This is not only a quick and easy recipe for the most delicious Indian flatbread, but also makes the softest, fluffiest Naan you can imagine. There is no yeast involved, so that’s why you don’t have a long, annoying resting-time, waiting for the dough to rise.
I have to admit, I am a little obsessed with flatbread. Nearly as much as I am with burger buns or pancakes. I simple won’t accept, that it is not possible to make a really good Pita or Naan at home. I mean, there are some good restaurants out there, that are capable, so why can’t I do it?? You see, my goals are ambitious and I am not easy to satisfy.
So far, I ate the best Naan in South India, in Kannur to be precise. The guys who baked it, kept it in the tandoor oven for only some seconds and it came out super fluffy and delicious. David had to stop me from ordering exclusively Naans for dinner.
In India, they usually don’t heat the tandoor oven for lunch, only for dinner; so that’s why I ate at least regular food for lunch ;-) and got to know some other Indian treats too. Recipes following soon – hopefully. Update: Try my creamy red lentil dal or homemade paneer cheese (ready in 30 minutes).
Recipe for Naan without Yeast
Ok, so the recipe for naan without yeast is pretty darn simple. You mix all the wet ingredients, and then add all the dry ones until combined. You have to knead the dough until smooth, 5 minutes or so. Let it sit for half an hour (or do at least 15 minutes, ok?), then divide into equal parts and roll them out.
Bake the naans in a griddle, skillet or non-stick pan (I do the latter). When finished baking, wrap them in a (non-detergent smelling) kitchen towel or place them on a plate and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. This will make them really soft.
Brush the finished Naans with melted butter and/or rub them with a halfed garlic clove to your liking before serving. This makes them even softer, if possible. I prefer my Naan plain or with butter – garlic seems to be too dominant, but that’s totally up to your taste. Nothing else to add, except: I’m sure it will not be the only time you’ll be baking this bread ;-)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (5.65 oz / 160 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon milk (50 ml)
- 2 tablespoons butter (1 oz / 27 g)
- ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt (2 1/3 oz / 65 g), you can also substitute greek yogurt or even sour cream
- Optional: melted butter for brushing (Butter-Naan), 2 cloves of garlic, cut lengthwise (Garlic-Naan)
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk together with butter (in small pieces), until butter has melted. You can also do this in a microwave. Let the milk cool down slightly.
- In a big bowl add yoghurt and stir in warm (not hot!) milk until smooth.
- Gradually, add the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon, until the ingredients come together.
- With your hands, knead to a smooth dough. It’s best to first knead the dough in the bowl and later transfer to a lightly floured surface and keep kneading. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour.
- Let the dough rest for ½ hour on a lightly-floured surface and put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it. Alternatively, let it rest in the bowl, covered with a lid or cling wrap. The longer the dough rests, the softer it gets and the easier it will roll out.
- Split dough into 4 equal parts (it's best to use a kitchen scale), shape each into a ball and roll out.
- Rotate the dough-disk while rolling, and flip it over occasionally. Sprinkle with flour every now and then, so it will not stick to your rolling pin or surface. When finished, the Naan should have an oval shape, 6’’ x 9’’ large and about 1/8 inch thick.
- Preheat skillet or pan to medium high heat – but don’t add any oil.
- Pick up the Naan, remove excess flour by slapping the dough between your hands and put it into the pan. Cook until bubbles have formed on top and the bottom side gets lightly nicely browned. Then flip, and cook until done, about 1 minute.
- Wrap the ready Naans in a (non detergent smelling) kitchen towel or place on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel or aluminum foil keeping them warm while baking the rest. That will also make the Naans really soft.
- For Butter-Naan, brush each flatbread with melted butter, for Garlic-Butter-Naan rub bread with halfed garlic cloves first and then brush them with butter. Enjoy!
Notes
You can prepare the dough in advance, just put it in the refrigerator instead of letting it rest for ½ hour. Before using, bring it back to room-temperature (½ hour will do).
