This quick Naan bread (a flatbread originating from India, Asia or the Middle East) can be made from start to finish in just under an hour. Soft and tender with a lovely flavor, we serve this bread with anything from curry to salad and everything in between. It even makes a delicious, easy, no-bake pizza.
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Hello my friends.
Have you ever heard of Naan bread?
I asked Google about it because even though I’ve made it for years, I wasn’t entirely sure where it originates from.
Google told me it comes from Asia, India and the middle East. And you know how smart Google is, right?
Today’s recipe is a very VERY simplified version of the Naan bread from those exotic places.
If you are looking for authentic, then this recipe probably won’t cut it.
But if you are looking for tasty, quick Naan bread that doesn’t even need an oven to bake (YAY!), then I’ve definitely got you covered today.
A quick & easy Naan bread recipe
This Naan bread can be made in under and hour and is so delicious. I don’t know why I would ever go back to a recipe that took 2+ hours to make after making this one.
The trick is using a stand mixer to knead the dough to develop the gluten so you can get away with just a single rise time. You don’t want to over flour the dough, but you want it to be firm enough that it’s not sticking all over the place.
After the dough is done mixing, roll it out into these cute little balls, let them rise for just 30 minutes and then you’re rocking and rolling with the cooking process.
How to cook this Naan bread
And guess what? I’m talking about a cooking process where there are…NO OVENS NEEDED.
Seriously, how great is that for a summer meal?
I make this naan bread on my cast iron griddle. It’s nice cause it cooks two at a time, which is just the perfect amount. I can be rolling a few out, cooking them on one side and then flipping them over to cook on the other side while I’m rolling out the next batch. It actually goes pretty quickly when you get your rhythm figured out.
If you had some major multi-tasking talents, you may be able to figure out how to do three at a time, but two is about my limit. And if somebody decides to talk to me in the middle of the rhythmical groove I’m in…even one at a time is pushing it. Hahaha.
What to serve with this Naan bread
We love to eat this naan bread with Asian or Indian-style foods. This Massaman Curry for example or this Asian Cashew Salad I posted the other day. Both excellent options. I personally think any kind of soup would go well with Naan bread. Right now this Cream of Broccoli or Cheesy Potato Chowder are calling out to me as pretty amazing possibilities. Also this Naan bread would work perfectly as the flatbread for these yummy Chicken Shawarmas. Mmmh. I’m getting hungry again.
Another favorite way to serve this Naan is as an easy, no-bake pizza. After the naan is cooked just put it back on the griddle with some pizza sauce, cheese and your toppings and heat it up until the cheese is melted. So easy and a really yummy quick meal.
However you decide to serve it, this Naan breads is sure to be the star of the show. So soft. So yummy. You definitely need this Naan bread in your life.
Quick Naan Bread {in under an hour}
This quick Naan bread (a flatbread originating from India, Asia or the Middle East) can be made from start to finish in just under an hour. Soft and tender with a lovely flavor, we serve this bread with anything from curry to salad and everything in between. It even makes a delicious, easy, no-bake pizza.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups + a few tablespoons (15 ounces) all purpose flour see note
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
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Warm milk in microwave or on the stovetop until it is about 130 degrees (about 1 ½ mins in my microwave).
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Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached add salt and sugar. Add warmed milk then about half of the flour. Add yeast on top.
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Start mixer adding the remaining flour slowly as dough mixes. Let dough mix completely and then add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time if needed until flour begins to pull away from the bowl. Dough should be soft and pliable and a little tacky, but not super sticky. When dough is floured enough, let mixer mix dough for 6 minutes to develop gluten.
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Divide dough into twelve pieces and roll each into a ball (about 2.3 to 2.5 ounces each). Let dough balls rest for 30 minutes. Dough will not have noticeably risen.
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Preheat griddle to medium heat. Roll each dough ball into an flat 6-inch circle with a rolling pin and when griddle is preheated cook each for 15-30 seconds per side or until dough has golden brown spots. Adjust heat if needed up or down if griddle is cooking too hot or cool.
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Brush naan bread with melted butter after removing from griddle. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
1. I’ve successfully made this recipe with half whole wheat flour and it works great. Since whole wheat flour tends to be a little “thirstier” than white flour, you may need less flour than recipe calls for. Just add flour until dough forms a soft, tacky consistency.
2. This naan bread can be frozen and reheated. Just cool completely and freeze in gallon freezer bags for up to a month. You may want to wait to brush them with butter after reheating from the freezer so they don’t stick together
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
Love it! 🙂
Thanks, Heather, for the wonderful baking weight chart. I agree. Using the scale is soooo much easier and accurate. Love it! I will certainly use this chart. I’m going to put it in a page protector so it won’t get soiled.
Thanks again.
MarLou
Glad you liked it Marlou! What a good idea to put it in a page protector.