Homemade Garlic Naan Bread loaded with garlic and green onions. This is one of the tastiest pieces of bread around and you can make it in your own kitchen!
If there was ever a food enjoyed by people in every part of the world, it would have to be bread, including naan bread!
I was hard-pressed to find a country that wasn’t known for some kind of baked dough, be it sweet or savory. Flour, yeast, water, and salt are where some of the best meals start, and you don’t need any fancy equipment when you make your own bread at home.
If you like to use a bread machine, then keep at it but I find that they don’t give you the same texture and crumb as naturally risen yeast does. What I would say is most important in the whole process is high heat, and the higher the better.
Your standard oven will work for most bread, even this Garlic Naan Bread recipe, but you’ll have to crank up the heat.
Baking the naan bread.
I baked this naan recipe at 550 degrees, the highest temperature my oven can reach. History tells us that traditionally, bread was baked in outside ovens (usually made of some kind of brick or clay) and now people are trying to get that heat source back. You’ll need some good baking trays like these ones I use.
If you use a traditional pizza oven that can reach 800 degrees, you’ll be able to get that awesome bubbly char on the crust. To finish the naan bread, glaze with some melted butter.
Which type of yeast should I use for my naan recipe?
I always use Red Star Yeast mixture when I’m making bread. It’s never let me down yet, and I love how there are different kinds I can use depending on what I’m making.
I left this dough to rise in the refrigerator overnight so the Regular Active yeast was perfect, but if I had needed the naan bread that same day, the Quick Rising yeast is what I’d have used.
They also have a Superior Platinum yeast which gives amazing results in regards to texture and crumb. For tons of baking recipes and tips on how to bake with yeast, check out the Red Star Yeast website!
Check out these other homemade bread recipes I love!
Fresh Baked Italian Ciabatta Rolls
This post was sponsored by Red Star Yeast. All thoughts and opinions are always my own.
This post has been updated with slight recipe tweaks for improvement and better photographs.
Homemade Garlic Naan Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tsp Red Star Active Dry Yeast
- 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting the work surface with
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup minced garlic From a jar is easier
- 3/4 cup green onion sliced finely
- 1 tbsp Olive oil for brushing the dough
Instructions
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Fill a medium sized bowl with the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of it.
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Whisk the yeast until it's dissolved.
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Add 3 cups of the flour, salt, garlic and green onion and stir with a heavy spatula or wooden spoon until smooth.
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Add the remaining flour. Stir again until well combined and the dough comes together into a ball.
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Dust a clean work surface with some flour and dump out the dough.
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Start to knead the dough dusting with more flour if things get sticky.
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Once the dough is a round ball, about 2-3 minutes of kneading, place the dough back into the bowl it came from making sure to lightly oil the bowl with a little olive oil to prevent the dough sticking.
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Cover the dough and let rise in a warm area for 1 1/2 hours or until almost doubled in size.
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Transfer the dough back out onto your floured work surface and punch down into a rough circle shape.
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Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
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Prepare a large baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat and dust lightly with flour
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Using your fingers stretch and work each piece of dough into a long oval shape about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide.
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Lay each piece onto your prepared baking pan and brush each piece of naan lightly with some olive oil.
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Preheat the oven to 550 degrees or as hot as you can get it.
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Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or longer if you like it more crusty. Check the bottom of the bread for a dark color.
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Once the naan has finished baking, transfer it to a plate and cover with a clean towel to stay warm.
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The bread is best served warm and can be reheated covered in foil in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan
Tieghan says
January 25, 2015 at 8:14 pmGarlic naan!?!? This is my favorite!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
January 25, 2015 at 9:35 pmI love naan bread, this looks like the best!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
January 26, 2015 at 5:24 amMy family loves it when I make naan. Your garlic version sounds wonderful.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) says
January 26, 2015 at 6:52 amGarlic naan is seriously one of my absolute faves! I adore it!
Kristina says
January 26, 2015 at 7:23 am“flour, yeast, water and salt is where some of the best meals start.” I completely agree! most everyone loves bread, and this recipe looks so good! pinning to make soon, thank you!
Kristen says
January 26, 2015 at 7:26 amHoly cow, Gerry – this is the best looking naan I have ever seen! I can’t wait to try making it!
