Garlic Naan or Garlic Butter Naan Bread is a soft and chewy, garlicky and easy to make leavened Indian flatbread that can be served with any of your favorite Indian dishes. This can be cooked in the oven or on a cast iron skillet (tawa / tava).
What is naan?
If you are new to Indian dishes, Naan is leavened flatbread traditionally cooked in clay oven.
Even if you have not tried making a bread before, I encourage you to try this. The little effort you put in, is worth it. You will make it over and over again.
If you visit any Indian restaurant you may have seen several types of naan listed on the menu and each one comes with a different flavor, thickness and texture. Some of the popular flavors are butter naan, garlic naan, tava naan, cheese naan, tandoori naan, keema naan, peshawari naan, kashmiri naan, nawabi naan
Garlic Butter Naan is one of my family's favorite recipe, and also the most ordered bread when we visit any restaurant. The dish served above is chicken tikka masala and I will soon share the recipe for the same. Meanwhile you can also try grilled chicken or chicken tikka recipe.
This naan bread or flatbread can also be used as base to prepare pizza. Use naan as pizza base and add your favorite cheese, sauce and toppings. .
I prepare flat breads atleast twice or thrice a week and most of the time with variations. If you follow my blog, you know that I have shared recipes for some of them before. Check out this post which has more than 13 recipes Vegan flatbread recipes
These are some of the popular and most liked recipes from my blog. Don't miss to check each one of them and let me know which one is your favorite.
Some of my favorite, best and easy, popular flatbread , naan or roti recipes
- Pita Bread - popular on blog
- Thai roti bread - popular on blog
- Rumali Roti
- Tava Naan
- Vegan flatbread recipes
- Amritsari kulcha
- Corn Flour Bread
- Oats Chapati
- Garlic Cheese Naan
How to make naan bread on stovetop (cast iron skillet or tava (tawa)) ?
- Sprinkle some water on one side of the rolled flat bread, and then place the wet side down on the preheated tava or skillet.
- Once bubble starts to form on the surface of the naan (or flat bread), flip the tava / skillet such that the top surface of the naan is about 1 inch from the flame and gets directly roasted over the flame for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it develops desired color.
- Flip the tava back, remove the naan using a flat spatula and transfer it to a plate. Immediately garnish with a mixture of melted butter (or ghee or desi ghee) and herbs.
- You can check the entire recipe for a plain and simple naan and more details here Tava Naan.
How to make Naan in the Oven or Tandoor Naan?
- Transfer the rolled out naan to a baking dish (e.g. cookie sheet or pizza pan), and generously apply the garlic butter mixture on top of naan.
- place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 4 minutes or till you get golden spots, flipping it half way through.
- You can place them in the oven under broiler mode if you want it to be charred like the ones they serve in the restaurant. Alternatively, you can also cook the naan for 3 to 4 minutes by directly placing it over a preheated pizza stone placed in the oven.
If you are preparing naan for larger crowd or a big family then making it in oven is the best. It's saves lot of time because you can cook multiple naan breads at once.
Can I make naan dough ahead or how to store naan dough?
Once the dough is prepared, place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. This allows the bread to leaven slowly. If you are still not ready to use by then, punch the dough, tightly wrap the bowl in plastic and refrigerate for upto 2 days.
How to store cooked naan?
You can store it in plastic wrap or airtight container at room temperature for upto 2 days.
Can we / you freeze naan bread ?
Yes. You can freeze naan bread and use for upto 2 months.
How to reheat naan bread?
Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Place the naans on baking tray and heat it for 2 to 3 minutes.
You can also reheat in a microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute each or on cast iron skillet or tava for minute on each side till its heated through.
Can I make this naan recipe Vegan?
Yes. Simply substitute butter with vegan butter or olive or coconut oil. For yogurt or sour cream use dairy free yogurt. coconut is the best.
What is difference between naan and pita bread ?
Making of naan is similar to pita bread with only difference is the addition of sour cream or yogurt in dough. This is what makes your naan softer. And the garlic mixture that is slathered on top takes your naan bread to the next level.
Can I use wheat flour instead of maida or all purpose flour?
Yes, you can substitute wheat flour for maida or use 1:1 ratio. The taste and texture may change accordingly. Naan prepared using wheat flour will not be soft and light compared to naan prepared using all purpose flour (maida).
What should be the shape, size or thickness of naan bread?
Naans are generally served oval but you can roll or stretch it to any shape you love. If you want a fluffy naan, make it thick. But make sure you have good source of heat, specially if they are rolled thicker. Else, you are going to end up with an uncooked naan.
What do you eat or serve with flatbread? (Some accompaniments for flatbread like naan, roti, pita bread)
Any Indian dish or curry tastes great with naan bread or any flatbread. Some of my favorite accompaniments
- Grilled meats like Tikka and kebabs
- Hummus
- Chicken tikka masala - the one that is shown in the image.
