by Holly
Easy homemade naan is a simple bread to make and comes out deliciously soft and slightly chewy.
The dough is quick to prepare and once it has risen, it’s quickly panfried until golden. It can be used as a dipper, a wrap, or even as a pizza base!
This recipe makes 8 servings or 16 mini servings for naan bread that can be used as a side with butter chicken or other favorite saucy entrees for dipping.
Because it is so easy to make, it’s great for sandwiches, wraps, or dippers for soups and stews all week long! Naan is served perfectly on its own as an appetizer with hummus or tzatziki!
What is Naan Bread?
Naan is an Indian bread characterized by its crispy exterior but chewy interior. It is great for holding (or soaking up) ingredients
Don’t confuse naan with pita bread, although similar, naan is richer because it contains egg and buttermilk.
Ingredients
Naan is a fairly basic bread and like most breads, there is room for experimenting!
DRY
Yeast, sugar, flour & salt are the dry ingredients for this recipe.
WET
Water, egg, vegetable oil & buttermilk are mixed with the dry ingredients to make the dough.
VARIATIONS
Add garlic or onion powder and cilantro to the dough or try chopped herbs like oregano and basil to make your own signature naan. Create a variation to go with whatever you’re serving it with! Coconut or garlic garlic butter are common additions to a naan bread recipe.
How to Make Naan Bread
- Mix dough (per recipe below) and let rise. Divide into 8 equal parts.
- Roll each part out about 5 inches (it doesn’t need to be round).
- Fry in a lightly oiled skillet until golden brown on both sides.
Use naan bread as a wrap for gyros or shawarma or as a dipper bread for a homemade dip. It is so versatile!
Tips
- It’s okay if the dough is a little bit sticky on the mixer beaters, too much flour makes it heavy.
- Drop naan bread onto a hot skillet so it immediately cooks from the outside but the inside remains tender and chewy.
- Once it bubbles in the pan, it is ready to flip.
- Place cooked naan in foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces.
Keep cooled pieces of naan in an airtight zippered bag at room temperature. Naan bread should keep for up to a week.
More Homemade Bread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Bread – easy & cheesy
- Homemade Challah Bread – slightly sweet
- The Best Cheesy Breadsticks – perfect for dipping
- Homemade French Bread – great with pasta
- Bubble Pizza Bread – only 3 ingredients
Did your family love this homemade Naan Bread? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Naan Bread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine American, IndianIngredients
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 package
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixture*, mix together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Rest for 3-5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
- Add in flour, oil, buttermilk, egg & salt and mix with dough hook on low speed to combine, then on the second speed for 5 minutes. Dough will be pillowy soft and not sticky but may be slightly tacky.
- Remove dough hook and cover with a towel for 1-1 ½ hours, until dough has doubled in size.
- Divide dough into 8 pieces. Thinly roll each piece into a rough circle shape about 4-5”.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a skillet on medium high. Add one naan and cook until golden brown on one side and then flip and cook until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side).
- Add oil for each naan.
