Growing up in Michigan, I had never tried Indian food; I am not sure why, but I think it had something to do with growing up in a place that didn’t have much diversity when it came to food. Once I moved to California, I started trying all kinds of cuisines, and I started an intense love affair with Indian food. One of my first loves was naan- the perfect Indian bread is warm, soft, dipable, truly the best. I seriously loved it so much, I would seek out Indian lunch just so I could order my favorite, tikka masala, and scoop up the delicious sauce with the naan. So yum. Over the years, I have moved all over, but I have never quit my affair with Indian food. When I found out I could actually make my own naan at home, I was astonished. I’m not sure why, but this totally blew my mind. Then I made it for the first time, and it was so so easy, I knew my love affair with Homemade Naan would continue forever.
Before I bought my Stand Mixer
, I had never attempted to make ANY kind of bread – too intimidating. Then, after I bought the stand mixer, it seemed a lot less intimidating because it pretty much does all the work for you. Well, making naan, you don’t need any type of mixer – just your hands. I know, I know, it sounds difficult, but it’s not. To prove how easy it is, I let 2 kids help me make it, and didn’t even wince when they were ‘kneading’ it…but not really kneading it, if you know what I mean. This is pretty much a no fail recipe. It takes very little time, and it is SO cost efficient. Have you ever purchased those popular Stonefire Naan
from the store? They are like, $3 for 2 breads!!! You can make this recipe for like $1 total, AND it makes like 8 breads!!!! It’s amazing.
Please don’t be intimidated by this recipe – try it, I PROMISE you it’s super easy. These naan’s are not only delicious for dipping into yummy indian foods, but they are also great for making homemade pizzas, sandwiches (think pita or panini types), wraps, breakfast wraps..the options are endless! Omg, another delicious idea – warm them a bit and make a dessert naan, peanut butter and nutella!!! That would be amazing. For more inspiration, scroll to the bottom of this post!
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- nonstick spray
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1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir quickly to dissolve; set aside for a few minutes until it's foamy on top. Then stir in oil, yogurt, and the egg until evenly combined.
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2. In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of flour and the salt, stir to combine. Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
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3. Turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured countertop; knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking (I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total). The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.
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4. Place dough on a plate and loosely cover the dough with a slightly damp clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for about 45 minutes, or until about doubled in size.
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5. After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces (think pizza slices). Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round; set aside.
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6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray liberally with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about ¼ inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter (it will seem very thin). Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the underside is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the top surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and garlic.
Makes 8 naan
Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef.
Here are some awesome ways to use your Homemade Naan (click on photo for recipe)!
Thanks for visiting!
– Allyson
Debbie says
Oh my goodness, I wish I could reach into the screen and munch on that bread. It looks so good! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Sheila says
This sounds really easy. I’m a veteran bread maker. So it will be a breeze, and a LOT cheaper than store bought.
Allyson says
You will LOVE them, and your wallet will love them too!
Pattie says
Can the Naan be frozen before or after cooking ? and have you ever tried it yourself, does it change the texture or the taste? Thanks for the recipe, my husband and I LOVE Naan. 🙂
Allyson says
ABSOLUTELY! I freeze them all the time. Just throw them in a freezer bag, then take out when you want them. I usually microwave each one for 20 seconds, then lightly toast it.
Jill says
You probably know this, but I’m on my mobile phone, and it won’t let me access the “Save Recipe” feature (so I can print) unless I install their app to my phone, which I don’t want to do. :/
Allyson says
I actually didn’t know that, I am sorry about that. I am going to look into a way to improve on this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention
Denise says
Regarding, saving the recipe for a mobile phone.
If Jill downloaded the “Pocket” app. from Google play store.
Then all that she would have to do is click on the three vertical dots on the top right-hand of the phone screen. Click on the ” share” word. All options will pop up. “Pocket” will be one of these.
Touch ” Pocket” and a note tells you that it’s saved. You can access it along with all your other “saves” and read it on your device.😋
Midlandmomma says
I just made the Naan bread…yummy! Great directions and easy ingredients.
Pat says
Can you substitute sour cream for the yogurt?
Allyson says
I haven’t tried that, but I think that would work!
