The Best Buttery Garlic Naan Bread Recipe

This Garlic Naan Bread recipe is better than the naan you’ll find at the some of the BEST Indian restaurants! These pillowy soft naan breads are so easy, you’ll be making them every weekend. Safe to say, it’s our favourite yeast bread recipe yet!

GARLIC NAAN BREAD

This garlic naan bread recipe is our favourite spin on a traditional flat bread from India. Normally baked inside hot Tandoor ovens with charcoal or wood fire, our naan bread recipe has been altered to cook right on the stove in a hot, cast-iron skillet. We use a combination of yogurt and oil to give them an addictive, soft and fluffy texture and add minced garlic right into the dough to create that unmistakable garlicky flavour. It could just be us but we love the way the garlic pairs with the flavours of traditional Indian curries like Chicken Tikka Masala, Coconut Shrimp Curry and of course, our infamous Butter Chicken. You’ll be amazed as you watch your dough puff up into glorious, bubbly naan right before your eyes!

NAAN BREAD VS PITA BREAD

Both flatbreads are made with a yeast raised dough, however pita bread has a harder texture when compared to Naan. While pita bread only contains flour, water, yeast, salt and some olive oil; naan is made with a fattier, more enriched dough including ghee (clarified butter), oil, yogurt and sometimes eggs. This gives naan its different texture. While pita is slightly thicker making it perfect to fill with greek meats like our Greek lamb souvlaki.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC NAAN BREAD

We start off with a basic naan dough, like our super soft naan bread recipe.

First, you’re going to activate your yeast. Mix all of those ingredients together until the dough comes together with your hands. Knead until smooth, then transfer to a lightly greased bowl. You can use the same bowl you mixed the dough in to save dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size. Divide dough into 10 balls and roll each piece into large ovals about 6-inches long and ⅛ inch thick. The thinner you roll them, the more air pockets form inside them while cooking.

Get a lightly greased skillet nice and HOT. The high heat makes the dough rise fast and fills the bread with air. Cook garlic naan bread until bubbles form, then flip and cook until large golden spots appear on the underside. Flatten the breads with a spatula while cooking to ensure they cook through.

Wrap cooked garlic naan bread in a clean kitchen towel and keep them wrapped while cooking remaining bread. Optional: brush your warm cooked naan with a little melted garlic butter; top with coarse salt and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve with one of your favourite curries or use them to make wraps. Substitute garlic naan bread for tortillas for quesadillas, or make simple naan pizzas!

HOW TO STORE GARLIC NAAN BREAD

If you plan on storing your garlic naan bread, do not brush them with the garlic butter. When cooked, let cool completely to room temperature to prevent condensation. Transfer to ziplock bags and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, heat them up on a pan over low-medium heat, or in the microwave for 10 seconds. Brush with garlic butter and enjoy!

FREEZE NAAN

Follow the same steps above (store plain – no garlic butter) and store in the freezer for up to two months. Frozen naan bread thaws quickly at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet over low-medium heat, then brush with garlic butter.