Learn how to make soft, fluffy, delicious restaurant-style Naans! All you need is a Tawa, your stove-top and a few simple ingredients for these pillowy soft Naans!

Naan is a form of bread that is made from Maida, an Indian white flour similar to pastry flour. It is eaten all over India with curries, kebobs, or pretty much anything. Naan can even be eaten on its own especially when it comes fresh out of the Tandoor (clay oven) and is slathered with butter or ghee (clarified butter). No Indian meal is complete without Naan or a Roti!

Naan is usually cooked quickly in a hot tandoor, (clay oven) and brick oven with a dome-shaped top where the temperatures are often in excess of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, the dough is hurled towards the wall of the oven, where it sticks. There, the bread bakes until it puffs up and chars slightly in spots, and then is removed from the oven with a stake.

In my travels across the world, I have found that every country has its own version of Naans. In India alone, we have over 100 varieties of Naan as they can be stuffed and topped with pretty much anything and everything. You will often find Naans topped with Nigella seeds or sesame seeds in restaurants. There are restaurants in India that specialize only in Naans! I have had some pretty interesting stuffings and flavors of Naans but my ultimate favorite is Pudina Naan!! The fresh scent of mint wins me over each and every single time. Don’t get me wrong, I will never turn down any Naan but we all have favorites!

I was introduced to Naans pretty early in life as I grew up in Iran, and like India, Naan is Iran’s main bread which is paired and enjoyed with every meal. In fact, Iran’s main breakfast is Naan, butter, feta cheese, Albaloo jam (sour cherry) some greens and a warm cup of tea!! I still recall how my brother and I often used to go the the “noonwai” (Naan Bakery) to pick up naan for dinner and would finish half of it on our way back home. You can get so many varieties of naans in Iran that our mom would always have to tell us which one to get as it depended on what was for dinner that day. Most often our choice was Noon-e-barbari, which is thick and luscious Naan that can soak up curries really well.

South Africa is also famous for its Durban Naan Bread, also known as, soomph. It is a soft loaf of bread that has fennel seeds in it. It is much thicker than the traditional Indian Naan. As you travel to different parts of Africa, you will see a variety of naans prepared with their own traditional twist but they all have one thing in common-they taste absolutely delicious and can be enjoyed during any meal of the day.

Can you make Naans Gluten-Free?

Traditionally naans are prepared using Maida (white flour); however, you certainly don’t have to use Maida. You can prepare them using wheat flour, Raagi flour or any gluten-free flour, but the taste will change slightly and you will also have to use an egg as a binding agent. Naans are white, soft and pillowy and when you make then using wheat flour, they will taste more like a roti, which I absolutely love too!!

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can refrigerate the dough and use it within 3 days and you will find that it gives you a better taste as the yeast has had time to do its thing, but you should refrigerate the dough immediately and not after it has risen.

Can you refrigerate the Naans?

Store cooled naan in an airtight plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Naan can be frozen in an airtight plastic bag for 2 months. Thaw the naan in the airtight plastic bag at room temperature and refresh over an open flame or wrap in aluminum and reheat in an oven at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

How do you reheat the Naans?

You can thaw them by transferring them from your freezer to the fridge the night before. You can reheat them one of several ways:

You can re-heat them using your Tawa. Simply place the Naan on a hot Tawa, add some ghee to it, and make sure that you have heated it on both sides

You can reheat them in an oven. Just add some ghee, place then in a baking tray and set the temperature at 400 degrees and don’t forget to turn them over. This will take between 5-7 minutes

You can also reheat them your toaster oven. In-fact they can go directly from the freezer to the toaster oven for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Can you make Naans without the Mint (Pudina)?

By following this recipe you can learn how to make a traditional Naan but you can also top or stuff them with anything your heart desires!! There is no right or wrong when it comes to customizing them as per your taste. You can make them plain butter naans, top them with sesame or nigella seeds, garlic, or stuff them onions, potatoes, paneer. The choices are endless!!

What do you eat the Naan with?

ANYTHING!!! I am not kidding when I say this, but you can literally enjoy them anything. They can be eaten with butter and yogurt, any type of curry, hummus, rolled up as Kathi rolls stuffed with kebobs or paneer.