Butter Naan

The Naan recipe I’ve been perfecting for the entire 19 years I’ve been with my Indian husband. It’s the best homemade naan: so soft and stretchy. Drench it in melted butter if you know what’s good and call it Butter Naan. Butter Naan: why you’re going to fall in LOVE with this recipe Let me just say that I’ve been in a relationship with an Indian man for almost 20 years and I’ve spent most of those years trying to make perfect naan. You can trust that this is an extensively-tested recipe that passes the authentic test. Butter naan is traditional Indian Naan bread brushed with melted butter after cooking. You can add some minced cilantro (coriander) leaves or minced garlic to make garlic nan. It is a yeasted dough rolled into flatbreads and cooked traditionally in tandoor clay. My workaround makes it super easy to create that tandoori flavor and look in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. The combination of yeast and yogurt give this recipe a complex, delicious bread flavor similar to sourdough naan without needing a sourdough starter. It puffs up on the pan (or tawa, in India) and those charred spots are irresistible. For an even more dramatic puffing up, see my notes in the recipe for finishing the naan over a direct flame (only works if you have a gas stove). I guarantee you this easy tandoori-style naan rivals your favorite Indian restaurant. Serve it with one of these tasty Indian recipes. If you love Indian breads, you’ve gotta try my super-soft roti, paratha recipe (layered, flaky South Indian flatbread) and soft chapati recipe, too. What is Butter Naan Made of? Guys, it’s a magical blend of pantry staples: Flour and yeast PLUS baking soda and baking powder. When combined with yogurt to form a soft dough, you get the best naan of your life. Naan Ingredients Plain white flour (a.k.a. maida in India) Instant dry yeast (a.k.a. quick rise yeast): You can swap in another kind of yeast, but traditional (active dry yeast) will have to be activated first in the warm water before adding it to the dry ingredients. I love how easy it is to use instant yeast because you add it right to the flour. Baking soda: this is not always found in traditional recipe but using baking soda helps ensure lots of bubbles in the naan. Adding it decreases the acidity of the dough, which helps the dough to brown in the pan. More browning makes for more flavor and more attractive color. Baking powder doesn’t do the same for browning and flavor, but a teaspoon and a half can be used as a substitute for the baking soda and you’ll still get the extra bubbles. Baking powder: baking soda starts to work as soon as it’s combined with acidic ingredients (yogurt) and loses its leavening power as the dough sits. Baking powder is double acting – meaning it has an initial reaction when it combines with liquid, and a second reaction when heat is added. Basically, it adds extra bubble insurance! Plain yogurt: (a.k.a curd in India) don’t useextra high-fat or greek yogurt. Regular whole milk (3.25%) or 2% yogurt is perfect. Extra fat and thickness will make the dough too rich and prevent it naan from puffing up. It will have a thicker, doughier texture. I regularly use buttermilk as a substitute because I don’t always stock plain yogurt. Both work perfectly. Melted butter: this puts the butter in butter naan. It’s simply brushed onto the warm naan breads after they’re done cooking and after they’ve been transferred to a plate. Salted butter is the tastiest option. Minced cilantro: totally optional but I love the pop of green color. You could add a couple of minced fresh garlic cloves to the melted butter, too, or instead, if you like. Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse How To Make Butter Naan This is how you make soft, fluffy butter naan that tastes like it’s straight from a restaurant. I’ll walk you through it in step-by-step photos (and there’s a video in the recipe card!). How to Make Naan Dough Mix up some all-purpose flour, yogurt (or buttermilk), warm water, and a few other ingredients to make the dough. Knead it and form it into equal balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for about an hour, and you’re ready to roll. How to Shape Naan How to Cook Naan Roll naan out on a lightly floured surface to form oblong oval shapes. Now time to cook it. Cook the naan on a super not skillet to get those bubbles and charred spots. Want that puffy, tandoori vibe? Finish it over an open flame. As a final flourish, brush the hot naan with melted butter (and cilantro if you’re feeling fancy!). Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse Notes and Pro Tips for the BEST Butter Naan Boil a kettle and add a ½ cup hot water to a measuring cup then add cold water to it and check the temp to make sure I won’t kill the yeast. 