Garlic Butter Naan

Pairing this with Chicken Tikka Masala, Fresh Paneer Tikka Masala, butter chicken, or even using this for pizza crust will not leave you disappointed! (P.S. Don't forget the Refreshing Mango Lassi!)

Garlic Butter Naan Ingredients

The ingredients for this naan bread include:

• All-Purpose Flour
• Water
• Whole-Milk Plain Yogurt
• Kosher Salt
• Active Dry Yeast
• Melted Butter
• Granulated Sugar

Instructions

Making this homemade naan is a fairly straightforward process with simple ingredients. The real magic happens with two proofing stages. This provides a sturdy, extensible dough that is easy to work with, and produces a fantastically soft, fluffy texture after it's cooked.

• Step 1 - Bulk Proofing: After the dough has been combined and kneaded, cover and let rise in a warm spot for the one hour bulk proof until doubled in size.
• Step 2 - Pre-Shaping: After the bulk proofing, punch down the dough. Lightly knead back into a ball, and divide into 8 even pieces. Working one by one, stretch the dough into a rough ball and pinch the seams together on the bottoms. Using the friction from a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into a tight ball. I use a gentle scooping or cupping, circular motion to bring the balls together on the countertop. The surface of the dough balls should be fairly taught, and spring back when pressed with your fingertip.
• Step 3 - Second Proofing: Place the rolled dough balls onto a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap, a damp kitchen towel, or an inverted second baking sheet. Let rest in a warm spot for an additional 30 minutes. The dough balls will roughly double in size.
• Step 4 - Final Shaping: Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into an approximate 9-inch by 5-inch oval on a lightly floured countertop. The dough should be no thinner than ⅛th of an inch, and no thicker than ¼ of an inch at this stage (about . Make heavy dimples in the surface of the dough using your fingertips, taking care not to go all the way through. You can end up with thin spots if you press too hard, which can burn easily. Dimpling the dough helps create the signature small air bubbles and charred spots once cooked. If you skip this, it can cause the dough to completely puff (like pita bread), which we want to avoid.

Proofing Pictures

^{The Second Step: Dividing and shaping the dough.}

Cooking Methods

Much like my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, naan is traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven. These can reach temperatures over 900°F. Mimicking this in a home kitchen is nearly impossible. However, there are several options that can get us close:

• Grilling - I have found that preheating a charcoal or gas grill to the highest heat manageable yields the best results. Cooking over direct heat allows steam to quickly generate the signature blisters and charred spots you see on naan. As long as you stay close to the grill, you should be fine. The high heat can burn things if you're not watching carefully.
• Pizza Stone/Steel - I have found the second best option to use is a pizza stone or steel preheated to 500°F. This does two things: (1) provides a decent amount of puffing/blistering and (2) you can cook more than one at a time.
• Skillet/Griddle/Grill Pan- The last and final method I recommend is to use a large skillet, griddle, or grill pan on the stovetop. You can get decent color on your naan with this method, but it can take a good bit of time with eight individual dough balls. Additionally, using a large griddle or grill pan can help speed things up, but can be difficult to manage with two separate heat zones/burners.

Garlic Butter Ingredients

Brush the finished naan with gently melted butter, a pinch of salt, finely minced parsley and cilantro. The brightness from the herbs complements the richness of the garlic butter to make a perfectly balanced side-dish! This naan also lets you forego using a fork when you serve this with any Indian or curry dish - like my Chicken Tikka Masala or my Handmade Paneer Tikka Masala recipes (both are linked below - seriously, go check them out!). It's the perfect vessel to get a bite of rice and curry.

Did you make this recipe for Garlic Butter Naan?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!

Recipe