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Indian · Punjabi

Naan (home-oven method)

Vegetarian

नान · naan

Soft, blistered teardrop-shaped bread of yeasted white flour enriched with yogurt and milk. Baked on a preheated stone and finished under the grill, with a tawa method for a gas hob.

Naan (home-oven method) is an Indian bread, ready in about 3 hours and made with all-purpose flour, instant yeast and yogurt. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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A variety of traditional Indian breads like naan and roti in a wicker basket, perfect for a delicious meal.
Photo: Kunal Lakhotia / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
2 h 15 min
Total
3 h
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
272

Ingredients

6 naans

For dusting

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the yogurt (opens in a new tab), warm milk (opens in a new tab) and oil and mix to a shaggy dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft and slightly tacky (about 63% hydration counting the water in the yogurt and milk).

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave to rise in a warm place (26–28 °C) until doubled, 1½–2 hours. In a cool kitchen allow longer, or rise overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature for an hour.

    • 120 min

  3. Step 3

    Put a pizza stone or upturned heavy baking tray on the top shelf and preheat the oven (opens in a new tab) to its maximum (250–275 °C) for at least 40 minutes. Meanwhile degas the dough, divide into 6 balls and rest them covered for 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Roll or stretch each ball into a teardrop about 22 cm long and 5 mm thick. Scatter with nigella seeds (opens in a new tab) and press them in.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Bake 2 at a time directly on the stone for 3–4 minutes until puffed with golden patches, then switch the grill/broiler to high and give them 30–60 seconds more for charred blisters.

    Food safety: Use an oven glove and a peel or flat tray to load the very hot stone.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  6. Step 6

    Tawa method instead: brush the top of a shaped naan with water, stick it wet-side down on a very hot iron tawa, cook until bubbles rise (about 1 minute), then invert the tawa over a gas flame for 30–60 seconds to char the top.

    Food safety: Only with a heavy iron tawa with a handle — never invert a non-stick pan over a flame.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  7. Step 7

    Brush immediately with melted butter (opens in a new tab) and keep warm wrapped in a cloth.

About this dish

Origin
Indian subcontinent and Central/West Asia · Origin disputedLeavened oven flatbreads called naan are found from Iran and Central Asia to north India; the yogurt-enriched tandoor naan described here is the north Indian restaurant style.Also popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Broiled / grilled under heat
Taste
mild, buttery, tangy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Instant yeast · Yogurt · Sugar · Milk · Butter
Techniques
Baking · Broiling · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, milk, butter
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

272 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 87 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 63%
  • Fat 27%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy272 kcal313 kcal
Protein6.9 g7.9 g
Carbohydrate42.2 g48.7 g
Net carbohydrate40.6 g46.8 g
Sugars2.7 g3.1 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.8 g
Fibre1.6 g1.8 g
Fat8.1 g9.3 g
Saturated fat3.6 g4.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol15 mg17 mg
Sodium438 mg506 mg
Salt equivalent1.1 g1.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
116 mg
Calcium
53 mg
Iron
2.4 mg
Magnesium
16 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
48 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
168 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: nigella seeds.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A fully preheated stone matters more than the oven dial — naan needs a blast of bottom heat to puff.
  • Keep the shaped naans covered so the surface does not skin over.

Common mistakes

  • Baking too long at too low a temperature makes naan dry and cracker-like.

Serve with

  • Serve with butter chicken, dal makhani or paneer dishes.

Storage

  • Cool, wrap airtight and keep 1 day at room temperature or freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Sprinkle with water and warm in a hot oven or on a tawa for 1–2 minutes.

Variations

  • Peshawari-style naan: Fill with a paste of desiccated coconut, almonds, raisins and sugar before rolling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 45 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 2 h

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Rest · about 15 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  4. Bake · about 15 min at 260 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 3 h 15 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

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