Garlic Naan Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is naan garlic bread? ›

Soft, fluffy, homemade naan bread, brushed with melted garlic butter. Perfect for mopping up the sauce from your favourite curry!

Naan doesn't get bubbles – Pan not hot enough, dough not moist enough or improper leavening. Naan turns hard – Toasting for too long, not enough moisture in the dough, toasting on low heat or not kneading the dough enough.

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.

My favorite homemade naan recipe is made with basic bread ingredients (flour, water and yeast) plus a generous dollop of yogurt, egg and baking powder to make the bread extra soft and chewy. I also prefer to use touch of honey as a natural sweetener for the bread.

While it may contain more carbs and sugars, it earns its reputation as a healthy alternative with its relatively generous amounts of protein and fiber. Despite its high carb content, naan can be considered a more nutrient-dense alternative to white bread and pita.

Ingredients in Naan Bread

Flour: All-purpose white flour, bread flour , whole wheat flour , einkorn, or spelt flour – or a blend. Instant yeast: Using Instant yeast cuts the prep time in half while eliminating one whole step. (See recipe notes for regular active yeast.)

The baking powder-yeast dough compared to the yeast-only dough were nearly identical — similar air bubbles in the pan, similar dough texture, similar flavor — so, in the end, I stuck with yeast alone as a leaven.

The recipe also works with standard active / dry yeast, but we've found the naan is slightly fluffier and softer using instant yeast. Unusually, we dissolve the instant yeast in warm water then leave it to become foamy – a step usually bypassed with instant yeast, which is typically mixed straight into dough.

Lubricate With Oil. One of the easiest ways our bakers follow to make bread soft and fluffy is by using 1-2 tablespoons of lubricant/fats such as vegetable oil to wet the ingredients.

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.

How to tell if naan has gone bad? ›

You'll be able to easily identify a piece of naan that has gone bad. Over time, the bread will harden and lose its soft, fluffy texture.

If you don't want to serve the naans right away, you can make them all, then freeze them, well wrapped in cling film and foil, for up to 3 months. Defrost, then warm through in a low oven or in a freezer bag in the microwave to serve.

Egg – Helps bind your dough. Garlic – Mince it to give your garlic naan recipe a yummy and savory taste. Salted butter – Adds more flavor and richness.

Garlic is a great addition to the naan dough. It gives so much flavor and taste to the otherwise plain yeasted dough.

You sprinkle water to keep the naan bread soft. Naan bread will naturally stiffen when not eaten straight from the pan, so eat it as soon as you possibly can.

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.

What Does Naan Taste Like? Naan has the mild and slightly nutty flavor of a classic plain flatbread but with a hint of milkiness and zesty tang. Often, it's brushed with warm butter at the end for a richer finish.

NAAN, often pronounced as nah-ahn is an Indian flatbread legend known for its soft, pillowy texture and rich buttery flavor.

Naan can be enjoyed in various ways. It can be paired with a variety of Indian dishes such as curry, dal, or kebabs. It can also be used to make wraps or sandwiches, or simply enjoyed on its own with a spread of butter or a sprinkle of garlic and herbs.