Garlic Naan Bread
| Prep | Cook | Rise | Total | Servings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Min | 10 Min | 1 Hr | 1 Hr 25 Min | 10 Breads |
Ingredients
NAAN BREADS
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant (rapid rise)
- ¾ cup warm milk
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt or natural plain yogurt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons extra for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting -- 19 1/2 oz. or 560g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Instructions
FOR NAAN BREAD
- Combine together the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble on top
- Add in the milk, yogurt, oil, minced garlic, flour baking powder and salt. Mix until the dough comes together with your hands.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Use floured hands to knead the dough until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease the same mixing bowl with a small spray of cooking oil. Transfer dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about an hour until doubled in size.
- When ready to cook, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll into balls, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grease skillet all over with 1/2 teaspoon of the extra oil.
- Place one piece of the naan on the oiled hot skillet and cook until bubbles form on top, about 1-2 minutes. While cooking, brush the top with a little oil.
- Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until large golden spots appear on the bottom.
- Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining naan (keep them wrapped in a towel while you work).
FOR GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING
- Combine melted butter and minced garlic together in a bowl. Brush each naan with the garlic butter and top with the fresh herb of your choosing.
Notes
Perfect to serve with Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken or Coconut Curry Shrimp.
We use a combination of yogurt and oil to give them an addictive soft and fluffy texture, and add minced garlic right into the dough to give us a perfect garlicky flavor.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAAN BREAD AND PITA BREAD
Both flatbreads are made with a yeast raised dough, however Pita bread has a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita bread only contains flour, water, yeast, salt and some olive oil; naan is made with a fattier, more enriched dough including ghee (clarified butter), oil, yogurt and sometimes eggs. This gives naan its different texture.
TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
We start off with a basic naan dough, like this one for our super soft naan breads.
- First, you’re going to activate your yeast.
- Mix all of those ingredients together until the dough comes together with your hands.
- Knead until smooth, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. You can use the same bowl you mixed the dough in to save dishes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size.
- Divide dough into 10 balls and roll each piece into large ovals about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. The thinner you roll them, the more air pockets form inside them while cooking.
- Get a lightly greased skillet nice and HOT. The high heat makes the dough rise fast and fills the breads with air.
- Cook garlic naan bread until bubbles form, then flip and cook until large golden spots appear on the underside. Flatten the breads with a spatula while cooking to ensure they cook through.
- Wrap cooked garlic naan bread in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining breads.
- Optional: brush your warm cooked naan with a little melted garlic butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.
HOW TO STORE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
If you plan on storing your naan breads, do not brush them with the garlic butter. When cooked, let cool completely to room temperature to prevent condensation. Transfer to ziplock bags and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
When ready to eat, heat them up on a pan over low-medium heat, or in the microwave for 10 seconds. Brush with garlic butter and enjoy!
FREEZE NAAN
Follow the same steps above (store plain — no garlic butter) and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet over low-medium heat, then brush with garlic butter.
