How to Make Naan at Home

Admin/ April 16, 2023/ Bread/ 1 comments

Now, if you are anything like we are, then you love a good homemade curry. What we have found is that the best thing to complement that is some gorgeous homemade Naan! It takes such little effort, so why not?

Without any further ado, let’s get stuck in with the what and the how – so you can start enjoying your first batch of homemade Naan!

What Are You Going to Need?

Of course, there are a few things you are going to need. Thankfully, we have a list of equipment and ingredients for you to follow!

Equipment;

• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 Small Mixing Bowl
• 1 Cooking Hob
• 1 Skillet / Frying Pan
• 1 Warm Dry storage area – like the Boiler Cupboard
• Clingfilm
• Rolling Pin

Ingredients;

• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• ½ Cup Warm Water
• 2 ¼ Teaspoons Yeast
• 2 ½ Cups Flour (Your Preference, All Purpose and Baking work fine)
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• ½ Cup Plain Yogurt

And thats it! You’ll be amazed at how quickly this comes together!

Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Make Naan

Now, you should be ready with everything you need to start making your first batch of Naan! All you need to do is follow the steps below!

Step 1 – Feed The Yeast

Add your Warm Water to the Small Mixing Bowl, then add the Sugar and the Yeast. Stir these all together gently to help get the Yeast started, then cover the Bowl with some Clingfilm and leave it to do its thing, for around 10 minutes or so. You will know it is ready when it is foamy. While you wait, look into Step 2.

Step 2 – Prepare Your Flour Mixture, Then Add The Yeast

Measure out your Flour into the Large Mixing Bowl, then add your Salt, Oil and Yogurt. Make a Well in the middle ready for the Yeast to be added once it has finished preparing. Once your Yeast has finished feeding and is activated and foamy, you can uncover it, and pour the contents of your Small Bowl into the Well you made in the Flour in the Large Bowl. 

Step 3 – Add The Yeast To The Flour, And Start Mixing

Now you can start getting your hands dirty! You can use a mixing Whisk if you prefer, but we find that it can easily get clogged with the ingredients, so using your hands is simpler – if a bit sticky. Keep mixing until all of your ingredients start to form one coherent glob of dough. If you find it is too flaky, add a little more water. If you find it is too sticky or wet, add a little more flour. Continue as needed until the dough seems fairly formed. NOTE – if you found it too sticky, clean off your hands before continuing, and remove from the bowl. This will help it form faster, away from the extra stickiness. 

Step 4 – Knead The Dough!

Once you have a rough dough, you can start the Kneading process! We use our tall bloke with big hands for this, as it is easier for him, but anyone can do it! Using the palm of your hand, around the heel, press down on your dough hard enough to partly flatten the middle. Then lift and rotate the dough so that your next press flattens at 90 degrees to the previous. Repeat until the dough is fully formed, soft, a little bit squishy, and all one smooth consistency. Usually around 10 minutes of Kneading.

Step 5 – Leave To Rise

Once you have your dough Kneaded nicely, put it back in your mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with either Clingfilm or a Kitchen Towel, and place it in your Warm Dry Storage Area – like the Boiler Cupboard. The best you have to offer is perfectly fine. Leave it there for the next hour or two, if you need to go and do some things then now is a good time, since leaving it longer than 2 hours is no problem. After the few hours have passed, your dough should have roughly doubled in size!

Step 6 – Shape The Dough

Once your dough has risen, and you are ready to make the Naan, remove the dough from the bowl. We find it easiest to roll the dough out into a long sausage, and then separate into small hand-sized lumps for as many Naan as you want to make. We tend to make between 6 and 12. Next, take your Rolling Pin and roll out your portions into flat ovals-ish, around 5mm thick or so.

Step 7 – Experiment With Toppings

Now, the magical part of your Naan truly begins with your butterspread. You can skip this step if you want to try out your Naan plain, otherwise there is no end of options to make them more interesting! For something really tasty, but easy – why not try out some simple Garlic and Butter mixture. Some people will adore a Cheesy Butter spread, while others may go for something with a little more Herbs and Spices, or maybe even some Seeds! Whatever you choose, be sure to spread it over your portions on one side before the next step, unless you feel bold enough to spread it on while it cooks!

Step 8 – Fry Up The Naan!

Okay then! Start off by adding a few sprays of Fry Light, or a dash of Oil, to your Skillet/Frying Pan, let it heat up, then add your first Naan! Give it around 2-3 minutes and then flip it over to repeat on the other side. You can add your spread at this stage while it is browning up gently and a little firmer, if you didn’t choose to add it already. Repeat this step for each of your Naan until you have gone through all you need!

Step 9 – Enjoy!

Your Naan is ready! You can sprinkle on some Parmesan or some fresh herbs like Parsley to add a little extra flair if you choose, or enjoy as it is. We always make a fresh batch of these whenever we have a homemade Curry, and experimenting with the flavour is half the fun! Feel free to comment your favourite flavours!

A Few Great Naan Ideas

• A nice Cheesy Garlin Naan
• No Yeast? Here’s a version for you!
• How about a Naan thats Gluten Free?

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it! By now you should be well on your way to being able to make your own Naan!

If you found this article helpful, why not check out some of our other pieces at showingyouthewhey.com – for those interested in learning more about making Cheese, check out our article on Feta! Or maybe Yogurt is more your speed! There’s a little something for everyone!