Did you follow this recipe? You could share your result here. All you need to do is take a picture with your smartphone and send it to [email protected]User elkhaus followed the recipe: "I would have never thought how easy it is to bake Naan in my own kitchen. I'll do it again soon for sure! Btw, the Aloo Masala right next to it was delicious too."
the everyday kitchen writes: "I tried the blueberry nocken for breakfast and naan for lunch today! Both turned out really well! The recipe was so straightforward that I managed to attempt these two new recipes in one day!"
Blog-reader Sofia: "This naan recipe is super-easy and the outcome is just great! I have been to India a couple of times and thus have already tried to bake Naan at home. At some point it was really frustrating. So far, this is the best tasting Naan I've had since visiting India!"
Adriana: "I cooked your Naan on a stainless steel griddle then transferred them directly to my gass burner, which made them puff up and gave them awesome tasty charred spots." Click to enlarge.
Nina: "Hi Ursula, Thank you so much for this supereasy and delicious naan recipe. It turned out perfectly at my first attempt."
Shonny: "I can't believe how easy! this recipe was. I used greek yogurt and melted butter with garlic powder for brushing. Delicious!😊"
great nann bread
Thanks Barbara! I love this bread…
thank you for the delicious recipes. I am following you on Twitter but some of your recipes are not in English, such as : #rezept https://derstandard.at/2000022227906/Kaese-Bier-Pull-apart-bread … – is it possible to have translation. thank you a lot and good luck.
san donato
Hi san donato milanese! Yes, I am also writing recipes for the Austrian newspaper Der Standard – so these recipes are in German only. Sooner or later I will translate it for lilvienna.com (hopefully soon), but this can sometimes take a while. Ursula
Silly question, but is the yogurt Greek or just any plain yogurt?
Thanks!
Hi Kathy,
I always use the regular one (full or low fat). But it also works with Greek yogurt. Enjoy!
If you use very thick Greek yogurt, (or drain off the whey when you make your own) you have to double the liquid added.
Is it possible to get the carbs and sugars etc per serving and what is considered an actual serving? Thanks either way
Hi Larry,
Sorry, I don’t have that kind of information. This recipe makes 4 breads. How many breads are considered a serving depends on what else you eat with this Naan.
You can get that information by building a recipe at https://cronometer.com/. When you enter the fields with ingredients and amounts it will calculate a lot of nutritional information for you after you have put together your recipe for naan. You need to check out the features on the left side of the website (on a desktop window, at least) after you register for using this website (free).
About once a year, I embark on a quest to make naan at home which usually ends up in a mess and lot of what looks like crackers. This recipe is the first one of seven or eight that actually worked! I used cream instead of milk and ghee instead of butter and they came out really gorgeous and fluffy. I’d make a picture, but alas, I ate them all :) There is still something missing, some minor detail, but with this as the basis, I will get there. Thank you so much!
Hi bulbul, It’s so great that you tried my recipe and that it worked! I make this naan probably once a month – I simply can’t get enough and I love how puffy they get in the pan ;-)
I never follow recipes exactly, so feel free to do so as well. It’s always good to have a “basis-recipe” that actually works as starting point.
My naan was doughy in the middle, what do you think I did wrong? It was rolled thin and it was still good, just not cooked in the middle like I’m used to. I will add that your weight measurement only gave me 1 cup of flour, although the dough was not too dry so I didn’t add anymore..
I made chicken flat bread pizza with mine, they were awesome! Naan, bbq sauce, cheese, onions and peppers and grilled chicken breast tossed with bbq sauce. Put under the broiler until the veggies are a little brown on the edges and cheese is melted and you’ve got a fantastic snack!
