Homemade Naan Recipe (No Yogurt Needed)

I love bread. All types of bread. But some bread is admittedly better than others. Or at least more suited to the meal.

I particularly love flatbread. Maybe it’s because I can delude myself into thinking it’s not as bad for me and it’s OK to eat more (it’s not). My favorite type of flatbread is naan. There’s something about this classic Indian flatbread that is so comforting. It’s soft, warm, and works with nearly any type of Indian food.

If you’re not used to cooking Indian food it can feel intimidating as recipes often call for ingredients you don’t commonly use or may not have on hand. But many grocery stores offer pre-packaged Indian sauces like butter chicken or tikka masala. These often cost about the same (or less) than making the dish homemade. And we’ve found many of these sauces to be rather tasty. Just add chicken and a few veggies. Tikka masala has become one of our go-to quick-fix meals.

Making homemade naan adds another dimension to the meal though. We used to buy naan at the store, but it was expensive. This homemade naan recipe is affordable, easy to make, and uses common ingredients you’re likely to have on hand. And you can make it in about an hour and a half, with most of that time spent waiting for the dough to rise.

Take a look at how easy it is to make delicious homemade naan.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tsp dry active yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp parsley

Preparation

1. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and lightly stir. Allow it to sit for a few minutes until it begins to become frothy.
2. Mix in the olive oil, sour cream, and egg and stir until combined.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with the salt.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and salt mixture and stir until well combined into a slightly runny dough.
5. Add in the remaining flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring to combine each time, until you can no longer stir with a spoon. You may not end up using all the flour.
6. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured cutting board. Knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and not overly sticky. If the dough becomes sticky during kneading, add a little more flour.
7. Spray cooking spray inside the large mixing bowl you previously used and place the ball of dough back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (be sure to spray the underside) and cover with a kitchen towel.
8. Place the bowl in a warm area and allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
9. Remove the dough and flatten into a disc.
10. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces, then roll each piece into a small ball.
11. Roll out each small ball of dough until it is about 6 inches in diameter and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
12. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook each flattened dough piece in the skillet until bubbles start to form. Flip and continue to cook for about another minute. Each side should start to brown and form nice naan-style burn marks.
13. Melt the butter in a small bowl and combine with the garlic salt and parsley.
14. Use a pastry brush to brush the garlic butter mixture over the cooked naan as soon as it leaves the skillet. Serve warm.

While there are a few steps, it’s a pretty easy recipe to make. If you’re used to making other types of bread, this should feel pretty familiar.

The first time I made this recipe, my daughters devoured it. Even my picky daughter loved it and asked that we make naan every time we have tikka masala.

Give it a try! Even if you don’t have Indian food on your meal list, this homemade naan will pair well with Thai food, Italian, or can even serve as the base of a homemade pizza.