Naan – Indian Flatbread
This from-scratch Naan (Indian Flatbread) is great for scooping up sauce and rice and it makes a perfect accompaniment to just about any meal.
There is nothing better than eating a plateful of this butter chicken (or this curry or this curry or this curry, for that matter) with a piece of fluffy, delicious naan by your side.
Naan is a simple Indian flatbread that is perfect for scooping up sauce and rice and it makes a perfect accompaniment to just about any meal, Indian or not.

Plus, we love to use the leftovers to make mini-pizzas. Not exactly staying true to traditional Indian food, but delicious nonetheless.
I have an old recipe for naan, but to be truthful, the recipe I’m posting today (that I’ve made at least six or seven times in the last couple of months) completely blows it out of the water. Tender, light and buttery, this naan is irresistible.
If you are afraid of yeast, please – don’t be! Naan (and other flatbreads) is a great place to start if you are a newbie to working with yeast. Check out this tutorial for some helps, as well as the recipe instructions below that include directions for using either active dry or instant yeast.
Also, you can email me at any time with questions on working with yeast.
My lifelong goal is to make bread/yeast/dough experts out of all of us!
FAQs for Naan Indian Flatbread
Yes!
Yes, I freeze them all the time!
You can turn a cookie sheet upside down in the oven, or cook the naan on in a frying pan on the stove.
Yes, I’ve doubled it with great success!
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Naan – Indian Flatbread
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups (426 to 568 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons, melted butter
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). If using active dry yeast, mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated. Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). If using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Proceed as directed below.
- Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.
- After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use my roul’pat for this) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan – you’ll have to experiment with cooking times but I’ve seen either of those methods used with cooking naan also.)
- Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want your naan. Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water. Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Evil Shenanigans
I have a Pampered Chef stone that can’t be in an oven hotter than 450°. Will the Naan still work on it? And if so, does it need to cook for longer?
Jill – annoyingly, I’ve found the same problem. What I’ve done to avoid the problem is to either a) double the recipe and freeze the dough or freeze the baked goods if I don’t need them all or b) add the flour extra gradually (even if the recipe calls for the flour to be added at the beginning or all at once) and err on the side of not overflouring. I still use my Bosch for all yeast doughs (I never knead by hand…way too lazy for that) but with smaller batches, I just go slower or double the recipe. Hope that helps! Also, when the dough is spinning and spinning around and doesn’t seem to be “catching” or kneading, I sprinkle in some water to get the dough to catch on the sides of the bowl and start kneading again.
Mel, I was hoping that you could answer a question that I’ve had for awhile. When I use my Bosch for recipes such as this that don’t call for a lot of ingredients, I find that the flour just clumps up and spins around on the dough hook. It doesn’t seem to mix very well unless I’m making four loaves of bread. I really don’t want to have to knead the old-fashioned way, so I was wondering if you’ve had the same problem and have any tips. Thanks.
This was really easy to make as well as delish!
I’m glad I read that about the stoneware from PC before I made this! I will have to try a different method.
This was really good! But, my pizza stone cracked while making it… After it cracked, I went to the Pampered Chef website to see the specs on the pizza stone, and they said to only use it up to 450 degrees. So…beware. But maybe I’ll try it on a griddle next time? It was DELICIOUS with the tikka masala and coconut kurma I made from favfamilyrecipes.com. Thanks for the recipe!
Deb – I’ve subbed in 1-2 cups white whole wheat flour for this recipe but never more than that. The naan is much denser when I use whole wheat but we still like it, although, I have to say, nothing compares to the all white flour version.
Hey Mel – have you ever used white whole wheat flour on this? I’ve seen you split the AP flour in half between AP/white whole wheat on other recipes, have you ever tried that here? I really like to use white whole wheat when I can but if it’s going to negatively impact the flavor/rise, then it might not be worth it.
Thanks for this! I love naan- my grown kids love naan, my dog loves naan hehe. My fave snack ever(or lunch even) is simply warming naan in the microwave , then drizzling on a high quality olive oil, and topping with feta cheese- maybe a kalamata olive sliced as well. Mmmmm. I’m not hard to please. And I don’t fear YEAST! lol
Hey there! I love your sight and refer to it often as to what to cook for dinner. I just had a quick question. Can you use Ghee in place of butter and if so do you know if I can use the same amount of butter as Ghee? I ask because I mad ea Moroccan dish and now have a huge jar of Ghee.