Hi Robin – your chicken flat bread pizza sounds fantastic!! If you really have rolled out the dough thin, the only problem I can think of is too low temperature or if you left it in the skillet for too little time (did it get a nice goldenbrown color?). Did you preheat your pan to medium-high heat? Usually, when you put the bread into the skillet/pan, it will get bubbles on the upper side. I always press those down a little with a spatula gently. I only flip the bread, when the bottom side gets goldenbrown spots and then the other side as well. I never had an underbaked bread. So I guess you should turn the temperature up a bit. Try it again some time! I bet it will work perfectly the second time! About the measurements: If you have used 160 g (5.65 oz) it’s perfect. Some people directly spoon the flour with the measuring cup, then you would have about 160g for 1 cup. I always spoon the flour into the measuring cup, which makes 130g for 1 cup. The amounts by weight on the blog are always reliable, however the cups (which I am personally not a huge fan of, especially not with flour) are somehow always a little different.
Mine too was doughy in the middle. I cooked mine on a non-stick frying pan medium heat and cooked it for a while until it felt cooked and was almost burning. I’m wondering if it might be best to cook on a BBQ plate. I’m also wondering if there is a Kneading time and maybe that’s where I went wrong, other than that from what I could eat they were pretty damn good and it would be something savoury I could take on a long flight with me in 5 weeks as I have many multiple chemical intolerances and cannot eat plane food
Hi Serena,
I used to cook mine in a non-stick frying pan too for my first attempts and it definitely works. But I would suggest using a cast iron or something similar since some non-stick coatings don’t like to be heated over medium-high heat without any content (teflon-coatings for instance). And since you have to preheat the pan/griddle for quiet some time until it’s hot, I’d rather use a cast iron griddle or a ceramic coated pan. Play around with the recipe a little: turn on the heat a little higher, roll the naan a little thinner. At some point, you’ll get the perfect naan ;-)
I only deviated from my stand-by recipe (Made In India – Meera Sodha) because I was out of yeast and having a Naan Emergency, but I’m baffled by all the sugar. I figured maybe it had something to do with lack of yeast, and went forth in trust. And lo and behold – dessert naan! Unless you want naan that tastes like pancakes at Shari’s, use less sugar or just pass this recipe by.
Hi Sarah, Sorry that the naan is too sweet for your taste. I do not like sweet bread (eg naan) at all, so for me a third of a teaspoon (1/3 teaspoon) is not a lot of sugar. But please, feel free to omit it if you give the recipe another try.
How long will naan keep. Can it be frozen?
Hi Mimi,
I usually double the amount in the recipe and freeze any leftovers. I wrap 2 naans tightly in cling wrap and then put all of them (2 packages with 2 breads, for instance) in a freezer bag. This way I can remove small amounts from the freezer. You can either let them defrost tightly wrapped overnight and briefly reheat them in a hot griddle or you put them (as many as you like) in the oven (at about 350°F), tightly wrapped in aluminum foil – all of them together in one aluminum foil “package”. If you choose the oven method, you can put them there right out of the freezer too, but it will take a little longer to reheat them.
If you have leftovers and want to eat them the next day, simply wrap them tightly in cling wrap or a freezer bag. Reheat them in a hot griddle.
This naan turned out great! Mine didn’t bubble much, though. I wonder if I didn’t make it thin enough. It was still delicious! Thank you for the recipe. The dough was so easy to work with. I doubled the recipe, hoping for leftovers…but we ate it all!
Hi Mimi,
I also always double the recipe – sometimes we do have leftovers. They freeze great ;-) You can experiment a little with the recipe, rolling the dough thinner/thicker or turning the heat up, or you could try a different griddle. Maybe there will be bubbles the next time. Thanks so much for trying the recipe, Ursula
To prevent the doughiness and get the bubbles, I found out that I had to follow certain steps to ensure the dough was soft enough to get the bubbles.
1. I learned that hydrating the flour should be done slowly, adding liquid to the flour little by little, and especially after it has formed a dough that stays together. You will then add more fluid more slowly, a smaller amount each time, kneading the fluid into the floury dough. It should form a dough ball that feels a bit tough (but will soften after rest), but is smooth and doesn’t stick to your hands leaving bits of dough behind, but just sticks to your hands and board enough to keep it there briefly as you manipulate it or flatten it.
