Garlic naans can be made with yeast dough or instant dough made with self raising flour.
This is one of my “go to” recipes now for making garlic naans both in my tandoor oven and also in a frying pan on the hob. You can use this instant naan recipe if you want to make things much easier on yourself or use this, my yeast dough recipe which I have included in the recipe card below.
Here’s a garlic naan cooked on the stove top.
How easy is it to make garlic naans?
The easiest way to prepare garlic naans is using my instant naan dough recipe here. That can be prepared in about 30 minutes and you can fry the garlic while it is sitting. The yeast dough version in the recipe card takes a few hours but it’s really good too.
You will get fluffier naans using the yeast dough but the instant dough is the dough used at most curry houses. You should find both versions quite easy but the yeast dough does take longer.
Working ahead.
Regardless of the dough you use, you can work ahead. In fact, even the instant dough will benefit from sitting, covered overnight.
So feel free to work ahead if more convenient.
Step by step photos of garlic naans.
Pour the frothy yeast mixture over the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix the dough around with your hands for a couple of minutes. In will be quite sticky and difficult to work with.
Let the sticky dough sit for a couple of minutes and then kneed it for about ten minutes. It will stretch without breaking as shown.
Form into the best ball you can and let it sit, covered in a warm area for about an hour.
The dough should double in size.
Punch the dough down and then divide it into six equal sized pieces.
Lightly dust each piece with flour and form into balls. As you can see, the dough will be soft.
Place the dough balls on a floured surface. Cover for another hour. It’s best to use a clean cloth and not plastic like I stupidly did.
Dust a clean surface with flour. Place a dough ball on the flour and rub oil over the top. Press it into a naan shape.
The naan cooking!
Cooking the garlic naans…
If you would like to step by step photos of the naans cooking in a pan, please go to my stove top naan recipe. You can also cook the garlic naans in a tandoor and you’ll find instructions here.
Fry the garlic to your preference. It can be light in colour like this, or…
You could fry the garlic until golden brown.
Top with garlic butter
Here’s a charred garlic naan I cooked in my tandoor.
Easy Tandoori Garlic Naans
Ingredients
- 600g plain white flour plus more for rolling out the naans
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 7g dry yeast
- 420ml warm water
- 4 tbsp. melted butter or vegetable ghee
- 3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander (optional)
Instructions
- Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Bring 210ml water to a rapid boil. Pour it into a jug and top with 210ml cold water. This should be the perfect temperature to wake up the dry yeast. Stir in the yeast and sugar and leave to froth up for about ten minutes.
- When the water is nice and bubbly, make a well in the flour mixture and pour it into the well. Mix it all together with your hands for a minute or so and then leave to rest for two minutes. Then knead the dough as best you can. It will be very sticky but don't be tempted to add more flour. Form into a ball, cover and leave to rise for an hour in a warm place.
- When the dough has risen (it should double in size but don't worry too much if it doesn't) divide it into six equal sized pieces. Dust each with a little flour and from into smooth balls. Place on a high sided tray and cover with a clean tea towel. Let the dough balls rise for another hour.
- When I cook in a tandoor, I place the balls on a floured surface and work them out into naan shapes with oiled hands - as shown. When pan frying I just use flour.
- Roll each ball out into round or teardrop shapes. For crispy naans, roll them quite thin. For fluffier naans the discs should be about 5mm think.
- Heat a pan - preferably cast iron over high heat until the base of the pan is very hot. Think tandoor here! The pan should be extremely hot. Slap the naan discs around between your hands to remove any excess flour.
- If using an electric hob, fry on the first side until bubbles begin to form on the top. Then flip it over briefly to brown the other side.
- If using a gas hob, wet one side of the naan with water and then slap it down hard on the pan, water side down. This will help it stick to the pan. Fry until bubbles from on top. The naan should stick to the pan. Turn the pan over so that the gas flame browns the top. Gravity will make the bubbles larger and you will have a naan that looks just like it came out of the tandoor. Pry the naan of with a metal spatula or similar.
- Repeat with the other naans and wrap in foil to keep warm.
- TO MAKE THE GARIC GHEE TOPPING
- Heat the ghee or butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry to your preference. Some people prefer it light and soft. Other prefer the garlic a bit crispier. Photos of each version are in the photos above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 1039mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 10g
These can also be made in a hot frying pan.
Daz
Sunday 8th of August 2021
Hi, i can't wait to try this recipe, looks good! Can you tell me what type of dey yeast please, instant or active?
Dan Toombs
Thursday 12th of August 2021
You Can just use instant, quick acting yeast sold in all supermarkets. Thanks Dan
Steve. Tyne
Monday 14th of June 2021
What temp should my Tandoor oven be at ? I made one from fire bricks and a clay pot which uses bbq brickets, first attempt at chicken was good bread was a failure please advise
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 15th of June 2021
The wall of the tandoor should be between 300 and 330 C for naan bread. Thanks Dan
Joe
Monday 19th of April 2021
Hi we have a second hand tandoor oven, each time we attempt to make naans it either sticks to the side and won’t come off or comes off raw. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Dan Toombs
Thursday 22nd of April 2021
That problem is usually if the oven is not hot enough. The oven must be between 300 and 325 C and then hopefully the naans should stick to the sides. You need to really slap them on with a heat proof mitten. Thanks Dan
Harriet
Thursday 26th of November 2020
This is the best recipe I've ever tried, so delicious! I was very tempted to add more flour as it was so wet but you were right on how great they'd turn out - thanks!!
Dan Toombs
Thursday 26th of November 2020
Great to hear, thanks very much. Dan
Mark
Monday 2nd of March 2020
Hi Dan,
I dont sadly own a tandoor, but I have bought a small yet powerful pizza oven to make indian flatbreads :-) Most recipes either use dry yeast OR baking powder/soda, may I ask why you opted to use both at the same time?
Mark
Dan Toombs
Thursday 5th of March 2020
Hi Mark
That's a little trick I learned along the way. I often leave the baking powder out but it does help.
Thanks, Dan