Skip the takeout prices and the dry, store-bought versions... You can have Homemade Garlic Naan on your table with little effort! This fluffy, slightly charred bread is topped off with a hearty brush of salty garlic-butter for the perfect amount of flavor.
This really is the BEST recipe for homemade garlic naan. It's incredibly easy to make and uses ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry! Once you get a taste of this quick and simple naan, you will truly never buy the store versions again.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.23
- Total Cost (8 servings): $1.81
- Those Other Guys: $12.99 per order
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - I usually use AP flour since we always have it; but bread flour should work as a substitute.
- Active Dry Yeast - Grab this kind of yeast for the best rise and fluffy final product.
- Warm Milk + Water - The milk and water combo gives us tons of moisture in the bread and helps the yeast rise properly.
- Garlic-Butter Sauce - The bread will come out of the cast-iron skillet covered in flour... so we brush it with a gorgeous and tasty garlic-butter sauce! Simply melt together butter and olive oil with garlic and chopped parsley.
Variations and Substitutions
Cheese Stuffed Garlic Naan: After dividing the large dough ball into 8 pieces, slightly roll out one piece of dough and place shredded cheese on top. Pinch the edges into the middle to close the ball of dough, then let it rest for another 20 minutes. Roll the dough out into a circle, and cook according to the recipe instructions.
Greek Chicken Gyros: Wrap seasoned chicken thighs and fresh vegetables in a fresh garlic naan. It's so good!
Naan Grilled Cheese: Add specialty cheeses like gouda or fontina to fresh naan, and grill in herb butter for a savory dish.
How to Make Garlic Naan at Home
Step 1: To begin, mix together your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the warm water and milk, and stir using a silicone spatula.
Step 2: Using floured hands, gently knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
Coat the ball in olive oil, add back to the bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel. Let it rise for an hour.
Step 3: After rising, punch down the dough then gently roll the dough out into a circle. Divide into 8 pieces.
Step 4: Take each piece and pat it out into a disc. Fold the edges into the middle, and roll the disc into a smooth ball.
Step 5: Next, set the small dough balls in the bowl and cover with the kitchen towel. Let rise for another 10 minutes.
Step 6: Roll out the dough into a thin circle, and add to a hot cast iron skillet.
Cook for about 30 seconds, until tons of heat bubbles form on the surface, and then flip.
Step 7: Cook for another 30 seconds or so until it's golden brown on both sides.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Step 8: Finally, brush the hot naan with garlic butter.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Make sure your liquids are warm. Warm, not hot water, activates the yeast properly. To get the fluffiest naan, make sure your liquid is around 100°F/38°C before adding to the dry ingredients.
- Be careful not to over-knead. You don't have to spend a long time kneading the dough! Get it to just come together to a smooth, solid ball and then let it rest.
- Keep 'em warm. Heat your oven up to 200°F/93°C and place the cooked naan on a pan. Store them in the oven to keep everything warm until you're ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
"Naan bread" does mean "bread bread". Double names are actually the result of translations between different languages. Another example: chai tea!
You can make a version of naan without yeast, using self-rising flour, salt, and greek yogurt.
Loosely wrap them in a tea towel and store in an airtight container or plastic storage bag at room-temperature for 3-4 days.
You can! Naan freezes wonderfully.
Wrap each cooled slice in plastic wrap, then add them to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to reheat; wrap the naan in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven at 350℉/177°C until warm.
Other Tasty Bread Recipes You'll Love!
If you tried this Homemade Garlic Naan Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Garlic Naan
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Silicone Spatula
- Wooden Board for kneading
- Kitchen Towel
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Tongs
- Basting Brush
Ingredients
Naan Dough
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading and rolling
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ ounces active dry yeast (one packet)
- ⅓ cup warm milk
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic-Butter Sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1-2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Instructions
Making the Naan Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and active dry yeast.
- Stir in the warm milk and water, using a silicone spatula, until just combined.
- Using (floured) hands, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
- Cover the dough ball in olive oil, then place it back into the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- After an hour, punch down the dough.
- Slightly roll out the dough into a thick circle, and then cut into 8 even-sized pieces.
- Stretch out a piece of dough with your hands, then fold each "corner" back into the middle. Finally, roll the piece into a smooth ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Let the dough balls rest, covered with a towel, in your mixing bowl for 10 more minutes.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.
- Take a ball of dough and roll it out into a thin, circular shape. Add extra flour to avoid sticking if needed.The disc should be really thin and almost see-through. They will shrink slightly in size when cooking.
- Cook the dough disc on a plain cast-iron skillet, about 30 seconds on each side. Flip after you see large bubbles form on the dough.
- Repeat steps 10 - 11 until all of the naan dough is cooked. Set aside.
Garlic-Butter Sauce
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish.
- Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients until combined.
- Brush the garlic butter on each cooked naan. Enjoy!
Arissa W says
Love this recipe! We make personal naan pizzas using this dough. Buying naan at the store is always so expensive and you only get a couple pieces in each package, so this is the perfect way to get my fix.
Shani W. says
That's such a good way to use the naan! Thank you for trying and commenting Arissa.