Anne-Marie – you know, I’ve never used ghee so I’m not sure if you can use the same amount, but my guess would be yes. You might try googling the question and see what you come up with. Good luck!
Hi,
I made a previous comment asking about pizza stones. I just did what you said to do and it worked! The Naan turned out great! Thanks for the recipe, we will be using it A LOT in the future!
I got a pizza stone years ago when I got married, but have never used it. Do I need to season the pizza stone before I use it? Do I need to spray it so the dough won’t stick? Any help would be great! I want to try the Naan recipe out, but am a little nervous about using my pizza stone. Thanks
Hi Kim – the best way to season a pizza stone is to use it. Don’t spray any kind of nonstick cooking spray on it as it will leave a gummy film. I never seasoned mine but here is an article on seasoning one if you are interested. The main key to not having the pizza/flatbread/whatever stick to it is to preheat the oven with the pizza stone in it for 30-45 minutes so the stone is piping hot when you put the bread on it. Hope that helps!
I have a con-naan-drum (get it? — I know, I’m a dork). I am making Butter Chicken for Mother’s Day dinner tomorrow night and I want to make naan to go with it, but with our church schedule I just wouldn’t be able to time it right. If I make it today, will it be too stale? Can I put the dough into the fridge at some point (maybe after the first rest divide them into balls and put them in the fridge, then get them out and do the final rest, shape, and bake tomorrow right before dinner)?
Tomi Ann – you might be able to get away with making it today. My leftovers always taste a little dry, but you could warm them up briefly to help eliminate that. I like your second idea better, if you have the time. You could definitely make the dough today, let it rest for 2 hours and then divide into balls. Cover those well and put them in the refrigerator until tomorrow. Will you have time to take them out about an hour before you bake them? That would be ideal.
Made this this afternoon for mini pizzas tonight for supper. I snuck one to taste/try and it’s delicious!
Just made this for the first time tonight, Mel. You are right, it is amazingly delicious. It’s very soft and chewy. Like a previous poster, I also used a cast iron skillet instead. And that worked quite well. Thanks for posting this!
I don’t have a stand mixer, but I really wanted to try this…so, I put all the ingredients only using 3 1/2 c. flour into my bread machine on the dough cycle, after the cycle was complete I let it rest in a bowl for 1 extra hour, then made the 12 rolls & then baked as your recipe said. This is an awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I also enjoyed your Indian butter chicken! Thanks again!
Thanks for adding your bread machine tips, Lisa!
I made this a couple days ago, and loved it alongside some butter chicken. I used a cast iron skillet on the stove, and they turned out perfectly.
I made naan a year or two ago and loved it so much. I’ve yet to make butter chicken – this may be just the post I need to spur me to make it!
Yum yum, thanks. We buy them for pizza all the time but with me buying them premade and still wanting the quality organic ingredients they can get pricey….I can’t wait to try! I but them on sale and freeze so I can now make and freeze.
i AM afraid of yeast, but only in certain applications. bread baking? that’s fine. honestly, i fear that naan is the only thing i like about indian cuisine, and yours looks perfect!
oh, naan! I love this bread. It may be the only reason I frequently visit Indian restaurants.
These were perfect! Thanks.
I made these this weekend — easy as could be and terrific! Thanks!
This looks amazing. I have never made my own but think I will give it a try after reading your post!
Can’t wait to try this! We love your old naan recipe! We are on vacation but I’m going to make the butter chicken and new naan recipe as soon as we get home!
Mel, do these kind of taste like your soft wrap bread????
Hi Sunni – the taste of the naan is much more light and chewy than the soft wrap bread, I think. My soft wrap breads come out much thinner than the naan (perfect for rolling up ingredients, whereas the naan works better as a fluffy flatbread).
I love the other Naan recipe and will now try this one as I am hosting my family and serving Indian food on Friday. I am going to use the butter chicken recipe and also the tike masala (which is a family favorite!) from your super website!
I wonder though how this recipe would do if I doubled it.
