naan is super easy to make. You can whip up a batch on Sunday afternoon, and it’ll be ready for Sunday night or Monday’s leftovers.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur is my favorite)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons warm milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- extra flour (~1/4 cup), for flouring the work surface
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing the naan
Instructions
- Measure out 2/3 cup of warm water (use the ‘wrist test’ to get the approximate temperature – if you can’t ‘feel’ the running water on your wrist it’s neither too hot nor too cold, then it’s just right for proofing yeast). Pour into a large bowl.
- Add yeast and 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar to the water. Mix well with a fork and let sit for about 10 minutes. The mixture should get frothy. (If it doesn’t, the water wasn’t the correct temperature or the yeast is old. You’ll need to start over with new water and/or new yeast.)
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized serving bowl. Whisk to combine well.
- After 10 minutes, add yogurt, milk, and olive oil to the frothy yeast mixture, and mix well with a spatula to combine.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time. With a spatula, thoroughly combine all of the flour. It will be slightly wet and sticky.
- Pour a bit of oil over the dough and cover it with a cotton towel. Place in a warm place (an oven set to broil for 5 minutes, then turned off is a good spot), and let rise for an hour.
- After an hour, punch the dough down, and turn it out onto a generously floured work surface (a large wooden cutting board works well). Knead a couple of times, and then let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Mince the clove(s) of garlic. Use 1 or 2 according to your preference for garlic. Use more if you’d like.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. If the dough sticks to the board, add more flour to the surface and roll the dough around.
- Knead the minced garlic into the pieces of dough.
- Using a floured rolling pin or just your hands, shape the dough into a thin-ish oval.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Brush the naan with a bit of melted butter, and place butter-side down into the hot pan.
- When you see bubbles on the surface of the dough, flip the naan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Place the naan on a plate and continue heating the rest of the dough until you’ve made all 6 pieces of naan.
- Serve immediately with the curry of your choice, or wrap in plastic wrap. Will keep for 4-5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
- Enjoy!
