Name: Homemade Garlic Naan Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients: 500 g bread flour; 1½ teaspoons sugar; 1½ teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons instant yeast (I use Doves Farm); 3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt; 5 tablespoons rapeseed or vegetable oil; 250 to 275 ml water; 1 clove garlic crushed; 50 g salted butter; 2 tbsp Optional: freshly chopped coriander or parsley.

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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 !

When we lived in rural Brittany in France, Friday nights became our homemade takeaway nights. We prefer homemade food whenever possible plus we were the best part of an hour away from our nearest takeaway outlet so homemade was a win-win for us.

For the most part, we switched between Homemade Pizza, Chicken Kebabs with Homemade Pitta Breads and curry nights.

Fresh from the griddle homemade garlic naan bread on a blue cloth. A dish of melted butter and garlic with a string of garlic bulbs in the background.

A curry night was our top favourite, especially when we had visitors staying, and everyone agreed you can’t have a curry without Naan bread.

Needless to say Naan bread wasn’t available to buy out in the sticks of Brittany and needs must … Ever since I’ve made our own Naan and I’m sure once you’ve made your own and tasted how much better it is, you won’t go back to shop bought.

Close up image of buttered flatbread with freshly chopped coriander.

Even when we came back to the UK we had a homemade takeaway night once a month but lately with more time at home we’ve returned to having more homemade takeaway nights. Is it a comfort/reassurance/familiarity thing ? Not sure but we definitely enjoy the food.

Buttered Indian Flatbread in a blue cloth.

Homemade Garlic Naan Bread is easy to make and it doesn’t take as long as regular bread. All you need to do is make a dough from bread flour, yeast and yoghurt and leave to prove for an hour. Divide into equal pieces and shape into balls and leave for ten minutes.

Balls of fresh dough on silicone mats proving.

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.

Risen dough shaped into rounds waiting to be griddled.

Naan breads need a very hot surface to cook on and my not having a Tandoor oven means I use a large heavy based frying pan or cast iron griddle as a good home alternative. You can also get good results on a hot BBQ.

Naan breads bubbling up in a griddle pan.

It’s best to preheat your pan or griddle for at least five minutes on a medium to high heat. Then it’s time to stretch your dough pieces into tear shapes and place your Naan breads on the hot pan/griddle and wait for the bubbles to appear.

If you Naan doesn’t bubble the surface isn’t hot enough so just turn up the heat a little (the Naan will still taste great). My pan is big enough to take two Naans so I cook them in pairs.

Two flatbreads nicely browned and turned over to cook the other side.

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

Transfer to a basket lined with a clean tea towel. Brush with more garlic butter and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander or parsley if using.

Cover with another tea towel to keep warm until you’ve finished cooking.

A pile of buttered soft garlic Indian flatbread on a blue tea towel. A bowl of melted butter with a silicone basting brush, cloves of garlic and fresh herbs are in the background.

Naan bread can be reheated later either in a microwave for thirty seconds or under a hot grill for a minute or two. Homemade Garlic Naan Bread freezes well so you can make a big batch and store in the freezer until you need them.

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

A pile of roasted Indian potatoes on a griddle.

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