- Butter Chicken
- Mushroom Butter masala - popular on blog
- Chana Masala (chole or chickpeas curry)
- Chicken Tikka
- Paneer Tikka Masala (Tofu Tikka Masala)
- Spicy Garlic mushrooms - popular on blog
- Mushroom in black pepper sauce (mushroom kali mirch)
- Tandoori Gobi (Oven Roasted Cauliflower)
- Palak Paneer
Detailed Recipe for Garlic Butter Naan Bread or Homemade, Simple and Easy Restaurant Style Naan
Recipe card
Homemade Garlic Butter Naan Bread | Restaurant Style Simple & Best Naan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Water luke warm, check tips
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 pack Active dry yeast 7g (2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoon Sour cream or yogurt
- 3 cups All purpose flour or maida, plus more for dusting
For topping
- 6 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon Butter melted
Instructions
Step I
- In a large mixing bowl, add luke-warm water, sugar, and yeast and let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes.¾ cup Water, 1 teaspoon Sugar, 1 pack Active dry yeast
- Add salt, sour cream, and about 2/12 cup of all purpose flour or maida and then slowly add flour in increments and knead for about 5 minutes or until you obtain a smooth and supple dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.1 teaspoon Salt, 2 to 3 tablespoon Sour cream, 3 cups All purpose flour
Step II
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F or the highest setting possible in your oven. Click on this link if you want to cook naan on tava - Tava Naan / Skillet Naan Bread.
- Divide the dough into to seven or eight equally sized balls, and cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together finely chopped garlic, coriander leaves and melted butter in a bowl.6 cloves Garlic, 1 tablespoon Cilantro, 4 tablespoon Butter
- Using light dusting of flour, roll out the dough into oval shaped naans of medium thickness (3 to 4 mm), like pita bread.
- Transfer the rolled out naan to a baking dish (e.g. cookie sheet or pizza pan), and generously apply the garlic butter mixture on top of the naan.
- Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown spots appear, flipping it half way through. You can now keep it in oven under broiler mode for 30 seconds if you want it to get dark brown spots.
- Garlic Butter Naan is now ready. Brush it with some more melted butter just before you are ready to serve. Serve with your favorite entree and enjoy!
Notes
- If you love the rich naan flavor, then substitute water with warm whole milk or you can add ½ cup water and ¼ cup milk if desired.
- The amount of flour may vary depending on the weather conditions and brand. the best way is to add flour in increments to get the desired dough texture.
- If you do not have an oven, you may cook the naans on stovetop. Make sure the pan is hot before you place the naan. Here is a complete recipe on how to cook naan in tawa or cast iron skillet
- If you do not like garlic, you may completely skip it and prepare butter naan instead!
- If you do not have a large cookie sheet, you may cook the naans in batches of two. This is in fact my preferred method.
- To make vegan naan, substitute butter with coconut oil and sour cream with dairy-free yogurt. Coconut tastes the best.
Nutrition
If you like this garlic butter naan bread recipe,
Don't miss to check out other delicious bread and flatbread, Indian curry and gravy recipes
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Ingredients for Garlic Naan Bread
- ¾ cup Warm water (luke warm)
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 pack Active dry yeast, 7g (2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoon Sour cream or yogurt
- 3 cups All purpose flour or maida, plus more for dusting
For topping
- 6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon Melted butter
Instructions to prepare Garlic Naan Bread
Step I
- In a large mixing bowl, add luke-warm water, sugar, and yeast and let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes.
- Add salt, sour cream, and all purpose flour in increments after 2 ½ cup and knead for about 5 minutes or until you obtain a smooth and supple dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Step II
- Preheat the oven to 500F or the highest setting possible in your oven. (Click on this link if you want to cook naan on tava - Tava Naan / Skillet Naan Bread)
- Divide the dough into to seven or eight equally sized balls, and cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together finely chopped garlic, coriander leaves and melted butter in a bowl.
- Using light dusting of flour, roll out the dough into oval shaped naans of medium thickness like pita bread.
- Transfer the rolled out naan to a baking dish (e.g. cookie sheet or pizza pan), and generously apply the garlic butter mixture on top of naan.
- Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown spots appear, flipping it half way through. You can now keep it in oven under broiler mode for 30 seconds if you want it to get charred
- Garlic Butter Naan is now ready. Brush it with some more melted butter just before you are ready to serve. Serve with your favorite entree and enjoy!
Tips
- If you love the rich naan flavor, then substitute water with warm whole milk or you can add ½ cup water and ¼ cup milk if desired.
- The amount of flour may vary depending on the weather conditions and brand. the best way is to add flour in increments to get the desired dough texture.
- If you do not have an oven, you may cook the naans on stovetop. Make sure the pan is hot before you place the naan. Here is a complete recipe on how to cook naan in tawa or cast iron skillet
- you may completely skip the garlic and prepare butter naan instead if you are not a garlic lover!
- If you do not have a large cookie sheet, you may cook the naans in batches of two. This is in fact my preferred method.
- To make vegan naan, substitute butter with coconut oil and sour cream with dairy-free yogurt. Coconut tastes the best.
Tawnie Kroll
I've been looking for a naan recipe and this one is a KEEPER! Easier to make than I thought and so flavorful!
Dannii
This is a must when having homemade curry. So light and fluffy.
Neli Howard
I LOVE naan!! It’s so delicious and goes with just about everything. Thank you for the recipe and tutorial, I’ll be sure to start making some.
Maya
I've cooked the naans with this mixture so many times, and each time they are perfect. We use sheep sour cream and I cook them on a cast iron skillet on both sides. They are wonderfully fluffy and soft.