2. After kneading the dough for close to 10 min, and resting it for 30 min, I first flattened the dough balls with my hands and then rolled them to 1/16″ thick on an unfloured board. Because the dough is still a tiny bit sticky, you need to keep lifting the circle of dough off the board before each roll. I then removed the rolling pin limiters and rolled each bread out to double the size it was at 1/16″. Do this slowly, not by pressing with a lot of force onto the rolling pin. The dough should not be so sticky as to leave bits on the unfloured board, but definitely not leaving bits on your hands when kneading it. So JUST to the point of not sticky. So rolling the naan circles out should take a lot longer than throwing the ingredients together and kneading it.
3. I stack the breads as they finish with a wet towl or parchment paper between each as I roll out each ball.
4. I just rinse off each bread on both sides under the faucet, placing each bread, dripping wet, onto a griddle (heated to just below medium) with 2 hands to keep it from wrinkling up. Cover with a lid, and the bread bubbles up very well.
5. Every stove top is different so sometimes the burners need to be set a bit lower or a bit higher than the suggested heat position. Best is a gas burner, but most rental units only have electric stoves. My stove burner has a High end and a Low end, with numbers from 1 to 9 in between. I set mine at 4 so just below middle. That may have more to do with the type of pan I use, a stainless steel Farberware pan without a separate aluminum core base. So people using a cast iron griddle or ceramic pan will need a slightly different temperature setting.
Hi Martha,
Thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Since I move a lot, I’ve noticed that every stove and pan works a little different, as you have mentioned. So far, I’ve worked with gas and electric, both worked fine once I had found the perfect temperature for heating up the pan. I simply love this bread so I make it on a regular basis. It seems that you have a lot of experience and I hope you will make it again as well. Thanks again for your feedback! Ursula
I made this last night to go along with some homemade butter chicken. It was such an easy and delicious recipe! I used self-rising flour as it’s what I had on hand, so I didn’t need to add the baking powder. I also added a pinch of baking soda. They were soft and paired perfectly with our meal. I can’t wait to make them again!
Hi Natalie! That’s great to hear. I am happy that you like the result. I make these Naans pretty often. Simply can’t get enough ;-))
This was my first attempt at making naan bread and it us a fantastic recipe. I had so many compliments from my guests – they all said they were the best they had ever tasted as they were so light and fluffy -they simply melted in your mouth. I will be definitely making these weekly. Such a simple, easy to follow recipe with great texture and flavour . Thank you .
Hi Carole! Wow, how great to hear that. I love these naans too but it is always such a pleasure to hear that other people have a similar taste. You made my day!
These are the very best naans I’ve ever made!
Oh wow, thanks so much Nicola! You made my day ;-)
Is there a substitution for the yogurt? I’d love to try these today and have all the ingredients except yogurt!😏
Hi, sorry for my late reply. I’ve been on vacation :-) You can substitute sour cream for yogurt, if you like. I don’t know if you do have it on hand rather than plain yogurt. You could also use thick buttermilk (use a little less since it’s a bit more ‘liquid’ than yogurt.
This naan is a winner – very easy to make and seriously delicious – I was delighted!
Hi Rachel! Happy to hear that. I make it quite often, and I have always spare ones in the freezer. For naan emergencies ;-) .
If it hadn’t disappeared so quickly I would have taken a picture and sent it!!!! Turned out perfect!!! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!!
Haha, happens very often to me ☺ Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am always so happy when somebody likes the food I love ☺
I made the Naan tonight in 45 fast and delicious minutes. Everything you said and more. Thanks for a wonderfully easy non yeast naan!
Hi Ann,
Thanks so much for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I love, love, love this naan, it’s one of my regulars. I’ve always some in my freezer ;-)
Thank you for this quick and deliciously simple recipe. We opted to finish them in a 395 degree oven on a baking pan and it turned out exactly as wished. Our go-to base recipe for naan every time. Delightful!
Hi Kristina,
Great to hear that. And I love the hot oven approach ;-) I’m always happy to hear if a recipe turns out great!
Kristina how long you baked them and how many you place at one go? Can you explain the process were they soft and fluffy ?
Thanks in advance
It was delicious! I would have taken a picture…but we ate it too fast. Thanks for the simple to follow and easy to make recipe!
