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.
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.
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.
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
Keith Izod says
Hi, I notice that you say use "melted butter" or "vegetable ghee", when we go to England we stock up on "butter ghee". I guess that will be quite alright to use in this recipe.
My naans seem to come out rather flat and hard so am looking forward to try this recipe;
Cheers
Dan Toombs says
Hi Keith
Ghee is the best option!
Thanks,
Dan
Thrifty lesley says
These sound fab. There are just the two of us here, if I halfed the recipe, would the remaining two naan freeze do you think?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Lesley
The naans will freeze but for even better results, freeze the dough. Then defrost completely and let it rise again in a warm place. It works really well.
Thanks,
Dan
Patick Frewin says
Hi Dan, really enjoying you red book .so far no dissatisfaction with the results.
In your nan recipe are you supposed to use strong white bread flour or just plain?
Patrick
Dan Toombs says
Hi Patrick
I use plain flour but have used strong bread flour with excellent results. Either will work.
Cheers,
Dan
Linda says
I don't have a cast iron pan, but I have a carbon steel Wok. Do you think this methods would work using my Wok? Would the dough stick to it OK?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Linda
I'm not sure but that should work as long as it's not a non-stick wok. Give it a go!
Cheers,
Dan
Luke says
Made this with your Tandoori Chicken and Cumin Rice tonight. Came out brilliantly. I don't own a gas oven so rather than just leaving the top untoasted I bought a $AUD35 portable blowtorch the local hardware store. It worked a treat.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Luke. Love my blowtorch. It does work well with naans.
Thank you,
Dan
PAUL says
Hi Dan,
Love the recipes- can I freeze the raw dough before cooking then defrost at a later date ready to cook?
Paul
Dan Toombs says
Hi Paul
Thank you very much. You sure can. I freeze dough all the time and then just defrost and let it rise again. Works perfectly.
Thanks,
Dan
Heidi says
Hi Dan
I love your site! Wondering if you can make gluten free naan, and if so what type of flour would you recommend? I'm gluten intolerant. Thank you so much!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Heidi
Unfortunately, I haven't tried any gluten free naans that I thought we good enough to post on here. You can make good rotis, however with gram or rice flour. Nice dipped into curries.
Thanks,
Dan
Mark says
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 says
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
Harriet says
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 says
Great to hear, thanks very much.
Dan
Joe says
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 says
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
Steve. Tyne says
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 says
The wall of the tandoor should be between 300 and 330 C for naan bread.
Thanks
Dan
Daz says
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 says
You Can just use instant, quick acting yeast sold in all supermarkets.
Thanks
Dan