The fastest bread on the site. A yogurt-enriched dough that comes together in 90 minutes, cooks on a screaming-hot pan or BBQ in under two minutes per piece, and leaves you with soft, charred, pliable flatbread you'll fight over.
Naan is the bread we make most often through summer. There's no oven involved — which means no overheated kitchen — and the dough is forgiving enough that you can mix it in the morning, walk away, and come back to make four or eight or twelve pieces in a quick burst before dinner.
We grew up eating this bread, and we will tell you with no false humility: a homemade naan, made with full-fat yogurt and slapped onto a cast-iron pan, is better than 90% of restaurant naan in Canada. The remaining 10% is in a tandoor at someone's grandmother's house and we cannot help you there.
What you'll need
8 naan, about 18×12 cm each
- 500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 8 g (1½ tsp) fine sea salt
- 5 g (1¼ tsp) instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) full-fat plain yogurt (Greek-style works well)
- 150 g (⅔ cup) lukewarm water
- 30 g (2 tbsp) neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed)
- For finishing: 60 g melted butter or ghee, chopped fresh coriander, flaky salt, optional minced garlic
Flour notes
Canadian bakers — Canadian AP (Robin Hood, Five Roses, ~13% protein) is exactly what naan wants. Use it straight. Do not use bread flour — too tough.
US bakers — US AP at 10.5–11.5% is also perfect for naan. Don't reach for bread flour here; the higher protein gives a tougher, less pliable bread.
Yogurt note: use full-fat plain yogurt — Liberté, Astro, or any 3.25%+ plain yogurt for Canadian readers; Stonyfield, Fage, Chobani plain for US. Low-fat or 0% gives a tighter, less tender bread. Greek-style is fine but stir in 30 g of milk to compensate for thickness.
The method
Mix · 4 minutes
In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, yeast, and sugar. Add yogurt, water, and oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead · 6 to 8 minutes
Tip onto a lightly floured counter. Knead until smooth, soft, and just slightly tacky — about 6 to 8 minutes by hand. The dough should pillow under your palm and feel alive.
Rise · 60 to 75 minutes
Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Rise in a warm spot until visibly puffy and almost doubled — 60 to 75 minutes.
Divide · 5 minutes
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Divide into 8 equal pieces (about 110 g each). Roll each into a tight ball. Cover with a clean tea towel — keeps them soft while you work.
Heat the pan ridiculously hot · 5 minutes
Heat a cast-iron pan or skillet over the highest heat your stove can produce for at least 5 minutes. The pan must be smoking-hot. If you have a BBQ, fire it up to high heat with the lid down. The high heat is what gives naan its signature charred-bubble character; a moderate pan gives flat, pale bread.
Roll and cook · 90 seconds per naan
Take one ball of dough. On a lightly floured counter, roll it into an oval roughly 18×12 cm and 3 mm thick. Slap it onto the screaming-hot pan. Within 30 seconds you'll see big bubbles forming on the surface. After 60 to 90 seconds total, when the bottom has dark brown spots, flip with tongs. Cook another 45 to 60 seconds. Total cook time: under two minutes per piece.
Brush and stack · ongoing
Move each finished naan to a plate. Brush immediately with melted butter or ghee while still hot. Stack the cooked naan, cover with a clean tea towel to keep them soft and pliable. Continue with the rest. Just before serving, sprinkle with flaky salt, chopped fresh coriander, and minced garlic if using.
Climate notes
Hot summer kitchens are this recipe's friend. The dough rises faster, the cast iron heats easier outdoors on a side burner, and you don't blow up your indoor temperature. This is genuinely the best summer bread on the site.
Cold winter kitchens: the rise stretches to 90 minutes. Use a turned-off oven with the light on if you want to keep it tight.
BBQ option: a cast-iron pan on a BBQ at high heat (~280°C / 540°F lid closed) gives you smoky, slightly tandoor-adjacent naan. Keep the lid down between flips. Best version of this bread short of a real tandoor.
Variations
- Garlic naan. Press 2 cloves of finely minced garlic into the surface of each rolled-out naan before slapping it on the pan. Brush with garlic butter (butter melted with another minced clove) after cooking. The version most people imagine when they hear 'naan'.
- Stuffed naan (peshawari, keema, paneer). After dividing into balls, flatten each into a small disc, place a spoonful of filling in the centre, gather the edges, pinch closed, and roll out gently. Cook the same way.
- Whole-wheat naan. Replace 200 g of the AP with whole wheat flour. Add 20 g extra water. Slightly nuttier and chewier; pairs beautifully with curries with strong sauces.
- Pizza-style flatbread. After rolling out and giving the naan its first 60 seconds in the pan, flip, brush the cooked side with passata, scatter with mozzarella and toppings, cover the pan with a lid for 90 seconds until the cheese melts. The fastest pizza you'll ever make.
Storage
Naan is fundamentally a same-day bread. Within an hour of cooking, it's at its absolute best — soft, pliable, slightly steamy under the towel.
If you have leftovers, store wrapped in a damp tea towel inside a breathable linen bread bag at room temperature. Reheat by sprinkling lightly with water and toasting in a hot dry pan for 30 seconds per side.
Naan freezes well: cool completely, stack with parchment between pieces, wrap in foil, and freeze. Reheat from frozen directly on a hot dry pan for 60 to 90 seconds per side. Tastes nearly fresh.
Common questions
Can I make naan without a tandoor?
Absolutely — naan made on a really, really hot cast-iron pan is genuinely excellent and takes nothing more than what's already in most kitchens. The key word is 'really hot' — your pan should be on the highest heat for a full 5 minutes before the first naan goes in. Most home naan failures come from a pan that's only medium-hot.
Why is my naan stiff or chewy?
Two reasons. Either the pan wasn't hot enough — naan needs to cook in under 2 minutes total; longer cook times dry out the bread. Or you over-kneaded — naan dough wants to be soft and just slightly tacky, not stretchy and tight like sandwich bread. Knead 6 to 8 minutes, no more.
Can I use store-bought yogurt?
Yes — and you should. The dough relies on the slight acidity and fat in the yogurt for tenderness. Use full-fat plain yogurt (Liberté, Astro, Stonyfield, Fage, etc.). Avoid flavoured or 0% yogurts; the texture suffers.
Can I make naan ahead?
The dough yes, the cooked naan less so. Mix the dough, complete the rise, divide into balls, place on an oiled tray, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Roll and cook just before serving. The cooked bread is best within an hour of cooking, though leftovers freeze well.