Homemade Naan is by far one of my favourite types of bread to make at home. Not only is it delicious, but it’s easy and fast!

This Homemade Naan recipe is extremely easy. The recipe is part of a 3-part series on Chicken Tikka Masala and Garam Masala. Check them out! I know you’ll love them as much as you will the ease by which you can make Garam Masala!

I absolutely love Naan. For me, it’s easier to make than the Italian piadina or a number of other flatbreads including roti, parantha, tortilla, or pita. If I’m being terribly honest, I think naan goes well with so many different dishes. (I’ve even tried PB&J on Naan and it didn’t disappoint!)

Before I get any comments below, I know naan doesn’t originate from the UK. However, it pairs very nicely with Chicken Tikka Masala and is very popular all over the UK.

Fresh Homemade Naan

You’re about to discover just how simple it is to make your own naan at home. You can have a batch prepared in 40 minutes, and what’s awesome about my recipe is how easily it scales!

So, to begin let’s go out and gather the following ingredients:

• ¾ cup of water (warm)
• 3 teaspoons of fresh active yeast
• 1 + ½ teaspoon of sugar (optional)
• ⅜ cup of coconut oil
• ½ cup of plain yoghurt
• 1 + ½ eggs
• ¾ teaspoon of salt
• 3 + ¾ cup of flour

Naan is as simple as it may look (or a lot more simple than it looks!). Just like with most bread, we begin by activating the yeast. So mix the water, yeast, and sugar together. Then set it aside for 5 minutes or until the water begins to foam. I usually avoid adding sugar to my bread when I activate the yeast. I think that the sugar accelerates the yeast and removes some of the fermented yeasty flavours we’d be able to have if we just waited. That being said, you could also use a bit of poolish for your naan!

From here, making naan doesn’t get much more straightforward. Add the coconut oil, yoghurt, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture. Make sure this is well mixed before adding the flour! Once it is well mixed, add in one cup of flour at a time. As a separate note, the salt interferes with the yeast (it retards its growth and if you add too much it will kill it) so I tend to mix the flour and salt together before adding the flour to the yeast mixture.

Once done, you just need to gently knead the dough until it comes together. It will be slightly sticky. Try not to overwork the dough, you’ll know what I mean as it becomes tough! However, if your dough is too liquidy add a little more flour.

Now, this batch makes about 10 pieces. So cut the dough into 10 pieces. Then you’ll want to shape them into balls and set them on a lightly floured (or oiled) surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a linen cloth and let the naan rise for about thirty minutes. I’ve noticed that an oiled surface prevents the dough from drying out. I believe it’s because the dough incorporates the loose flour into itself while on the surface and the flour absorbs liquid so it dries out the dough. I’m not positive about that, but it seems right scientifically speaking.

We’re about to get to my favourite part! On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into circles roughly three to six millimetres (⅛ to ¼ inch) thick. Be careful not to make the dough too thin (or thick) because it will cook too fast (or need a LOT more time). If you happen to have spacing bands on your rolling-pin now is an excellent time to use them! If not and you’re like me, a ruler or eyeballing it will still work just fine. You just have to be aware that the thickness of the naan will be reflected in the cooking time, and if it is too thick then it might burn on a hot surface.

And we’ve arrived at my favourite part (aside from eating) of making the naan! Place a skillet over a high heat. You need to make sure it’s hot when you start baking the naan. So, when the skillet is hot, place the naan onto the skillet. As it cooks, it will puff up. Use a fork to puncture any bubbles holes that develop. When the naan has cooked halfway, flip and cook until done.

Remove your delicious homemade naan from the heat. Enjoy when it cools!

Let me know what you think!

By the way, you need to try this with my Chicken Tikka Masala! It will blow your mind with how delicious the combo is!