Hi Heather,
Thanks so much for your comment. Great that you enjoyed the naans. I make them as often as I can and always have some in the freezer ;-)
I lost this printed recipe in a recent move. I just spent an hour going through recipes for no yeast naan until I found the familiar imgredients and recipe! THAT’S how good this recipe oi s!
Hahaha! You just made me laugh out loud and reading your lines to my husband :-))
Since I’ve previously done the same with other recipes (lost my bookmarked favorites), I know what you were going through. This makes me so happy since I loooooove this naan too. I still make it very often. Thanks so much for your comment!
I stumbled across this recipe when making your oven dried tomatoes (which are stellar, btw, and waiting to be tossed with pasta & herbed goat cheese!). I’ve been gluten free for many years and miss eating naan when we go to our favorite Indian place. I have several recipes saved, but never remember to actually buy yeast when I’m shopping. As soon as I saw how simple this would be to put together with ingredients I always have on hand, I knew I had to make it IMMEDIATELY! We had these for dinner tonight with falafel – naan, pita, who cares! They were so easy to make! I used an AP gluten free flour blend and made them in a cast iron skillet. Perfect, perfect, perfect! My kids loved them, too, and asked how soon we can make them for dinner, again. Thank you!!
Hi Anne,
Thank you so much for your comment :-)) I love to hear that you and your kids enjoyed the naan. And now I know that it works with gluten free flour as well! This naan simply goes with everything and that’s why it is one of my favorite recipes ever on the blog, which I make very, very often ;-) Have a great day, Anne!
After all the comment i’ll try it this evening
Hi Nariman,
Yes please :-) Let me know how it turns out on your stove. Ursula
I made some today and it felt dry when trying to make all the ingredients together and feels tough after cooking it. I used Greek yogurt in substitute of the whole milk yogurt. Should the recipe liquids be doubled? I browned it just like yours and some of the others pics so it looks like it’s suppose to but it’s not soft or fluffy.
Hi H.B.
So sorry that it didn’t work too well. When I make it, it turns out fluffy every single time…. Usually, the dough itself is not dry at all. It feels rather moist ans smooth when you knead it. I’ve made this recipe with greek yogurt and even sour cream so I can’t really explain what happened. But from what you’ve written, it seems that the dough needs more liquid, yes. Try to use 2 Tablespoons more yogurt and in case the dough is pretty sticky when you knead it, you can always add a little flour until you get a nice smooth dough. I hope you’ll give it another try since this is among my favorite recipes of all times :-)
I know its the essence of the softness.. but would it be possible to have this dairy free? With soya yoghurt and milk maybe? And ghee? Duhh. Thanks for advice!
Hi Bornam,
Honestly, I’ve never tried making it dairy free. I think it might work! Add a teaspoon or so of lemon juice to have something acid for the baking powder to react. Let me know how it turns out in case you try it :-)
Great recipie. The only change I do is use honey vs sugar.
Also as a baking method. Put a heavy baking sheet in the oven when you turn it on. Toss naan onto sheet. Once done take it out and and close the oven so it can reheat. Butter the naan to give the sheet time to reheat, then toss in the next batch of naan. Repeat until all your naan be done.
Just a correction. Put the sheet in cold. Once oven is hot, toss in naan
Hi,
Thanks so much for your comment. So happy to hear that you made the recipe :)
Made this a dozen times, with a little modification as we are UK and cups are just a mad measure (Lol)…
It is brilliant, completely reliable
Hi Kenny,
Glad to hear that you made this Naan so often and you like it!! Well, I think nobody from Europe gets the cup-measurements ;-)
This is the best naan recipe I have come across. I have tried other recipes & failed. This is so easy to follow & the naan comes out super soft. definitely a keeper!
Hi Bavita,
So happy to hear that you finally found a Naan recipe that works for you! Lucky me that it was this one ;-) It’s really easy and always turns out great that’s why this is probably the recipe from the blog that I make most often :)
Thanks so much for the comment, Ursula