Easy Indian Naan Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What flour is naan bread made from? ›

So in short, use bread flour if you have it. But if you don't, I wouldn't make a special trip to the supermarket because this naan is excellent made with all-purpose/plain flour too; Yeast – Instant / rapid-rise yeast is called for here.

Ingredients and preparation

It is made primarily from white flour or wheat flour and a leavening agent (usually yeast), which results in the formation of air pockets in the dough that impart fluffiness and softness. Other ingredients used to make naan include warm water, salt, ghee (clarified butter), and yogurt.

Naan is essentially a leavened flatbread, which means it contains some form of raising agent to provide its airy texture. Hence for this naan, the raising agent we will be using is yeast. Other variations do exist which may utilise self raising flour or baking powder/baking soda.

About Naan

So most restaurants either use yeast or another leavening agent like baking powder & baking soda. If you order naan in Indian restaurants you may not find the texture & flavor to be the same in every place. Each place may have their own recipe to make these.

Salt could be optional if you are having naan with a curry. (Cause curry usually has salt and the bread might not need it). Variations like milk or yogurt is used instead of water to make dough soft and fluffy. This would change the texture and flavor of 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.

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.

Naan or naan bread is a type of bread that comes in a large, round, flat piece and is usually eaten with Indian food.

Afghan naan is different in shape, texture, and taste from Indian varieties. While the main ingredient – wheat flour – is the same, Afghan bakers hand-shape the dough, rather than rolling it out, and their use of a tandoor results in large, pillowy rounds.

If your heat is too low, the naan bread will dry out before bubbles start forming. The heat is too high. If your heat is too high, the underside can start burning, so you'll need to flip it before it can start puffing up and before bubbles can start forming.

Which is easier to make naan or roti? ›

While naan is reserved for special occasions, roti is a household staple. "It is much simpler to make using just whole wheat flour, salt, and water," Kalyanaraman says.

Naan has a thicker, fluffier texture because it is made with yogurt. Pita is thinner bread made with less ingredients (flour, water, salt, etc) and no yogurt. Naan is cooked in a skillet while Pita is usually baked at very high temperatures in the oven.

In many traditional recipes, naan bread does not contain eggs. However, there are variations of naan where eggs might be added to the dough. Whether eggs are added to naan largely depends on the specific recipe used by the restaurant and regional preferences.

Now that we know about flatbreads, we can explain why Roti and Naan are so different. Roti (also known as Chapati) is arguably India's most popular flatbread. This unleavened flatbread is one of the most common sides in Northern India and appears in all of India's regions.

Kulcha is a mildly leavened bread prepared with all-purpose flour without any yeast, but rather leavened with yogurt and/or baking powder. Though it's similar to naan, you don't need a tandoor oven to make kulcha; you can easily prepare it on a griddle.

Here's why: wheat flour has less gluten than bread flour or white all purpose flour, which are typically used for making naan. But it's the gluten that helps make naan dough pliable and soft and the naan slightly chewy after cooking.

Naan is traditionally made with all-purpose (wheat) flour, which is not gluten-free. But the gluten provides a stretchy element that can be tricky to replicate with gluten-free alternatives. But friends, we've done the trial and error so you don't have to!

Chickpea flour is the main ingredients in these Naans. Chickpea flour is a flour of white chickpeas, while besan is a flour of skinned brown chickpeas. Besan is also more finely grounnd than chickpea flour.