Naan Bread

Naan bread is now a relatively popular item at Indian restaurants and supermarkets. This plant-based version provides all the warmth and fluffiness of a traditional tandoori-oven baked flatbread.

Tips and Tricks

How do I bake these?

Traditional naan bread is made in a Tandoor clay oven. It’s very hot, which explains the charred spots on the bread. The best way to do this in a typical American kitchen is by cooking in a small pan or griddle pan.

Other versions of Naan

Many restaurants offer a wide variety of naan breads. This recipe is for plain and garlic naan. Feel free to add other toppings if you’re not satisfied with these or want to create your own!

What about ghee?

Ghee is a clarified form of butter, particularly popular in Indian dishes. Because it’s dairy, it’s not called for in this recipe. Though olive oil will also work, this recipe calls for plant-based butter to add the garlicky spread on top of your flatbreads, as it’s closer to what ghee would taste like.

Kneading & Rising

This naan dough is very forgiving. You don’t need to knead it as much as you would other loaves (like a sandwich loaf), and your rising time can vary. In a pinch, you could cook the dough right away. But for better results, I’d let it rise for at least a half hour to an hour.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup warm water

  • 1 tsp active dry yeast

  • 1 tbsp pure cane sugar

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, more for kneading and dusting

Directions:

Take a medium to large-sized bowl and add ¾ cup of warm water, the yeast, and the sugar. Let sit until the yeast has activated (about 5 - 10 minutes).

Then add the flour, baking soda, salt, almond yogurt, and olive oil. Mix everything together until a dough begins to form. Then place the dough on a lightly floured board and begin to need until the dough is smooth. (This won’t take long - only 3 - 5 minutes maximum).

Place in a greased bowl and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour. The dough really won’t rise much. That’s fine. If you’re in a hurry, you could even use the dough right away.

Place a _____ pan on medium to medium-high heat. After a few minutes, hover your hand over the pan to be sure it’s warm. It should be hot, but not smoking. (If it is, lower the heat slightly).

Meanwhile, take your dough and cut it into eights. Roll the dough in between your hands to form small balls.

Flour your workstation, and taking one ball at a time, roll out into a circular shape, about 5 - 6 inches in diameter. (No need for these to be a perfect circular shape). Be careful about adding too much flour. You want to be sure it doesn’t stick to the board, but don’t add so much that your dough becomes too heavy.

Place the dough on the pan or griddle. Let sit for a minute or two, until you see bubbles forming in the dough. Flip over to the other side to let cook for another minute or two. The other side of the dough should be nicely browned in spots. (You can always take a spatula and gently check the sides to be sure it’s browned the way you like).

Repeat the process until you’ve cooked all eight loaves of naan.

**If you’re adding the garlic and cilantro topping, heat the butter, garlic, and cilantro in a small saucepan until the butter is completely melted. Once the naan is cooked, gently spread the butter mixture on top of the loaf with a brush or the back of a spoon.

Serve with an Indian curry, or on its own!