The Better Naan Bread At Home

Naan naan naan naan hey hey hey goodbye! That’s how the lyrics go, right? I can assure you that minutes after serving these to friends (or eating them all by yourself) they will be gone. This was my first time making it, and I have quickly discovered that nothing is better than scorching hot naan straight from the pan (not even the frozen ones from Trader Joe’s). 

As long as your yeast is good and foams when added to sugar water (as pictured above), then this recipe is basically foolproof. Also, it will make your home smell so damn delicious that you won’t be able to stop yourself from tearing into them as they come off the stove. 

The dough is super easy to work with and goes well with just about any flavorings you add to it. I kept it simple by melting butter over a few cloves of minced garlic and spreading it over the dough right before putting it in the hot pan. The sound and smell of the popping garlic butter every time a new piece was placed in the skillet was absolutely my favorite part of making this recipe. 

Since I made each piece of naan pretty small, I used my fingers to press the dough balls flat. But you could also use a rolling pin dusted with flour if you prefer (I just like keeping dishes to a minimum). 

You can make each piece as big as your pan will allow, but since I like mini things, and because I have a tiny little 6-inch cast iron skillet, I chose to make these smaller than what you’d normally get in a restaurant. 

RECIPE (lightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven)

makes 8 regular sized pieces or 16 mini pieces

ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white whole wheat flour + 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the honey and water, then pour yeast on top of the water. Allow the yeast to rest for 10 minutes.
2. Add flour, yogurt, salt, baking powder, and egg. Mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. 
3. Take the dough out of mixing bowl, then spray the bowl with cooking spray. Make the dough into a ball shape then place it back into the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
4. As the dough is rising, place butter and garlic into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute (or until butter is bubbling and thoroughly melted).
5. When the dough has finished rising, dust your work surface, and remove the dough from the bowl.
6. Shape your dough into a nice round ball and cut it into 16 (or 8) pieces. Start by cutting the ball of dough in half, then halving each of those halves until you have the desired number of pieces (this helps make sure each dough ball is relatively even). 
7. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten out each piece. I like to make them on the thin side (less than 1/4-inch) so they bubble more and aren’t too doughy on the inside.
8.  Place a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Before transferring a rolled out piece of dough onto the skillet, drizzle a spoon-full of the garlic butter over the dough and spread evenly with the back of the spoon.
9. Place buttered side of the dough down in the pan to cook for about a minute. When large bubbles are formed spread another spoonful of the garlic butter over the uncooked side, then flip. The cooked side should have even golden brown patches. 
10. Lower the heat to a low setting and cook the other side for another minute (depending on how hot your pan is it may need less time). You’ll know the other side is done when the bubbled areas are a deep golden brown color. 
11. Place cooked naan on a plate and cover with foil or a kitchen towel. 
12. (Optional) Before serving lightly brush garlic butter over naan and top with any fresh herbs you may have on hand.