Method
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk; rest 10 minutes until foamy. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, oil and beaten egg.
- Knead 8 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a stand mixer — the dough should be soft, slightly sticky, smooth. Naan dough is wetter than bread dough; resist adding flour.
- Cover and rise in a warm place 60–90 minutes until doubled. Punch down. Divide into 6 pieces; roll each into a ball and rest covered another 15 minutes.
- Heat the oven as hot as it will go (260°C+) with a pizza stone or heavy cast-iron pan inside. The high heat is the closest substitute for the tandoor — cooler ovens give limp naan, not blistered.
- Roll each ball into a teardrop-shaped oval, 5mm thick at the centre. Sprinkle nigella seeds and press in lightly. Brush the top with water — this helps it stick to the hot surface.
- Slap the naan onto the hot stone, water-side down. Bake 90 seconds — it should puff dramatically and char in patches. Lift, brush generously with melted butter, scatter cilantro. Stack under a cloth as you go to keep them soft. Serve immediately with curry; naan goes leathery within ten minutes of baking.
Common questions
Can Naan be made ahead?
Naan is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 12 minutes.
Is Naan spicy?
Naan as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Naan vegetarian or gluten-free?
Naan is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is Naan to make at home?
Naan sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 102 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Naan be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 6 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Naan is technically Persian — the word means simply 'bread' in Persian — and travelled into the subcontinent through Mughal kitchens. The clay tandoor's 480°C heat radiates from the walls, baking the dough on contact and giving the characteristic blisters; home oven versions can approach but not match this. Garlic naan, butter naan, peshawari naan (with dried fruit and nuts) and keema naan (with mince) are restaurant-era variants. Plain naan is a Punjabi household staple but only when there's a tandoor; without one, families default to roti.
