Naanਨਾਨ
⏱ Prep 5m🍳 Cook 12m🍽 Serves 6🌿 Vegetarian
Video: Tim is Cooking (YouTube)
Naan is the classic tandoor-baked leavened flatbread of Punjab and North India, now a staple on every South Asian restaurant menu worldwide. This quick skillet version delivers a soft, chewy naan with a lightly charred bottom in just 15 minutes — no oven, no yeast, no waiting. The yogurt provides both the lift and the slight tang that distinguishes naan from other flatbreads.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪All-purpose flour (maida / ਮੈਦਾ)2 cups
- ▪Baking powder1½ tsp
- ▪Salt½ tsp
- ▪Sugar1 tsp
- ▪Plain yogurt (dahi / ਦਹੀ), full-fat¾ cup
- ▪Warm water, as needed2–3 tbsp
- ▪Oil or ghee for cooking1 tbsp
- ▪Butter or ghee for finishing (ਮੱਖਣ)2 tbsp
- ▪Nigella seeds or black sesame (kalonji / ਕਲੌਂਜੀ)1 tsp
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Maida (all-purpose flour) is the standard; self-rising flour can substitute with the baking powder reduced to ½ tsp, giving an even quicker, slightly airier result.
- Full-fat yogurt gives the richest flavour and the best texture; Greek yogurt (thinned with a tablespoon of water) or sour cream both work well as direct swaps outside South Asia.
- Nigella seeds (kalonji) add the characteristic slightly bitter, onion-like flavour of restaurant naan — find them at South Asian or Middle Eastern grocery stores; substitute with black sesame seeds for a milder, nuttier note.
Method
- 1Whisk together maida, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the yogurt and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add warm water, one tablespoon at a time, and knead briefly — about 1 minute — until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. No rest time needed.
- 2Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a thin oval or round, about 4–5 mm thick. Sprinkle nigella seeds over the surface and give one gentle roll to press them in.
- 3Heat a heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over high heat for 2–3 minutes until very hot. Brush one side of the naan lightly with oil or a few drops of water.
- 4Place the naan oiled-side or wet-side down on the dry hot skillet. Cook uncovered until bubbles puff up and the bottom has golden-brown char spots, about 2 minutes.
- 5Flip and cook the second side for 1–1½ minutes until cooked through and lightly charred. Remove from the pan, brush immediately with butter or ghee, and serve hot.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.