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Bread Breakfast Lunch / Dinner Side Dishes

Homecooked naan

Published: 08.24.2020 » Last updated: 08.17.2022

Naan is a flatbread cooked in a tandoor and eaten in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Caribbean. No tandoor? Make naan on the stovetop using a griddle and a kitchen torch.

Garlic naan

Chewy yet fluffy, naan is the ideal side dish for spicy stews. Tear the bread to mop up the sauce and the experience is unbelievable.

But that doesn’t mean that naan cannot be served by itself. It makes a delightful breakfast and snack especially when paired with coffee or tea.

How you want to enjoy your naan is up to you. Make a large batch, eat a few, keep the rest tightly wrapped and keep in the freezer. Take out what you require each time and simply heat in the toaster or in an oil-free pan.

Mixing flour, oil and milk to make naan dough

Making naan begins with making a bread dough. Bread flour, baking powder, sugar and salt are mixed with oil and milk during the first stage.

Mixing naan dough

The dry and wet ingredients are mixed in the bowl until the dough forms into a ball. It is wet and sticky at this point.

Kneading naan dough

The dough is transferred on the counter and kneaded until smooth. By hand, it takes 10 minutes for the dough to reach that stage.

Chopping garlic and cilantro

The dough is left to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Use that time to prep whatever you want to add to it. In this recipe, that means garlic and cilantro.

Cutting dough into portions

The fully rested dough is halved and each half is cut into five portions. Each portion is rolled into a ball then flattened.

Cooking naan on a griddle on stovetop

The chopped garlic and cilantro are sprinkled on top of the flattened dough then a rolling pin is passed over the dough to press the garlic and cilantro into it.

A griddle is brushed lightly with ghee, the dough is arranged on it and the uncooked flatbreads are brushed on top with more ghee. The dough browns at the bottom while bubbles form on top.

Torching top of garlic naan on griddle

The top of the flatbread is seared with a kitchen torch to give it its characteristic scorched appearance and smoky flavor.

Garlic Naan

Connie Veneracion
Without a tandoor, the more common way of cooking the top of the naan is to invert the pan and let the flames of the gass stove lick the dough. That technique means cooking the naan one piece at a time.
Meanwhile, with a kitchen torch, no flipping is required and the naan can be cooked in batches of two to four.
Garlic naan
Print Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Resting time 15 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Middle Eastern, South Asian
Servings 10 naan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups bread flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ¾ cup full-fat milk
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ghee for brushing

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, whisk together the bread flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
  • Make a well in the center, and pour in the milk and oil.
  • Stir the contents of the bowl to form the dough. Keep stirring until the dough starts to form into a ball.
  • Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead until smooth, about ten minutes.
  • Form the dough into a ball, cover loosely with cling film and leave to rest for ten to 15 minutes.
  • While the dough rests, chop the garlic and cilantro.
  • Cut the dough into halves, and each half into five equal portions.
  • Roll each portion between the palm of your hands to form a ball.
  • Flatten each ball with a rolling pin.
  • Sprinkle garlic and cilantro on the dough. Use the rolling pin to press them into the dough.
  • Lightly brush a griddle with ghee then lay the rolled dough, two to three at a time (depending on the size of your griddle) and brush the tops with more ghee.
  • Cook the rolled dough until the undersides are lightly browned and the top is bubbly.
  • Using a kitchen torch, scorch the top of the naan until blistered and blackened in spots.
  • Serve the garlic and cilantro naan warm.
Print Pin Recipe
Keyword bread, Flatbread

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Newsletter department

  • #18 Cooking for Lent
    03.23.2023
    A few readers have emailed asking me to post recipes for Lent, and I tell them there is NO need for NEW recipes. Instead, they should try digging into the seafood, mushrooms and tofu recipe archives.

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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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