Herb and Garlic Herb Naan Bread

Naan Bread is so easy to make at home and this recipe makes 12 delicious Herb and Garlic Naan. They freeze beautifully, too!

When I was at the grocery store yesterday, I made a point of taking a look at the Naan bread to see how much it cost. I found that a package of 2 Naan bread was priced at $3.09.

This recipe for Garlic Herb Naan Bread makes 12 Naan, so by my calculation, you’ll be getting $18.54 worth of Naan for the minimal cost of a few ingredients you probably already have around!

The Naan gets it’s garlic flavour from several brushings of garlic butter before cooking and a generous brushing or drizzle right before serving. As well, a sprinkling of chopped parsley and cilantro and a sprinkling of salt, finish them off beautifully.

I do love garlic Naan, but I’ve fashioned this recipe so that there is no actual garlic IN the Naan bread, so if you’d like or your prefer a plain Naan, all you have to do is skip the garlic in the butter.

These Naan freeze beautifully, so you can always have great Naan on hand.

Cook’s Notes for Herb and Garlic Naan Bread

Making Naan at home isn’t hard, but it is a bit of a process and I never need 12 Naan bread at once :) As such, I rarely Naan on the day I want to eat it, but rather save it for a nice weekend project, followed by freezing them. Then when Indian is on the menu, I’m all set!

Don’t forget to take set the measured milk and yogurt out on the counter to warm to room temperature before starting. (But if you do forget, just give them a quick (5-7 second) shot in the microwave to take the chill off them.

You’ll find this dough is more stiff and a little less moist than a bread dough, for example. It will soften and moisten slightly after it rises.

If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, use your heaviest bottomed skillet. You may need to adjust your heat level according to the thickness of the pan.

I found medium-low to be the sweet spot setting on my stove-top, but yours may be a little different. Watch the first couple carefully. The bottom should be deep golden after 1 minute, but shouldn’t be burnt or pale, so adjust your heat accordingly, as needed.

As mentioned above, Naan freezes beautifully. I like to freeze them in 4 packages of 3 Naan each, as that works for my family. To thaw, just set the Naan in the freezer bag on your countertop for an hour or so, then warm to serve.

Top Tip! Very few cast iron frying pans have lids, so when it comes to covering the pan when cooking, grab a large baking sheet and simply place it over-top of the frying pan.

Don’t forget the sprinkling of salt after cooking and brushing with butter! As there is no salt IN the Naan, a sprinkling before serving will add great flavour!

This recipe was adapted from a Food & Wine recipe.

Herb and Garlic Naan Bread

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: easy garlic naan recipe, homemade naan bread with yogurt

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Rising Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 12 Naan

Energy: 247 kcal

Author: Jennifer

Delicious Naan bread, with garlic butter and fresh herbs. So easy to make at home. These freeze beautifully!

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Ingredients

For the Naan dough:

• 1 tsp active dry or instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup water at room temperature
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
• 1/2 cup full-fat plain yogurt at room temperature

For brushing:

• 3 Tbsp garlic minced, about 5 cloves
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• Fine salt for sprinkling

To serve:

• Additional garlic butter
• Chopped fresh cilantro and/or parsley

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, mix together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
3. To the bowl with the yeast mixture, add the yogurt and milk and whisk together Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Knead with your hands or the kneading hook until the dough forms a smooth, soft ball, about 2 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.
4. When dough is almost risen, combine butter and garlic in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat on the stovetop until butter is melted (or heat in the microwave in a bowl for 1 minute). Turn off heat (or remove from microwave) and set aside.
5. Remove the dough to a well-floured surface. Knead it briefly, then divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into 1/4-inch thick ovals, approximately 6 inches wide.

6. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium low heat. Brush one side the dough with some garlic butter and place buttered side down in skillet. *Don't crowd the skillet. The dough needs to lay completely flat. I could only cook one at a time in my 10-inch skillet.) Cook for about one minute, until the dough puffs up. Lightly brush with a bit more garlic butter, then flip dough, cover the pan, and cook for one more minute. Remove from the pan. *(If your skillet doesn't have a lid, use a large baking sheet to cover the top for the last minute of cooking).

7. If serving immediately: Brush both sides of hot Naan with more garlic butter and sprinkle with salt. Place in a towel-lined bowl until ready to serve.
8. If making ahead: Don't brush Naan with garlic butter or salt after removing from pan. Simply remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. To serve (if serving immediately): strain remaining garlic butter to remove the garlic pieces (add a bit more melted butter, if necessary). Drizzle strained warm garlic butter over naan and sprinkle with chopped parsley and/or cilantro.
10. To serve (if making ahead): Make a little garlic butter by melting 1/4 cup butter with 2-3 minced garlic cloves. Drizzle over re-warmed Naan and sprinkle with salt and chopped herbs.

Recipe Notes

Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, where I share some valuable tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!

Some Indian Dishes from the Seasons and Suppers Archives (to enjoy your Naan with!)

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