About 10 years ago now, I was introduced to naan bread by a co-worker, and I wondered where this sweet goodness had been all my life. There is just something about munching away on a fresh, warm piece of homemade naan bread that cannot be beat. There are so many unconventional ways to use it too! Sure, you could pair it with some FANTASTIC Chicken Tikka Masala or Chicken Makhani, but wouldn’t that be predictable? Why not use it to make personal pizzas? It makes the perfect crust. Or, use it in place of bread for a tasty flatbread sandwich.
Now, you can buy Naan at the grocery store, but it’s like $2-5 and you only get a couple pieces. Bad deal. But the good news is that you can make it yourself for MUCH cheaper, and you get EIGHT pieces. Now that’s what I’m talking about! I try to always have a stack ready to go in the freezer.
I’m sure some of you are thinking…”uh, yeah no. I cannot possibly make bread from scratch.” But ya’ll, I’m telling you, this is so easy! You mix it up, you let it rise, you fry it up on a griddle. Done. While it does take more time than grabbing some at the store, if you just double the recipe you’ll have plenty to last you quite awhile. It keeps at least one week and up to two week when stored in the fridge!
I probably make a large batch once or twice a month just so I don’t have to do it more often. If you’re still feeling resistant, just think of it as a fun kitchen science experiment to do with your kids! My son LOVES to help me make it, watch the dough rise, and roll out his own little piece for me to fry up. It’s great bonding time. And delicious. What’s not to love? Just try it….you won’t be sorry!
How to Freeze Naan Bread
Freezing homemade naan bread is simple and can be kept 2-3 months in the freezer. To freeze, cool the bread completely then flash freeze by placing the naan bread in a single layer on a parchment-lined freezer-safe pan and freezing until solid (about 2-3 hours). This ensures the bread does not stick together when stored. Once fully frozen, transfer to an airtight freezer container or bag.
The best way to defrost the bread is letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator. Once defrosted reheat the bread in the microwave (10-15 seconds), a toaster oven or on a hot griddle.
Print Pin
Naan Bread
Easy homemade naan bread
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour35 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Author Jenny
Ingredients
1packet of yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
1tsphoney
1/2cupwater
1/2tspsalt
1/4cupolive oilcan replace with avocado or coconut oil
1/3cupplain yogurt
1egg
2 1/4cupsflour
Instructions
Pour the water and honey into a medium bowl (I use my kitchenaid mixing bowl), then sprinkle yeast on top and mix together. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Allowing enough time for the yeast to foam is important, so do your best to give it the full 10 minutes, or even more if the kitchen is colder than normal.
Once the yeast has foamed up well, add the egg, oil, and yogurt and mix well. Combine the 1/2 tsp of salt with 1 cup of the flour and mix in with the liquid ingredients. Use a whisk to make sure it's fully incorporated. After the first cup of flour is added, continue to add more flour 1/4 a cup or so at a time. You want your dough to be slightly tacky, not dry or sticky, so err on the cautious side when adding flour. For me, the perfect amount is usually about 2 1/4 cup, but you may need more or less.
Once you’ve got the dough to the right consistency, let the mixer keep kneading it for a minute or two. Then place the dough on a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for at least an hour until it’s doubled in size. The warmer your kitchen the faster the dough will rise. *protip: in a cold house, briefly warm your oven (not too hot) turn it off, then let the dough rise inside.
When your dough is ready, divide it into 8 pieces using a pastry cutter or a knife.
Preheat a skillet to medium. Form each piece into a ball, flatten it with a rolling pin or your fingers, then place it on the hot skillet.
It will start to bubble up with those classic naan bubbles. Cook 1-2 minutes per side, so it is brown but not burnt.
Wrap finished pieces in a towel so they stay soft and warm while you cook the rest. I prefer to roll out my naan dough one at a time, rolling out each one as another is cooking.
Serve, and enjoy! Store leftover naan in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Jenny is a wife and stay at home mother of two. She loves good food, and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. When she’s not busy chasing kids, you can find her digging into a good book, enjoying the great outdoors, and trying not to kill her houseplants.
Naan bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap each piece of naan in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. To thaw, remove the plastic wrap and place the naan in a warm oven or microwave. Reheating the naan in a pan on the stove or on a griddle can also help to restore its texture and taste.
For frozen naan, simply add moisture and use the broiler oven for three minutes on high for both sides, achieving a delicious result that's the next best thing to a tandoor-cooked naan.
As such, you should avoid filling up on naan if you're watching your saturated fat intake. Moreover, store-bought plain naan has a relatively high sodium content, accounting for around 18% of the DV. Eating too much sodium may increase blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke ( 7 ).
Either transfer your dough to a lidded container or cover your bowl with plastic wrap if you did not do so in step 3. Move the bowl or loosely lidded container to the fridge and store overnight, but no more than 48 hours—the gluten will begin to break down, and the flavor will become too ethanol-y.
Our naan, mini naan, Naan Dippers®, pizza and flatbread can all be frozen for up to one year to preserve freshness. When you're ready to use, allow flatbreads to thaw to room temperature and use as you would normally.
However, when reheating in the oven, you want to be careful so that the naan bread does not become overly crisp and dry out. Also, you want to make sure to not heat the naan bread for longer than required. That said, it is easy to reheat naan bread in the oven, as it restores the fluffy texture.
Cook in batches on the electric griddle for about one minute on each side until the dough is cooked through. Dough will have brown spots and bubble up slightly. To freeze, simply put in a labelled gallon ziploc bag and store in the freezer. Naan will last for about 2 months in the freezer.
Naan bread is soft, fluffy, and chewy, whereas pita bread is denser with a slightly crispy texture on the outside. Naan bread also has a buttery flavor due to the ghee and buttermilk in the dough, which adds an extra dimension of flavor compared to pita bread's more neutral taste.
And like those fluffy spuds, this soft flatbread has little nutritional value. Most naan recipes call for Greek yogurt to give it that airy texture. But that's more than offset by less healthy ingredients like white flour, sugar, and oil.
As stated earlier, naan is high in fat, and specifically high in saturated fats. Pita on the other hand is considered to be a low fat food. Naan does have other benefits, including a higher protein content which will keep you fuller for longer and curb cravings.
What most people don't realize is, most Indians don't eat naan everyday. It's a treat reserved for special occasions. A healthier alternative that is eaten daily in most indian households, is roti (also called chapati or fulka). It's an unleavened flatbread made of just two ingredients - whole wheat flour and water.
2% milk works well, but I do not recommend using fat-free or skim milk. Full-fat Greek yogurt. The full-fat dairy in this naan recipe gives it a soft texture and rich taste. You can use a 2% or fat-free Greek yogurt, your bread may just not be as pillowy soft.
As the recipe below explains, after you've prepared the dough and let it rise once, you can shape it into small balls and freeze to bake at a later date if you prefer. One of the advantages of this method is that you can cook up just a few naan at a time rather than committing to a whole batch.
I recommend keeping naan frozen until you're ready to use it. It's super simple – just take it out and thaw the flatbread for 15 to 20 minutes before topping and baking it. We've included simple instructions on the packaging to help you get the best naan experience.
Sprinkle with water and reheat on a stovetop: Sprinkle a small amount of water over the naan, ensuring it's evenly distributed. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and place the naan on it. Cook for a minute or two on each side until it becomes softer.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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