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:48 amwow..I appreciate that Kristen :)
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
January 26, 2015 at 7:54 amIndian takeout is the highest order of treat in our house — and homemade naan has been on that bucket list for too long, this looks amazing Gerry!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
January 26, 2015 at 9:02 amThis looks so delicious! I need to make this for my family soon!
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:48 amYayy Lori, serve it with some awesome Indian food!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
January 26, 2015 at 9:12 amNaan is SO good, but garlic naan is the best. This looks amazing, Gerry — pinned!
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:48 amThanks Steph!!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
January 26, 2015 at 9:30 amThese garlic naan look fantastic, Gerry.
Jess @ Sweet Menu says
January 26, 2015 at 5:43 pmHow great is this! I LOVE
Jess @ Sweet Menu says
January 26, 2015 at 5:44 pmHow great is this! I LOVE naan bread and this looks incredible! I will have to try this.
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:47 amGreat Jess and thanks :)
Deborah says
January 26, 2015 at 10:44 pmThis looks absolutely perfect!! I could not live without bread, and I need this naan in my life!
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:47 amThanks Deborah :)
mymansbelly says
January 27, 2015 at 7:01 amI’ve never made naan before, but I keep thinking I should try it. Thanks for posting this recipe…I’m going to give it a go this weekend.
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:45 amKeep me posted Pamela!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
January 27, 2015 at 5:45 pmI have been wanting to make my own naan bread for some time, and this really motivates me!
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:44 amAwesome Kacey!!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
January 28, 2015 at 5:51 amWhere do I sign up, because naan is my absolute favorite? I always hit up the naan when I visit our favorite Indian buffet, like all the naan. Pinned.
foodnessgracious says
January 28, 2015 at 9:44 amNo sign in required Jennie :)
bristol plasterers says
April 13, 2015 at 12:54 amSuper delicious Great recipe. Thanks for posting this up.
Simon
Kristine says
April 17, 2015 at 3:29 pmdo you think it will work just as well with wheat flour? Some recipes I try to exchange white flour with whole wheat don’t work out well.
foodnessgracious says
April 18, 2015 at 3:56 pmHi Kristine,If anything I think it might make the bread more dense and heavy, but Naan is not like sandwich bread so you might get away with it. Let me know how things go!
sian says
May 8, 2015 at 4:54 pmTried it. Kinda salty and turned out really crusty after just 6 minutes :/ I think I prefer it cooked on a pan. I’m new to this oven though so maybe it was too hot.
Preety mohata says
May 27, 2015 at 4:31 amhey this one of the best recipe of garlic naan, i hv tried so far thnx for posting, my husband really loved it wen i served it with dal.
Karen M. says
July 14, 2015 at 11:35 pmMade this and it is wonderful, used garlic scape pesto I froze instead of the garlic cloves. Made homemade hummus to dip it into, heavenly lunch! Thanks for sharing
foodnessgracious says
July 15, 2015 at 3:51 pmGlad to hear it Karen and the pesto sounds awesome!
Shella says
April 14, 2016 at 1:48 pmThat’s one awesome naan there. And garlic is my favourite. Your’s look perfect.
Robert says
May 11, 2016 at 7:22 am5 1/2 cups of flour, and only 4 naans?
Other recipes serve 8 to 10 naans with 3 – 4 cups of flour.
I’m giving it a shot on Friday. After work because of the 10 cloves.
Thanks for the recipe.
Meaghan Kuehn says
May 12, 2016 at 4:20 pmFellow baker here and naan lover here!! I’ve never made naan before, but want to try, and it looks pretty easy! Here’s my question: so you used A-D yeast, do you need to activate it? Or just mix in and let it activate while fermenting?
foodnessgracious says
May 13, 2016 at 3:14 pmHi Meaghan, I just added it in and let it ferment, hope that helps!
Deb says
June 10, 2016 at 11:48 amI haven’t made it yet but it looks good! Anyway we can get the calorie, carb, etc. count on this?
