How to cook butter naan

The traditional Indian naan

As in any art, it is important to know its subject before starting with your own creative endeavor. Naan as a bread is of northern Indian origin and belongs to the leavened bread family. It is used as an accompaniment to a meal with the rotis or flatbreads that belong to the unleavened bread family. This is important to know in case someone confuses the different types.

Ingredients that make up a naan

In addition to wheat flour or maida, a naan is known to have added dairy and a leavening agent to help it rise and get its puffy structure. The primary dairy ingredients added are ghee or clarified butter which gives the naan that traditional buttery goodness that we all enjoy with it, and yogurt to help ferment and develop the leavening and flavors in the bread. As for the leavening agents that help it rise, they can either be yogurt or yeast.

Rolling the naan

Once a proper dough is made with these ingredients, it is rolled on a rolling board or dusted with a little flour and gently rolled by hand until it forms an oval or a tear-drop shape. As this is the basic shape of a naan, variations such as garlic, coriander, or plain exist, all retaining the essential shape of the flatbread. Since naan is unleavened, it does not require too much rolling.

Cooking in a Tandoor

The traditional Indian oven that the naan is cooked in is called the Tandoor. It is a heavy clay oven that has its wall heated and the naan placed on it. With the intense heat from the Tandoor walls, the naan cooks in just a few minutes and puffs up to form the beautiful bread that we are all familiar with and love to pair with our meals.

A homey Tandoor

In case you are confused and were wondering what a tandoor oven looks like, here is a small homey setup that shows a household version of the same. You can also watch this video on preparing an easy tandoor at home and check out this DIY Tandoor Oven for Beginners.

Prepping for your Butter Naan

Before you start prepping the actual naan, there are a few little details to keep in mind to help the preparation process go more smoothly.

The flour you use is an essential part of creating soft and pillowy naan. The more refined the flour is, the softer the naan will turn out to be. I recommend you stay away from using wheat flour and all-purpose flour for best results. For best results, you can use an all-purpose flour that has been refined 5 or 6 times, or you can go with a traditional Maida or refined wheat flour to help get that soft, pillowy naan.

The only other ingredients that I will be using for this naan recipe is a little sugar, salt, and some active dry yeast to help with the leavening and baking powder to act as a raising agent, some all-purpose flour or maida to help with the binding of the bread, and whole milk yogurt and unsalted butter to help the bread get that tender, soft structure that we are all familiar with and love to go with our curries.

Putting it all together

In a small bowl, add the sugar, yeast, and warm water and let it sit for about 5-7 minutes or until the yeast has frothed or foamed up.

The flour gets mixed with a pinch of salt and baking powder in a larger bowl to start the actual bread-making process.

To the flour, add the yogurt, yeast mixture, and softened butter and knead into a soft dough.

Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes or until it is smooth, and elastic to form the naan’s dough.

Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled in size, it is divided into small, equal-sized dough balls, to which I am now going to show you how to make the butter naan.

The rest and rise time is key

After cutting the dough into small dough balls, each piece is now gently rolled out on a rolling board until they are about 1/4th of an inch thick. Now, each rolled-out piece is dropped into the cast iron skillet that has been preheated on medium-high heat.

After placing the dough on the skillet, it is now left to cook for a few minutes or until the bread has puffed up and you can see bubbles appearing on top. The skillet is then placed on a direct flame to help the top cook quicker.

Cooking the naan on a flame

After a minute or so, the naan is flipped to the other side and placed back on the direct flame to cook on the other side. The naan is now ready to be brushed with melted butter.

Brushing the butter 

As soon as the naan is taken off the flame, it is now brushed on top with butter that is brushed generously to allow the bread to soak in the melted butter.

Enjoy the butter naan  

It is now ready to be enjoyed and to be served with your favorite curries or gravies or with a little butter or cheese. This is a traditional Indian version of how naan is made and can be made at home too.

Recipe Card for The Butter Naan Recipe 

Nutrition Facts

1. Serves: 4 naans 

2. Calories: 463kcal 

3. Fat: 19.5g 

4. Saturated fat: 10.9g 

5. Carbohydrates: 64.3g 

6. Fiber: 1.3g 

7. Protein: 9g 

8. Sodium: 586mg 

9. Cholesterol: 39mg 

Recipe

1. In a small bowl, take the yeast, sugar, and warm water.

2. Let the yeast sit for 5-7 minutes or until it has become frothy.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder with a pinch of salt.

4. Add in the yogurt, butter, and yeast mixture and knead into a soft dough.

5. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until it is soft and smooth.

6. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

7. Divide the dough into small equal-sized dough balls.

8. Roll out the dough balls gently on a rolling board to about 1/4th inch thick.

9. Place the rolled dough on a preheated cast-iron skillet and cook for a few minutes until the dough has puffed up and you can see bubbles appearing on the surface.

10. Place the skillet on direct heat to help the top of the bread cook.

11. After a minute, the bread is now flipped to cook on the other side.

12. Once the bread has cooked through, brush generously with butter.

Chef's Tips

Use fresh, high-quality flour for the best texture.

Allow enough time for fermentation; patience is key.

Roll gently to retain air pockets. 

Preheat the skillet or oven for even cooking.

Brush butter immediately after cooking for flavor. 

Experiment with garlic or herbs for variety. 

Serve hot to enjoy the soft texture.