Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Flatbread is very easy to make, and this naan recipe is made even easier by starting it a day ahead. Split the work up to take the stress out of baking fresh bread.
How long it takes: 10 minutes to make the dough, overnight chilling time, and 12 minutes to bake the bread
Equipment you’ll need: stand mixer, large resealable bag, baking sheet
Servings: 4 large naan
One of my friends, Donna Currie of Cookistry, has written a beautiful cookbook called Make Ahead Bread (©2014). Donna has been a good resource when I needed help with baking yeast breads like cinnamon swirl bread or cranberry walnut bread. Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled that she published this beautiful book. I know it’s going to be one that I refer to often.
I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest parts of making yeast bread is coordinating rising times, baking times, and so on. Trying to get home-baked bread on the table at the right time is always a challenge. The recipes in Donna’s cookbook are perfect for me because the dough can be made ahead.
An Easy Naan Bread Recipe
For this naan flatbread recipe, all you have to do is knead the dough (you can use your stand mixer!) and throw it in the fridge. The next day, you can just pull the dough out of the fridge, roll it out, and bake it. The dough rises in the refrigerator overnight, or you can even leave it in the fridge for up to two days!
Although I haven’t tried it, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t bake half of the dough one day, and save the other half to bake the next day if you want freshly baked bread each day.
How To Bake Naan Bread
Oven: Preheat the oven and the baking sheet. Preheating the baking sheet in the oven will ensure the bread gets crispy and golden brown. Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and place the bread on it. Bake until the bread is browned and puffy. Immediately brush with melted butter.
Stovetop: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat on the stove. Once it’s hot, place a naan in the pan. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the bread puffs up and bubbles on top, and is browned in spots on the bottom. Flip the bread over and cook briefly until the second side is browned. Brush with melted butter.
Grill: Preheat the grill to high. Once the grill is hot, carefully place two or three naan on the grill. Cook the naan, without moving it, until they are browned and charred in some spots. Using tongs, flip the bread over and cook the other side. Remove the grill and brush with melted butter.
Recipe variation
- Garlic naan: Add ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon garlic powder to the dough. Brush the dough with homemade garlic butter if you like.
- Small naan: Divide the dough into 8 pieces instead of 4. Shape into ovals or circles.
Store: Cool the bread completely on a wire rack before storing in a resealable bag or covered container. It will keep at room temperature for a few days. For longer storage, refrigerate it. Naan can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag.
Reheat: Naan can be reheated in a toaster, toaster oven, dry skillet, or an air fryer. For larger quantities, wrap in foil and reheat in the oven for a few minutes until warm. To reheat a naan in the microwave, wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds.
Naan Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup water, at room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
Instructions
To prep dough:
- Combine yogurt, water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead at low speed (#2) with the dough hook until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. The outside of the dough will be slightly sticky to the touch. You can also mix the ingredients in a large bowl and then knead by hand, about 10 minutes.½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ¾ cup water, at room temperature, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 3 cups bread flour, plus more as needed, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Drizzle the olive oil into a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and put the dough into the bag. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.1 tablespoon olive oil
To bake:
- Heat the oven to 400°F and place a baking sheet in the oven.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 4 equal pieces (see note) and shape each piece into a ball.
- Flatten the pieces and shape them into a traditional teardrop shape or into an oval, about 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. You can stretch and press them by hand or use a rolling pin. It's okay if the naan is irregularly shaped.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully place the dough on the sheet. Return the pan to the oven and bake the naan until they’re browned on the bottom, puffy, and have a few brown spots on top, about 12 minutes.
- Transfer the naan to a rack and brush with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
Notes
- Yield/Size: Naan is pretty forgiving. You can make it any size or thickness you like. The dough can be divided into 8 portions to make smaller naan.
- Stovetop: Naan can be “baked” in a cast iron skillet on the stove, if you prefer. Don’t use a nonstick skillet. Roll the dough into a shape and size that will fit flat in your skillet. Preheat the skillet over medium high heat. If your skillet is pretty well-seasoned, you shouldn’t need to add any oil. If it isn’t, wipe it with an oil-saturated paper towel. Once the skillet is heated, place a naan in the pan. Cook for 40 to 60 seconds, until the bread puffs up with bubbles on the top side, and the bottom is browned. Flip over, and continue to cook until the second side is browned.
- Grill: Preheat the grill to high. Once the grill is hot, carefully place two or three naan on the grill (or as many as you can handle at once). Cook the naan, without moving, until they are bubbling up, browned and charred in some spots. Using tongs, flip the bread over and cook the other side. Remove the grill and brush the naan with melted butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
First time evermaking naan. Cooked one wedge (couldn’t wait!), and it was amazing! Next day,.same story. Will make again and again.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Instead of baking in the oven, could this naan possibly be “baked” in a skillet on the stovetop?
I think that would work!
I forgot to mention in my review that I cooked it in a hot cast iron skillet and it turned out perfect.
Thanks for sharing!