Gretta says
July 13, 2016 at 1:07 pmI’m fixing to make it now
Sherie says
June 2, 2017 at 8:03 amGreta, you have to be from the south, because I’m fixin to try this also…..Only in the south we all say fixin……lol
Corey says
November 9, 2016 at 9:12 amMade a pesto vegetarian pizza outta the bread last night, best/most simplistic dough I have ever made. This one is a keeper!!!
Andrea says
April 3, 2017 at 10:02 pmIs this a vegan recipe by any chance? We have this new tradition we are starting with our friends. That each time we give the green bowl back to each other we have to fill it with something for the other person. However my buddies gf is vegan (which is kind of a pain) so I’m searching out some vegan recipes. Thanks in advance.
foodnessgracious says
April 5, 2017 at 1:21 pmHi Andrea, you should be good to go with this as a vegan recipe :)
Victoria P says
April 11, 2017 at 7:38 amMade this naan and, wow!, yummy. Served with curried chickpeas. Sooooo good. However, my oven only gets up to 500 degrees. My bread was perfect but my garlic was overlooked and bitter. I’m thinking this could be because of the oven temp. Do you have any recommendation?
foodnessgracious says
April 11, 2017 at 9:46 amYay Victoria, glad you liked it!The garlic may have gotten a bit scorched, try mixing it through the dough next time.
Victoria Davies says
May 24, 2017 at 10:53 pmJust made this omg used coriander instead of green onion it was amazingb
foodnessgracious says
May 28, 2017 at 10:35 amEpic Victoria, thanks for the feedback!
Laura says
May 26, 2017 at 5:40 pmIt looks awesome! No doubt about it. But I was a little disappointed when I didn’t see yogurt on the ingredient list. Doesn’t nan mean yogurt bread?
foodnessgracious says
May 28, 2017 at 10:34 amNot necessarily I don’t think Laura :)
Yang says
June 20, 2017 at 12:19 pmThis looks so delicious! I want to make them on the coming weekend. Have a silly question though. Do you lay them in a single layer on the baking tray or stack them up? Thank you!
foodnessgracious says
June 25, 2017 at 12:21 pmYou lay them on a single layer Yang, :)
Brigette says
July 18, 2017 at 11:09 amCan you use a cast iron hot plate to cook or is it better in the oven?
foodnessgracious says
July 18, 2017 at 11:15 amHi Brigette, I think that would work as long as each loaf is very thin, hope that helps :)
Heather says
July 22, 2017 at 9:23 amIs it really 1/2 cup of garlic? I’m excited to make this, but wanted to check.
foodnessgracious says
July 24, 2017 at 8:36 pmHi Heather, that’s correct but you can cut back if you like. I love it strong flavored :)
Ila says
August 21, 2017 at 10:01 pmHi there, I want to make this for dinner tonight. Can this recipe be used to bake in a loaf pan and then sliced? If so what tempreture would I use and for how long would I need to bake it?
Thanks
foodnessgracious says
August 22, 2017 at 4:37 pmHi Ila, no you can’t make this in a loaf pan, only on a flat baking sheet :)
Ione Ishii says
January 20, 2018 at 6:04 pmBut why doesn’t the yeast and warm water proof prior to adding all the ingredients? I currently have followed this recipe to the “T” and it is NOT raising. :( I have it in a warm oven, but I am not hopeful this will work. I am 67 years old and have made bread since I was 10 years old, have made naan many times – this recipe just doesn’t seem to be working. :(
foodnessgracious says
January 21, 2018 at 10:06 pmHi Lone, that’s strange. How fresh is your yeast? And the bread doesn’t rise that much, to begin with, it’s fairly flat.
foodnessgracious says
February 20, 2018 at 12:17 pmIt’s not meant to rise much
Tin says
December 15, 2018 at 10:47 amCan I cook in a pan on the oven using this,recipe?
foodnessgracious says
December 27, 2018 at 8:17 pmHi Tin, if the pan is big enough, sure!
Heather says
December 27, 2018 at 12:41 amThis does not look like the flat beautiful
naan bread picture I tapped on to get to
your recipe. Your pictures shows some naan
bread that is a lot
thicker .
foodnessgracious says
December 27, 2018 at 8:14 pmHi Heather, I re-shot the pictures and went with a slightly bigger loaf size than before and didn’t flatten them as much. You can flatten them as much as you prefer.