120°–130°F is the ideal water temperature for quick (rapid rise) yeast according to Fleischmann’s yeast website. The dough is supposed to be very sticky after kneading. Wet your hands with water to handle it, generously flour the work surface, and oil the dough balls on top and bottom before letting them rise. If the dough is too sticky to handle, gently knead more flour into it. Be sure to let it rest for 1 hour if you work the dough. The 1 hour rise time is not only important for the dough to get bubbly, it is super important to making the naan soft. As you knead the dough (or have the mixer do it for you with a dough hook), you create a super tight, bouncy dough. If not rested, the dough will shrink up after rolling it out and you’ll have hard, small flatbreads instead of lovely tender ones. If you have a gas stove, you can make finish the naan over a direct flame to make it even more like authentic tandoori naan. When you flip the naan over, cook the underside for just long enough to seal the surface so it isn’t sticky. Carefully use tongs to move the naan over to a direct flame. The naan will puff dramatically and yummy charred spots will appear. Just watch closely. How to Make Naan Dough in Advance You can prepare the dough in advance and keep it in the refrigerator or the freezer. Either way, I prefer to store the dough as balls rather than as one giant bowl of dough in the bowl of a stand mixer because then you have to work the dough less just before cooking (working the dough less results in softer naan). To Refrigerate Naan Dough: Prep the recipe up to forming the dough balls. Arrange the dough balls on a parchment-paper-lined plate, drizzle with a bit of oil and turn the dough around to coat them fully (this prevents them from sticking as well as preventing the surface from drying out). Then cover with plastic wrap or pack into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can skip the 1-hour rise as they’ll slowly rise in the fridge for the same result. Before rolling the dough into large ovals, let it warm back up to room temperature. NOTE: I don’t recommend rolling it out in advance and storing the fully-shaped raw dough. As a sticky mixture, it can be hard to lift flattened dough off of the parchment paper and it would be frustrating to lose your hard work in shaping. To Freeze Naan Dough: Again, make the recipe up to forming the dough balls. Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper, drizzle with a bit of oil and turn the dough around to coat the dough fully. Skip the 1-hour rise and freeze uncovered in a single layer until solid. Transfer frozen dough to a freezer bag or airtight container. Thawing: Thaw frozen dough balls in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before use. To prevent sticking to the container or bag, transfer them back to an oiled sheet of parchment paper and cover loosely with another sheet or parchment before covering with a clean towel or plastic wrap. You can keep dough frozen for up to 3 months. How to Store Cooked Naan Store leftover naan in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to 1 day. Do not store cooked naan in the fridge. Refrigerating cooked naan will make it hard. The temperature of the fridge speeds up the staling process in baked goods. If you won’t use up leftovers within 1 day, just freeze it. To freeze cooked naan, let it cool and then pack into an airtight container separated with layers of parchment or wax paper. Freeze up to 3 months. Related: Naan Pizza (excellent for using up leftover naan!) Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse How to Reheat Naan One at a time: Reheat naan one at a time in a pan or over a direct stove flame using tongs. You can even cut in half and reheat for 20 seconds in a toaster. In bulk: Wrap naan in foil to retain moisture and bake at 350ºF for about 10 minutes or until warm. FAQs About Butter Naan Just breezing through? Here are the answers to some frequently asked Butter Naan questions. What does butter naan taste like? Butter naan is traditional tandoori-style Indian naan bread brushed with melted butter at the end. It tastes buttery and yeasty and delicious. Is naan bread actually bread? YES! Naan bread is bread made from flour and yeast and rolled flat before cooking. What flour is naan bread made from? Naan bread is mostly made from all-purpose white flour (known as maida in India), although it sometimes contains a bit of whole wheat flour (known as atta). Naan bread made entirely from whole wheat flour or atta would be very dry and dense. I don’t recommend switching the flour in this recipe, but you could use 1/2 cup to 1 cup of whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose flour. How are you supposed to eat naan? Traditionally, you are supposed to eat naan with your hands. You rip off a piece of naan bread and use it to pinch up bites of curry (or whatever you are eating it with). What is naan traditionally made in? Naan is traditionally made in a tandoor, which is an Indian clay oven that reaches very high temperatures. A cast iron pan works as an excellent substitute and gives authentic tandoori naan results with this tested-till-perfect recipe. Does naan have milk or egg? Some naan recipes do have milk and/or egg, but after extensive testing, I found that this simpler recipe using just yogurt and water provides the perfect dough texture to make super soft naan that still puffs beautifully. The more rich ingredients you add (like oil, milk and egg), the denser the naan bread becomes. It is more like a grocery store bought naan bread (thick, dry, minimal bubbles) than a traditional, super soft and wonderful homemade naan like this. What to Serve with Naan Bread Naan and curry: the perfect combination. Choose from any of these tested-till-perfect, fan-favorite authentic Indian dinner recipes: The Best Butter Chicken (truly the best) Chicken Korma (my Indian husband Adarsh says this is the best curry I’ve ever made) Madras Lentils (creamy, delicious and lightning fast!) Coconut Curry Chicken (another easy, quick, creamy and flavor-packed recipe) Win your friends and family over by serving up some crispy, golden homemade chicken samosas on the side. If you have leftover naan, whip up a batch of this 5-minute Indian Chickpea Salad for lunch, you’ll love it. And when it’s all gone, try my soft and fluffy Turkish Bread next!