How to make the best garlic naan bread that is so soft, stretchy, slightly chewy, and garlicky that you will love tearing and can't stop eating these naans. You can make overnight naan bread with this recipe too.
Mix the melted ghee/butter with grated garlic for brushing the naan later. Set aside
Making the dough:
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add yeast, garlic, water, and yogurt
If kneading with stand mixer:
Attach the dough hook and let it kneads on low speed for about 5-8 minutes. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky to the bowl and comes together into a nice silky mass. It may be just a tiny bit sticky to the touch, but I know when this is the case, the bread will come out soft
If kneading by hand:
Gradually combine the wet and dry ingredients. Work through the sticky stage and knead until the dough is no longer sticky about 10-15 minutes. It will come together as smooth
Resting:
Lightly oil the bowl and then cover and let it rises in a warm place until doubled in size (45minutes to 1 hour)
Shaping:
Lightly dust your working surface and your hands with flour. Place the dough on it and punch it down and knead it a few times and roll it into a long log and divide into 8 to 10 equal pieces of dough. Keep them covered and work with one dough at a time. Roll the dough out into about 6-inch irregular oval shape. Roll it slightly thicker at the edge
Cooking on stove-top:
Preheat your non-stick pan or cast-iron skillet (if you have one). Brush the skillet with some melted ghee. Place the naan on the skillet and let it cook until the naan start to puff up and you see light brown spots (my favorite parts) about 1-2 minutes. Brush with some ghee/butter and flip to the other sides and cook for another 1 minute or less. Remove from the heat and brush with more melted ghee and garlic combo if you wish. Continue with the rest of the dough and stack them up as you cook them. Serve warm with some fresh cilantro leaves or other dishes
Cooking naan in the oven:
Preheat your oven to 500 F with a baking stone in there. Make sure there are no little bits of food from previous cooking in there or your oven will be smoky. Place 2-3 piece of your naan bread on the stone and bake for about 8 minutes or until cooked, and then switch to high broil and then just broil quickly to get that nice brown spots. The longer you bake the naan, the crispier the naan gets, you don't want crispy naan!
Storing and reheating:
They can be refrigerated for 3-5 days. You can also freeze them in tightly sealed bag. When I want them, I just thaw them in the refrigerator and then sprinkle with some water and cover with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes until warm OR you can just throw them on the grill. They heat up nicely too. We get rid of our microwave a while ago, but I believe you can reheat it in the microwave too after thawing. Just be sure not to use aluminum foil in there though
Video
Notes
If not using yogurt, you may need to add more water 1 tsp at a time until the dough comes together into a mass.If you are using active dry yeast, use lukewarm water and put the yeast in and let it sits until foamy (about 10 minutes) before mixing with the rest of the ingredients in step 1