Homemade Naan Bread

Homemade Naan is a popular staple comfort food and always a highlight of delicious Indian meal. This soft and tender, flavorful and buttery, perfectly browned naan bread is easier to make than you'd think and it has a restaurant quality taste!

This recipe proves that it's often the simplest ingredients that can yield the best end results.

What is Naan?

Naan is flat-like, yeast leavened, oven baked bread. It originates from Iran and Central Asia. It's a very popular bread in India, where you'll usually find a slightly thicker variation.

Naan can be leavened or un-leavened, the Indian versions are usually leavened. It's common to use torn pieces of naan for scooping and eating food by hand.

Traditionally Indian Naan is cooked in a tandoor oven but not many of us don’t own one of those. So here we make it without a tandoor oven and use a heavy cast iron skillet instead to get a very similar result.

I've tried making naan several different ways using different ingredients like water, buttermilk, milk, or yogurt. I've also tried with and without egg, or with just egg yolk. Then using different fats.

Of course there's also the option to use different types of flour (bread flour, all-purpose flour, or even wheat flour). Then you'll notice some recipes include baking powder.

You’ll also find a variety of mixing methods and dough consistencies.

This recipe is my favorite blend of ingredients for it, with the ratios and method to achieve a super soft, lightly chewy, perfectly fluffy and bubbly naan. It's my idea of the best Naan!

Difference Between Naan, Flatbread and Pita Bread

• While the three are all made up of refined white flour and have similar shapes they do have significant differences.
• Naan is usually softer than flatbread and pita bread. It can have more flavor with the additions of yogurt, milk, butter, and egg.
• Flatbread is usually thin and unleavened whereas pita and naan are leavened and fluffier.
• The cooking/baking methods between the three are also different.