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Buttery Garlic Naan Bread is so soft and perfect for mopping up curries, like my Classic Butter Chicken. I guarantee you’ll find it hard to stop at one!
This Garlic Naan Bread recipe is better than the naan you’ll find at the some of the BEST Indian restaurants! These pillowy soft naan breads are so easy, you’ll be making them every weekend. Safe to say, it’s our favourite yeast bread recipe yet!
GARLIC NAAN BREAD
This garlic naan bread recipe is my favourite spin on a traditional flat bread from India. Normally baked inside hot Tandoor ovens with charcoal or wood fire, our naan bread recipe has been altered to cook right on the stove in a hot, cast-iron skillet.
We use a combination of yogurt and oil to give them an addictive, soft and fluffy texture and add minced garlic right into the dough to create that unmistakable garlicky flavour. It could just be us but we love the way the garlic pairs with the flavours of traditional Indian curries like Tikka Masala Chicken, Shrimp Coconut Curry and of course, my infamous Homestyle Butter Chicken.
You’ll be amazed as you watch your dough puff up into glorious, bubbly naan right before your eyes!
NAAN BREAD VS PITA BREAD
Both flatbreads are made with a yeast raised dough, however pita bread has a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita bread only contains flour, water, yeast, salt and some olive oil; naan is made with a fattier, more enriched dough including ghee (clarified butter), oil, yogurt and sometimes eggs. This gives naan its different texture. While pita is slightly thicker making it perfect to fill with greek meats like my souvlaki with lamb.
HOW TO MAKE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
We start off with a basic naan dough, like my super soft naan bread recipe.
- First, you’re going to activate your yeast.
- Mix all of those ingredients together until the dough comes together with your hands.
- Knead until smooth, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. You can use the same bowl you mixed the dough in to save dishes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size.
- Divide dough into 10 balls and roll each piece into large ovals about 6-inches long and 1/8 inch thick. The thinner you roll them, the more air pockets form inside them while cooking.
- Get a lightly greased skillet nice and HOT. The high heat makes the dough rise fast and fills the bread with air.
- Cook garlic naan bread until bubbles form, then flip and cook until large golden spots appear on the underside. Flatten the breads with a spatula while cooking to ensure they cook through.
- Wrap cooked garlic naan bread in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining bread.
- Optional: brush your warm cooked naan with a little melted garlic butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.
Serve with one of your favourite curriesor use them to make wraps. Substitute garlic naan bread for tortillas for quesadillas, or make simple naan pizzas!
HOW TO STORE GARLIC NAAN BREAD
If you plan on storing your garlic naan bread, do not brush them with the garlic butter. When cooked, let cool completely to room temperature to prevent condensation. Transfer to ziplock bags and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
When ready to eat, heat them up on a pan over low-medium heat, or in the microwave for 10 seconds. Brush with garlic butter and enjoy!
FREEZE NAAN
Follow the same steps above (store plain – no garlic butter) and store in the freezer for up to two months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet over low-medium heat, then brush with garlic butter.
If you’re looking for the perfect main dish to enjoy with your Buttery Garlic Naan Bread, my beef massaman curry is a must-try. Rich, aromatic, and full of warm spices, it’s the ultimate cozy pairing for dipping and scooping up every last bite of naan.
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Garlic Naan Bread
Ingredients
NAAN BREADS
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant, rapid rise
- 3/4 cup milk warm
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt or natural plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons extra for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups plain flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
Instructions
FOR NAAN BREAD
- Combine together the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble on top
- Add in the milk, yogurt, oil, minced garlic, flour baking powder and salt. Mix until the dough comes together with your hands.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Use floured hands to knead the dough until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease the same mixing bowl with a small spray of cooking oil. Transfer dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about an hour until doubled in size.
- When ready to cook, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll into balls, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches long and 1/8-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grease skillet all over with 1/2 teaspoon of the extra oil.
- Place one piece of the naan on the oiled hot skillet and cook until bubbles form on top, about 1-2 minutes. While cooking, brush the top with a little oil.
- Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until large golden spots appear on the bottom.
- Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining naan (keep them wrapped in a towel while you work).
FOR GARLIC BUTTER TOPPING
- Combine melted butter and minced garlic together in a bowl. Brush each naan with the garlic butter and top with the fresh herb of your choosing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this my cast iron skillet tonight and turned some of it into pizza. My family raved about it! It was delicious! The dough texture was light and easy to stretch. I thought the dough was best when rolled out super thin because it does puff up a lot in the pan and browns nicely.
Great recipe. Made the first time this weekend easy and delicious.
I’m new to making doughs. For the next time I make this recipe… Does any body know if the dough can be made the night before and rest in the fridge until I need it the next day?
Just made this for dinner and I loooove it! Had to cut it in half since its just the two of us and I didn’t want leftovers and it came out great
This was the best Naan we have ever had! It was easy to make. We enjoyed it with chicken tiki Marsala, and individual pizzas. This was better than store bought naan. Can’t wait to make it again!
First time I tried cooking anything like this and I have to say they were so simple to make and delicious! Just like in a restaurant. Roll them as thin as possible, they’ll puff up beautifully
Made this tonight to go along with some butter chicken; it turned out so well!
Made these for some guests to enjoy along side home made chicken tikka curry and homemade bombay potatoes, I was so impressed, don’t need to cook for too long otherwise they burn, easy to get hang of once you’ve practised, very very tasty
Made this recipe, my first time ever making naan. It was absolutely delicious. Just as soft and tender as the naan from an indian restaurant. Brushing generously with salted butter after cooking is a must. This recipe also yields A LOT of bread. I made them into the 10 pieces but they were so huge. Next time I’ll roll the balls up smaller and get more pieces that are smaller. I also used almond milk because it was all I had but it still turned out so well, the large amount of yogurt in the recipe made up for it. Will be making again!
I have never been able to make naan bread before without turning out hard like a rock or tasteless. I followed the recipe carefully and I must say I have learnt a lifetime recipe to keep. It was so soft much better than the ones you get in a restaurant and my family absolutely loved it. When cooking I kept smearing it with some oil as it was getting dry. Also I didn’t have a cast iron skillet just used a ordinary frying pan. Thanks a million
This was so good! I baked on a pizza stone!
Hi Cheryl,
I have made this recipe so many times and I love it, but I have been wondering about baking the dough. Do you recall the temperature of the oven and the time required? Alex Guarnaschelli has a recipe for a baked garlic naan using inverted sheet pans: 450 for 5 go 6 minutes, but her dough recipe is so different than Karina’s.
Happy Holidays!
Best,
Amy
Is there another type of pan I could use? I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Thanks.
Quick and easy! Made this tonight. My daughter and I loved it!
I’d say any type of pan would work. Just be sure to preheat it so it’s an even temperature when you put the bread down.
you should get one, the iron pan is the best for cooking steaks and other great recipes, you can find them cheap at marshalls.
Just use a normal large frying pan or a tawa is even better (and what Indian/Pakistani use as well).
Any pan will work. Just make sure the pan is oiled and nice and hot!