The BEST Garlic Naan Recipe

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Garlic Naan Recipe

This garlic naan recipe is soft, buttery, delicious and truly addictive. If you’ve ever been intimidated to make bread this is the recipe for you as it is so easy! These go well with so many dishes from chickpea curry, to butter chicken and chicken karahi, the list is endless!

What is Naan? 

Naan is a leavened flatbread, baked in an oven, a tandoori or on a tawa (pan) and typically served with curries & karahi dishes. Originally found in the cuisines mainly of Western Asia, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Caribbean.

The primary ingredients in naan are:

• Flour
• Yeast
• Salt
• Sugar
• Water
• And sometimes yogurt or oil

What is Garlic Naan?

Naan is soft, buttery and slightly crisp on the edges. Garlic naan has so much more flavour than regular naan and is covered with a garlic and herb butter.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients that go into these buttery and delicious garlic naan

00 flour – is the best flour to create, soft, fluffy and light naan

Dried Yeast – to leaven the dough and add height

Salt – will add more flavour

Sugar – will help the yeast bloom

Melted Butter – adds moisture and softness to the dough

Warm Water – to active the yeast in

Garlic Butter Ingredients

Softened Butter  – will melt on the hot naan and be the base for the garlic butter

Fresh Garlic – of course! We need garlic for garlic naan!

Fresh Parsley or Coriander – provides some colour and a ton of flavour. I like using parsley, as I really like the combination of garlic and parsley, however coriander is traditional and works really well!  

Flaky Salt (you can skip if using salted butter) – adds more flavour and enhances the flavour of the garlic.

How to make The BEST Garlic Naan Recipe – step by step 

1. Start by blooming the yeast, mix the warm water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then add in the yeast and mix. Cover the yeast mixture with a plate or some cling film (saran wrap) and let it bloom for 15 – 20 minutes.

2. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder

3. Pour in the yeast mixture and knead the dough together until smooth. The dough will be a little sticky but keep kneading it and it will come together. (This would be easier in a stand mixer)

4. Add in the melted butter and knead, the dough will be slightly greasy on the outside. Place cling film (saran wrap) onto the bowl and a cloth on top to block out the light

5. Leave the dough to proof for an hour, until doubled in size and punch out the air

6. Divide the dough into 8 even balls

7. Prep the garlic butter by, finally chopping the garlic and herbs. Before combining with softened butter and salt, if desired 

8. Roll out one ball of dough at a time, into a circle or an oval

9. Heat up a non stick or cast iron pan on a high heat

10. Now, add in the naan and cook on a medium – high heat for about 1 – 2 minutes on each side

11. Once golden browned and fully cooked, take out into a basket or a plate 

12. Then brush with the garlic butter, serve and enjoy!

Best tips and tricks for making Garlic Naan:

• Cook on a high heat – Cook the naan on a medium high heat, in a hot pan. This will  make the naan puff up and rise quickly

• Use a non stick pan – this will make the naan closer to a tandoori naan, as naan is not traditionally fried so, this creates a crisp edge that isn’t too oily

• Let your dough proof in a warm space – cover the dough in cling film (saran wrap) and place on a cloth to block out the light and then place in a warm place

• When reheating – add a splash of water to the naan and heat in a pan, on a medium heat for 1 minute on each side

• Use a stand mixer – This dough is quite sticky and a lot easier to make in a stand mixer, though you can knead this with your hands if you’d like!

What goes well with garlic naan? 

• Butter Chicken is a classic to serve with garlic naan and is the perfect thing to scoop up all of the gravy from the butter chicken

• Chicken karahi is a must with garlic naan, the peppery karahi works so well with the buttery naan

• Nihari is a stewed beef dish from Pakistan that is perfect served with garlic naan

Why are we using 00 flour?

Traditionally 00 flour is used for pizza or pasta to create a soft and tender dough that still has a slight chew and that is exactly why it is used in this naan recipe. 00 flour gives you a texture closer to a tandoori naan, without the tandoori, at home!

Replacement for 00 flour:

The best replacement for 00 flour is strong white bread flour, it is similar in consistency and will give you a slightly crisper and browner crust. But if you can find that all purpose flour will do the trick!

What is the best way to reheat garlic naan bread?

The first method is to put the naan on a plate in the microwave for 15 – 30 seconds, or until warmed through. The naan won’t be as crisp but it will still be delicious.

The second method is to put a little warm water on the naan and heat it in a non-stick or cast iron pan on medium heat for about a minute on each side.

The last method is to wrap multiple naan into foil and place on a tray and pop it into the oven at (180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4), until warmed through, for about 10 minutes.

What pan should you cook garlic naan in?

Either a cast iron or non-stick one. Now, personally I like a non-stick or cast iron pan with no oil as it is more similar to a traditional tandoori naan. But, if you like restaurant style naan then use a cast iron pan with some oil, spraying or lightly coating the pan with oil, with each addition of naan.

Tips and Tricks – Garlic Naan Recipe

• Cook on a high heat – Cook the naan on a medium high heat, in a hot pan. This will  make the naan puff up and rise quickly

• Use a non stick pan – this will make the naan closer to a tandoori naan, as naan is not traditionally fried so, this creates a crisp edge that isn’t too oily

• Let your dough proof in a warm space – cover the dough in cling film (saran wrap) and place on a cloth to block out the light and then place in a warm place

• When reheating – add a splash of water to the naan and heat in a pan, on a medium heat for 1 minute on each side

• Use a stand mixer – This dough is quite sticky and a lot easier to make in a stand mixer, though you can knead this with your hands if you’d like!

• Serve with – your favourite curries and a side of salad and yogurt

• The recipe video is on my Tik Tok and IG  – please tag @aceofspoons_ if you make this recipe