Welcome to Part IV of the component-dish series for the transcendent “Second to Naanwich,” a creation that I’m still thinking about weeks later. If you missed earlier installments, check out Part I, Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy), Part II, Homemade Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Raita, and Part III, Homemade Ghee. Tomorrow I’ll share the Tandoori-style grilled chicken recipe and step-by-step assembly for the you-know-what. Visit our Bread Recipes page for more wonderful homemade breads.
I have a well-documented affection for bread. It’s one of those food obsessions that shows up in many recipes on this site. Few things compare to a fresh, hot loaf straight from the oven, but this version of naan brings instant gratification to another level: it’s pan-fried. Imagine chewy bread pan-fried in butter—better yet, in ghee. The result is naan that’s crisp and slightly charred on the outside, tender and chewy inside. If you love simple, soulful food, this is for you.
*A playful nod to the many generations who perfected flatbreads across a subcontinent, who might scowl at my casual description of naan as a convenience food.
This recipe is especially convenient because it uses the Master Bread Dough, a versatile dough I use in many recipes. That means you can keep dough in the refrigerator and pull off a portion when you want fresh naan. In minutes you can have hot, pan-fried naan ready to serve—chewy, buttery, and deeply satisfying. It’s the sort of thing that makes hosting easy and makes you look like someone who knows their way around a kitchen.
Use ghee for frying if you can. You could use oil or plain butter, but ghee offers two advantages: it adds a rich, nutty flavor that complements bread, and because ghee has a higher smoke point than butter, it lets you cook the naan longer without burning it. That produces a bread that’s cooked through—golden and slightly charred on the outside, soft and chewy inside—rather than scorched on the outside and underdone inside.
This is comfort food that lifts the spirits. Do yourself a favor and make some. I encourage you because I want you to love it as much as I do.
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Homemade Naan
The dough recipe is adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It makes a large batch of dough you can use for many recipes; you can also halve or quarter the batch if you prefer.
Ingredients for the Master Bread Dough:
- 6 cups warm (not hot) water
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt (if using table salt, reduce to 2 teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons active dry yeast (or SAF Instant Yeast)
- 13 cups (about 3 lb 7.25 oz) all-purpose flour
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or container until a shaggy, even dough forms. No kneading required. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a lid—do not seal tightly. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for about two hours or until it has more than doubled. It may collapse slightly after rising; that’s fine. After doubling, you can refrigerate the dough for up to two weeks or use a portion immediately.
Ingredients for the Naan:
- Ghee
- Master Bread Dough
- Additional all-purpose flour for dusting
Generously dust a work surface with flour. Pull off a portion of dough about the size of a golf ball and place it on the floured surface. Use your hands or a rolling pin to stretch the dough as thin as you can. If it resists and springs back, let it rest a few minutes and try again; it will relax and become easier to shape. For sandwich-style naan, stretch to roughly the size and shape of a single chicken breast if desired—this is optional but can make assembly neater.
Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid over high heat. Cast-iron or a heavy anodized pan works well. You’ll know the pan is hot enough when a few drops of water skitter across the surface before evaporating.
Spoon about 2 teaspoons of ghee into the hot pan and swirl to coat. Place the stretched dough into the pan and immediately cover with the lid. Lower the heat to medium–medium-high. Fry for 1–2 minutes to allow the underside to brown while the top steams.
Lift the lid and check the bread. When the top is puffy and the underside shows a rich golden brown around the edges and across parts of the center, flip the naan. Cover and cook another 1–2 minutes until the second side is also a deep golden brown. Transfer finished naan to a rack and continue with the remaining dough. These are best served within an hour of cooking.
Enjoy fresh, buttery naan on its own or use it as the base for the Second to Naanwich—tomorrow’s post will walk you through the tandoori-style chicken and sandwich assembly.