Katee – I’ve doubled this with great success!
I tried three times to get the yeast to activate and I couldn’t get it to happen. I am trying really hard not to cry right now.
Peshwari naan is my absolute favorite naan–I wonder if I can use this recipe as a base for it? It looks delicious!
I am so excited to see this, we just went to a Indian restaurant in Ghana, and it was out of this world. I wanted to find a good Naan bread recipe, I can’t wait to try it. I have a friend that lived in India, and I am going to ask her to teach me how to make some meals.
Who doesn’t love naan? I love using pizza stone for naan as well! I use yogurt instead of milk and it gives it a lovely taste as well!
these naans look wonderfully delicious
Wow wow wow. Those look AMAZING. I can’t wait to try them! I don’t know how often my husband asks “Is this from that kitchen cafe lady!?” every time I make something that turns out delicious (and it usually is!)
Another bread recipe that I can’t wait to try. Not too long ago I wasn’t very confident in my ability to make yeast breads. All I needed was practice, and your amazing recipes gave me all the urging I needed 🙂 I now make yeast breads at least a couple times a week and am even confident enough to make them for guests. Thanks!
Mmmmmm …… I LOVE Naan, especially with yummalicious hummus!
what kind of milk do you use in this recipe? We only buy fat-free (skim) milk …. would that work?
Hi Jenn – I use 1% milk because that’s what we always have. I’d say give the skim milk a try. I think it should work just fine!
I love that each of your pieces are not perfectly round. Thank you for being a real home cook! This inspires me!
Hmm… I thought I had enough going on to try a garlic monkey bread recipe this weekend, but now I think I will have to just take 2 kinds of bread to a dinner party! You make it sound so easy that I cannot resist trying this out. Thanks for sharing!
Blows your old recipe out of the water? I’m a fan of the old recipe so I’m dying to try this. An Indian food restaurant in town presses finely chopped cilantro into one side of their naan, it’s sooooo good!
Awesome! Thank you! I just made your other recipe for Naan for the first time a couple days ago. It wasn’t as soft as I thought it should be, but we still enjoyed it. (I’m new to bread, so It might have been my mistake.) But now I’m excited to try this new one.
I have been wanting to make homemade naan for quite sometime. You make it look so easy, so I think I will finally give it a try!
Mel, how long is the first rest? thanks!
Erin (and others) – sorry I missed the detail on the first rise. I’ve edited the recipe (it should rise for about 2 hours).
I’ve been afraid to try this, but your recipe has convinced me! I don’t have a pizza stone, so do you think I could use my cast iron pan in the oven instead?
I have to admit that bread scares me a bit (I usually cheat and use my breadmaker), but I love naan, so I can’t wait to try this!
Oh, I wish I had had your recipe for naan on Wednesday night! I made your Indian Butter Chicken that night and I think we committed kitchen blasphemy by serving it with naan from the grocery store. The chicken dish was so fun to make and tasted delicious. The store-bought naan…well, it was edible. Barely. We’ll definitely give this recipe a go. Thanks for your excellent work on this blog–several of your recipes have become family favorites.
I need to give these a try! Love your website!
This bread looks amazing, Mel! I have never made naan, but you have convinced me to give it a try! I love, love, love your tutorial! You rock! 🙂
I made this awhile back (ok, like last summer) with chicken korma. Delish! I grilled mine, and it actually turned out! I thought we might be using the naan for hockey pucks the way I grill!!
Gosh, you’ve almost got me talked into trying to make naan. Do I dare?
It really is SUPER easy and this recipe is absolutely worth the effort! Try it, you’ll be glad you did.
I have never tasted naan but they sound wonderful. Thank you for another great recipe. Your blog is my go to place when I am looking for a specific recipe.
I have been wanting to make this, but I do not look forward to my oven being on 500 degrees. I guess this should be a wintertime recipe. Thank you for sharing, you have gotten me back in the mood to try it.
Angie – I’ve seen that you can grill the naan on an outdoor grill. You might give it a try if the thought of a hot oven makes you sweat!
I used my electric griddle, turned up as high as it goes and cooked each side for about two minutes. It worked great and kept the Louisiana heat from getting any worse. This is a wonderful flatbread recipe! So soft and delicious.