Marlene says
Hi there. I know this is years later, but maybe this will help someone. I’ve made this several times and it is awesome! I’ve added some finely chopped onion in some (Onion Kulcha) and garlic in some (Garlic Naan). I like the onion better but prefer the naan just with melted butter brushed on top. Great recipe – so easy! I dump all the ingredients in my stand mixer and let it go to town for a few minutes. Last time I made it, I didn’t have plain yogurt so I subbed sour cream. Logically, it should work – but it didn’t turn out as good. Texture was a little different and so was the taste. So now I will only use Greek yogurt – I buy the plain, 5 oz containers so I don’t waste the large containers.
Allyson says
Great tips!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Marie says
I just made these tonight, with some butter chicken and steamed greens, it was really good! I was out or garlic so i didn’t brush them with garlic butter, i will definitively have to try that next time. It was very tasty and had a great texture. Thanks 🙂
Allyson says
So happy you liked them! They are good with or without the garlic, that’s for sure!
Shelley says
I wonder if I could make this gluten free? just change the flour to a gf flour…
Allyson says
You could surely try! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say either way! Let me know if you try, how they turn out!
Terri says
I’m making these now with GF flour, we will see how it goes 🙂
Allyson says
How did it go?!?!?!
Terri says
The consistency wasn’t right. I’ll have to try it again. I tossed it & used regular flour which we loved.
Allyson says
Bummer!!! It is so hard with GF things sometimes! Glad you liked it the original way!
Jennifer West says
Oh my! I have never had this before. (Apparently I am sheltered!) I am totally going to venture out and give this a try and have an Indian themed food night!
Liz Latham says
Those look incredible! I love the Southwestern recipe!
Beth K. says
Oh, I love homemade Naan but haven’t made it in years. I definitely need to try this recipe out soon.
Sabrina says
I cannot wait to try this! I want this with every meal!
Jessica Burgess says
Ok I totally have to make this bread! I could totally eat it by itself, but seeing the flat bread recipes… I’m definitely making those too!
Jamielyn says
Yum!! I love naan but have never made it at home. Need to try!
Melissa klein says
Can I use bread flour in place of all purpose?
Allyson says
Yes!
Anita says
This was excellent naan! It definitely rivals our local Indian restaurant. We cooked it on a cast iron grill on the BBQ and got those crunchy brown/black blisters with that extra flavor.
The dough was *beautiful — soft and pillowy. So easy!
Definitely making this for some flatbreads soon.
Terrie Waterstraut says
The place in Michigan where I grew up wasn’t very culturally diverse, either. Maybe we were neighbors?? Thanks for the naan recipe–we’re getting into Indian foods a bit and it will be great to be able to make my own.
Allyson says
Terrie- Where did you grow up?!?! I grew up in Oakland County, just north of Detroit!
Terrie Waterstraut says
I grew up in Hillsdale, south of Jackson. But I have also lived in Battle Creek, Mount Pleasant, Owosso, and we lived for two years in Novi. Small world, huh?
Allyson says
Yes! I actually worked at the Jackson Prison for a year where I counseled prisoners!!! Crazy small! Thanks for stopping by!
Terrie Waterstraut says
What year was that? My former faiher-in-law was the deputy warden there for years, probably prior to your working there.
Allyson says
OH MY!!!! Talk about small world..lets see it was…..2003!
Terrie Waterstraut says
He was retired by then. Will be trying your naan very soon!
Patricia Louderman says
Dough has been resting in 80d temp, and only a little puffy, but really not rising much (yeast was fresh & active). Wondering how the dough rises in only 45min? Appreciate your help and any suggestions!
Patricia Louderman says
Hi Allyson!….I rested the dough an additional 30min or so and it finally doubled in size; continued with recipe instructions and they came out great! (Btw, I substituted 25% of the AP flour with white-whole-wheat-flour). The salt proportion in the dough was on the bland side for me so I sprinkled the rolled-out dough discs with salt, and then cooked the rest. Great recipe, thank you!
Allyson says
Sounds like you got it! YUM!
Lisolette Owens says
Was making a Red Lentil Dahl and decided I should try to make Naan from scratch. Fantastic…would def. make again. Thanks for posting the recipe and the suggestions for toppings, I have leftovers so I’ll check them out!
Allyson says
Oh yes!!! This naan is the best! Definitely try some of the flatbreads- yum!
Sara says
This is our go-to naan recipe! I did make it exactly as directed the first time and they were a clear winner. The last two times (yesterday and again today), I did not have Greek yogurt so used daisy sour cream. It worked wonderfully, I think because daisy is a thicker sour cream and mimics Greek yogurt better. I also doubled the salt at the request of my dad, and I personally couldn’t tell the difference but he was delighted. Thank you for a lovely recipe – it is obviously going to be a regular request around here!