Garlic Naan

Method

1. Mix the dough. Combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder. Add warm milk, yogurt, and oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky. The dough should be softer than pizza dough — don't add extra flour.

2. Let it rise. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1–1.5 hours until doubled. The dough should be puffy and soft.

3. Divide and shape. Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, then roll out into an oval or teardrop shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry about perfect shapes — rustic is authentic.

4. Heat the pan over high heat for 3–4 minutes. The pan should be smoking hot. No oil needed.

5. Cook the naan. Place one piece on the dry, hot pan. Cook for 60–90 seconds until the bottom is charred in spots and large bubbles form on top. Flip and cook another 60 seconds. The naan should puff up and have leopard-spot char marks.

6. Brush immediately with melted butter (or garlic butter). Stack in a clean towel to keep warm while you cook the rest. Sprinkle with cilantro if using.

Equipment

• Cast iron skillet or heavy pan Recommended: Lodge 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
• Rolling pin Recommended: J.K. Adams Maple Rolling Pin
• Pastry brush Recommended: OXO Good Grips Silicone Pastry Brush
• Clean kitchen towel

Chef Notes

• The most important thing: The pan must be screaming hot — as hot as your stovetop goes. Naan cooks in 60–90 seconds per side. A hot pan creates the signature charred bubbles and puffed texture. A medium-heat pan makes flat, pale, tough bread.
• The yogurt is essential — it adds tang, tenderness, and helps the dough stay soft even after cooling. Yogurt also reacts with the baking powder for extra lift.
• This dough uses both yeast and baking powder. The yeast provides flavor and the primary rise; the baking powder gives extra puff when the dough hits the hot pan.
• Let the dough rest for at least 1 hour. Under-proofed naan is dense and chewy. Properly proofed dough is soft, pillowy, and rolls out easily.
• Brush with melted butter immediately after cooking. The butter soaks into the hot bread and keeps it soft. Garlic butter naan: mix minced garlic into the melted butter.

Common Substitutions

Ingredient	Substitution	Notes
Yogurt	Sour cream	Same tang and tenderness
Milk	Water	Less rich — milk adds softness
All-purpose flour	Bread flour	Slightly chewier
Cast iron skillet	Any heavy pan	Needs to hold high heat
Oven method	Broiler on high, 2 min per side	Closer to tandoor results

What You're Practicing

Naan teaches you high-heat flatbread cooking — using extreme pan temperature to create rapid puffing and charring. The same principle applies to tortillas, pita, and roti. Understanding how dough behaves on a screaming-hot surface is fundamental to flatbread traditions worldwide. Visit Pastry Foundations for more on flatbreads.

You're also learning dual-leavening — combining yeast (slow, flavorful rise) with baking powder (fast, chemical lift). This technique produces bread that's both well-developed in flavor and extra puffy. Explore more at Pastry Foundations.