Naan

About this recipe

Naan is the quintessential Indian bread — soft, pillowy, slightly smoky from the hot pan, with browned "blisters" forming where the dough touches the metal. Traditionally cooked on the walls of a tandoor oven, but the home version in a pan on the stove works surprisingly well.

Aunty Harsha's original recipe uses yoghurt and whole milk for softness and tang. This version keeps the original recipe and offers plant-based alternatives in parallel — you choose how to make it.

Adapted from Aunty Harsha's Naan in Fresh India by Meera Sodha.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 500 g plain white flour (plus extra for dusting)
• rapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
• 4 tbsp yoghurt at room temperature — original: Greek yoghurt 10% / vegan: soy yoghurt
• 1 sachet dried yeast (7 g)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 275 ml warm milk — original: whole cow's milk / vegan: soy milk (recommended) or oat milk

About choosing plant-based milk and yoghurt: soy is the closest to the dairy in the original recipe — similar protein content and a mild acidity that helps the yeast. Oat is sweeter and gives a slightly creamier naan. Almond is thinner — it works, but the naan comes out less pillowy.

For the garlic butter finish (optional, but recommended)

• 30 g butter — original or vegan: vegan margarine
• 2 garlic cloves, finely crushed or pressed
• A handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped — optional

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients (1 min)

Place the flour, dried yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Run the mixer with the dough hook on low speed for 30 seconds, so all ingredients distribute evenly.

2. Add the wet ingredients (2 min)

With the mixer off, add 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil and the room-temperature yoghurt. Start again on low speed.

Add the warm milk little by little, in a thin stream beside the hook, until the ingredients come together into a dough. The milk should be warm to the touch but not hot — if you dip your finger in and it's pleasantly warm, it's perfect. Too hot kills the yeast.

3. Knead with the mixer (10 min)

Set the mixer to speed 2 of 4 (low-medium) and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and becomes smooth and elastic. The dough stays slightly sticky to the touch — that's normal.

Take the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly oiled surface. "Settle" it by rubbing a teaspoon of oil all over it.

4. Let it rise (at least 1 hour)

Transfer the dough to a bowl in which it can double in size. Cover with a clean tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.

5. Divide and shape (5 min)

When the dough has doubled, divide it into 12 equal pieces. Take one piece, roll it into a ball with your palms and flatten it slightly.

Place the ball on a freshly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into an oval or round shape, up to the size of your pan's base (or slightly smaller, so you can easily flip it with a spatula). Ideal thickness is ~3 mm.

6. Cook in the pan (1-2 min per piece)

Place a heavy-bottomed pan (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat. Let it heat up properly — test with a drop of water: if it sizzles immediately, it's ready.

Lay the naan in the dry pan (no oil). After 20-30 seconds bubbles will start to form on the surface. Flip with a wide spatula and cook the other side for another 20-30 seconds, until brown spots appear where it touched the pan.

Depending on your pan: a well-seasoned cast iron or a non-stick pan works perfectly dry. If you're using stainless steel or a drier pan, you may need a drop of oil or a small piece of butter before each naan, so it doesn't stick.

Flip it once more for 10-15 seconds and check there are no raw, doughy spots. If the naan puffs up at this point, that's a bonus — it means it'll be very soft in the middle. If you want a flatter naan, gently press it with the spatula all over.

Take it out of the pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

7. Prepare the garlic butter (in parallel with cooking)

Melt the butter (or vegan margarine) in a small dish over low heat, or in a bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. When melted, take it off the heat and add the crushed garlic. Let it infuse 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped coriander if using.

8. Brush the warm naan

As they come out of the pan, brush each naan generously with the garlic butter on one side. Stack them on a plate or wrap them in foil to keep warm and soft until serving.

Notes & Tips

The temperature of the ingredients matters

Active yeast dies at over 50°C. "Hand-warm" milk means around 35-40°C — body temperature. If your milk is too hot, let it cool 5 minutes before adding it.

Yoghurt taken directly from the fridge and mixed with warm milk cools the mixture too much and slows down the yeast. Take the yoghurt out 30 minutes before so it reaches room temperature.

The pan must be properly hot

The most common mistake with naan is an insufficiently hot pan — naan comes out pale and dry instead of pillowy with browned spots. Heat the pan over medium-high for at least 3-4 minutes before placing the first naan and check the temperature with a drop of water (it should sizzle immediately).

Why yoghurt in the dough?

Yoghurt adds acidity which helps gluten development and creates a more tender texture. Soy yoghurt works best because it has similar proteins to dairy. Coconut yoghurt comes out richer and less acidic — use it if you want a more indulgent naan.

Storing the dough — fridge or freezer

Fridge (up to 3 days): after the first rise, knock the dough down to release the gases, wrap it tightly in cling film and keep it in the fridge. Before using, let it sit 30-45 minutes at room temperature.

Freezer (up to 2 months): you can freeze either the whole dough after the first rise, or already shaped into 12 separate balls (more practical). Wrap each ball in cling film, then place them in a zip-top bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling out.

When you don't have time for a long rise

If you're in a rush, leave the dough in the oven turned off with the light on — the slightly higher temperature speeds up rising by 15-20 minutes.

Variations

• Nigella seed naan: sprinkle 1 teaspoon of nigella seeds onto the rolled dough before cooking
• Toasted cumin naan: toast 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds for 30 sec in a dry pan, gently press into the dough before cooking