Homemade Garlic Naan Bread

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Homemade Garlic Naan Bread oozes with garlic butter and is deliciously soft with just the right amount of chew. Easy to make & so much better than shop bought !

This Indian flatbread is a basic yeast dough enriched with yogurt and oil. The finished bread is soft and full of flavour because of the yogurt and oil.

Once you’ve tasted how much better your homemade Naan is, you won’t buy again from the shop.

Naan bread is traditionally cooked in a blistering hot Tandoor oven, something most of us don’t have access to. However, there is a way to get restaurant style naan at home – a hot cast iron griddle.

As an alternative, you can use a heavy base (ideally cast iron) frying pan. Naan cooked this way at a high temperature will bubble up and blister just like the real thing. In summer, we get really great naan bread from our barbecue griddle.

Brushed with garlic and melted butter, these breads are perfect for mopping up the sauce of your favourite curry.

We love a curry night and a basket of Homemade Garlic Naan Bread is always served with our Beef Madras Curry. Together, these two dishes are a real crowd pleaser. I originally worked with this recipe when we lived out in the sticks in Brittany. Since Naan bread wasn’t available locally it was simply a case of needs must.

UK visitors often stayed with us and all eagerly tucked in on our homemade takeaway nights. We switched between Homemade Pizza, Chicken Kebabs with Homemade Pitta Breads and curry nights. I think it’s fair to say curry nights with Naan bread were the most popular.

What Ingredients Do I Need ?

You’ll need the usual ingredients for a basic bread dough: flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt. You will also need yogurt and vegetable oil – I use rapeseed (Canola) oil.

Yogurt is the magic ingredient in Naan breads, it’s what makes them so soft. I use plain natural yogurt but a Greek style yogurt will give good results too.

For the buttery garlic topping I’ve used salted butter with crushed garlic. Chopped coriander or parsley is optional.

What type of yeast do I need ?

I’ve used instant yeast in the recipe, often called fast action or quick yeast. This yeast has the advantage that you can add it directly to your flour.

My favourite is Dove’s Farm Quick Yeast, which comes in a handy 125g packet. Once opened, Dove’s Farm Yeast will keep for up to two months when stored in a cool dry place. I buy yeast in packs of three from Amazon and the ‘Use Before’ date has always been two years away. In other words, I’ve never yet found myself with ‘out of date’ yeast even when buying multiple packs.

You can use active dry yeast in the recipe. Simply add two teaspoons of yeast to warm water along with a spoon of caster / extra fine sugar. Stir and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to bubble up.
Your yeast is now ready to be added to the other ingredients.

How to make Homemade Garlic Naan Bread

Homemade Garlic Naan Bread is easy to make and it doesn’t take as long as regular bread.

• Firstly, make the dough – I use my trusty KitchenAid stand mixer. All you have to do is add the ingredients and set on a slow speed for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Check the dough by using the window pane test. Equally, the dough can be hand mixed together in a bowl and then kneaded on a counter top. You will get the same results but a bit of elbow grease is required.

• Cover your dough and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
• Divide your dough into equal pieces, shape into balls and leave for ten minutes.

• Whilst the dough balls are resting, preheat your griddle or pan on a medium to high heat.
• Then it’s time to shape the dough balls, I don’t roll out my Naan bread as you don’t want to lose all that air you’ve spent time getting into the dough while it was proving. It’s much gentler on the dough if you shape with your hands like you would a pizza dough.

• Whilst the dough balls are resting, preheat your griddle or pan on a medium to high heat. Stretch your dough pieces into tear shapes, place on the hot griddle / pan and wait for bubbles to appear.
• If you Naan doesn’t bubble, the surface isn’t hot enough so turn up the heat a little. (Don’t worry, the Naan will still taste great)
• My pan is big enough to take two Naans so I cook them in pairs.

• Turn over after three or four minutes. Brush the browned side with garlic butter and wait for another three or four minutes.

• Once cooked, transfer to a basket lined with a clean tea towel. Brush with more garlic butter and then sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander or parsley if using.
• Cover with another tea towel to keep warm until you’ve finished cooking.

How long do they keep ?

Like most homemade bread – fresh is best but they will keep for a couple of days.

Can they be frozen ?

Yes, Homemade Garlic Naan Bread freezes well so you can make a big batch and store in the freezer.

Once cooled, simply pop into a freezer bag or sealed container before freezing. This way, your naan will keep for up to three months.

When needed, defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Can they be reheated ?

Naan bread can be reheated either in a microwave for thirty seconds or under a hot grill for a minute or two.

How to serve Homemade Garlic Naan Bread

Best served straightaway with your favourite curry. Naan also make a great easy pizza base. Just spread with a tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese and add your favourite topping. Pop under the grill for 6 to 8 minutes.

Fancy making some Easy Bombay Potatoes to complete your homemade takeaway ?

If You Like This Recipe …you might also like:

• Homemade Pitta Breads
• Homemade Pizza Dough
• Soft Bread Rolls

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