Naans are very easy to make, go well with any curry or thick sauce, and make for a nice change of carbs.

Ingredients (3 big naans):

  • 200 grams flour

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • a big pinch of salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil

  • 125 grams yogurt

  • 7 centiliters1 of water

  • 1 tablespoon butter (or ghee), 1 clove garlic and (optionally) cilantro for garlic naans

  • laughing cow for cheese naans

Preparation:

Dough

  • mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder
  • add the olive oil and yogurt, mix
  • add water progressively, stop before it becomes wet2
  • work the dough until it is smooth
  • knead it into a ball3, let rest under a wet towel for at least 2 hours at room temperature

Rolling

  • knead the dough one last time
  • break it into 3 small balls4
  • roll the balls into flat5 circles

Cooking

  • put in a warm skillet one at a time until they start inflating
  • flip and wait two more minutes before setting aside
  • for garlic naans, melt butter, add pressed garlic and diced cilantro then mix thoroughly before brushing on the cooked6 naan

Credits:

This recipe is my take on Pankaj Sharma’s Naans à la poele recipe. See also Adam Ragusea’s recipe for a variant around the same theme.

  1. 70 grams ↩︎

  2. the exact amount of water to incorporate will vary depending on flour types. ↩︎

  3. You can oil it a bit to make it less sticky, especially when it will rest in the bowl. ↩︎

  4. For cheese naan, place one slice of laughing cow in the center of the ball so that it ends up trapped inside the naan. ↩︎

  5. Keep them about 3 millimeters thick. Too thin and they will not be able to rise much, too thick and they will end up doughy. ↩︎

  6. The butter would traditionally be brush on the naans before cooking, but I prefer it brushed afterward to preserve the brightest flavors. ↩︎