Meera Sodha’s Naan Recipe (2024)

i've found best success making breads like this (pita and similar types) by starting with mixing all ingredients together EXCEPT the flour. Often, the amount of liquid in recipes won't hold all the flour recipes call for. Proof yeast in warm milk, add other stuff, mix well, gradually add flour. In fact I made recipe twice today using method in recipe and my method above and liked my results better. Just sayin'...

I'll echo previous comments that this recipe is fantastic. Just wanted to add a note that it also freezes beautifully -- I wrapped individual balls in plastic wrap and then froze them in a Ziploc bag. Thawed to room temperature and then cooked on a cast iron griddle. Taste and texture were identical to the first (non-frozen) batch.

Fantastic naan. Used stand mixer: wet ingredients, sugar and yeast in bowl first with paddle attachment, then sprinkled in dry ingredients, mixed to combine. Withheld a few tablespoons flour, since recipe said dough should be soft. Scraped down bowl, switched to dough hook and kneaded four minutes on #2 setting. Rose 60 minutes. Beautiful, pliable dough. Rolled out thicker than a tortilla, tossed on piping hot ungreased griddle, 45 seconds per side. Soft, puffy, with bright, fresh flavor. A+

The downside of doing this deep in the north woods, 35 miles from the nearest grocery store: when you realize you are out of yogurt, it's too late to do anything about it. The upsides include: (a) buttermilk substituted nicely; (b) after a day in 30-degree temperature chopping wood and raking leaves under a cerulean sky, it was far too beautiful to go indoors, so we lit charcoal in the Weber kettle and grilled the naan, about 2 minutes or less per side. Utterly delicious.

I have had great success making naans on a pizza stone or even cookie sheet tray, in an oven. Bake at high temperature, 470 deg F, till the naan puffs, then flip the naans (use tongs) to their other side. Toppings work great, onions, garlic, cilantro, mint etc.

Can some of the dough be refrigerated or frozen for later use? Or should it all be cooked at once?

Hi Hermsoven. Try withholding a few TB of the flour next time and check the consistency of your dough before adding the rest. I bake a lot of breads, and find when something comes out too dense, it's usually because I've added a bit too much flour. This dough should be very soft, almost sticky before rising. I used about 3 TB less flour than the recipe called for. Hope that helps!

Cold and clean, fresh air, the smell of charcoal wafting, and the reward of hot, grilled bread...nice moment you created there. Thanks for the happy moment!

Naan is not oiled when cooking. It can be brushed with ghee or butter afterwards.

From reader: it also freezes beautifully -- I wrapped individual balls in plastic wrap and then froze them in a Ziploc bag. Thawed to room temperature and then cooked on a cast iron griddle. Taste and texture were identical to the first (non-frozen) batch.

Rapid rise yeast worked fine. After 1 hour , I took 12 balls of dough and rolled them out , stacking them with wax paper in between. I cooked them 2 hours later at dinner time so they would be hot and fresh. They were a little bigger. Easy to peel from the wax paper. I cooked them in my cast iron skillet on medium high heat with a bit of olive oil at the start. 30 sec per side. Did not do the final 10 sec smash. Hot,fresh new cooked dough moisture, flexible for folding. Will cook again.

You know, my Mom (from Trinidad) has been making roti/pita without milk for years and it comes out just as soft. It really is just knowing the consistency from practice and leaving it to rest so it doesn't develop too much gluten, for a softer dough. We've just used warm water instead of milk.

Can the dough be kneaded using a mixer with a dough hook?

made and enjoyed!
i halved the recipe to make 4 good sized naan.
i brushed with garlic butter after cooking, that really made it enjoyable with the meal.
i would make again.

Made it to accompany Sam Sifton's Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma recipe also available on NYT. Huge hit and both recipes are incredibly easy. Served with white sauce, rice pilaf, romaine salad, and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

would this work with whole wheat flour?

let it rise waaay more than an hour..like 2-3.....makes perfect naan...add all the yeast and wet ingredients together first then add that to the flour...as suggested

Make this recipe at least twice a month. I brought the Naan with Roman's Artichoke Dip to a party; entered a guest, left a legend :)

I agree with comments about stiring everything but flour first. I made as instructed and it could not hold all the flour

way to much flour! it did not work out for me. waste of flour

I agree with all comments about adding the flour to the wet ingredients! I only needed 3 cups of flour. They turned are fabulous!

Good recipe, but way too much flour.

Quartered the recipe and made 3 naan. Used instant milk powder and very warm water instead of milk. Don't be afraid to use plenty of flour when shaping the rounds. Dough starts out sticky, but should pick up enough flour from the mat/surface that you can lift it. Also, wasn't sure if kosher salt meant Diamond or Morton. Used Morton kosher and salt level was just right. If you use Diamond you might want to use more.

I made this as a base for a Pizza and it was delicious!! The naan was so soft and tender. I added marinara sauce, sauted some bell peppers, onions and paneer cubes in some Garam masala, chili powder, salt and pepper and added it as toppings on my naan pizza along with garlic powder, chili flakes and oregano. It was so delicious!! :) This will be my go forward recipe for naan.

Try 3 cups flour n maybe use bread flour instead of AP

Experienced naan maker, first time trying this recipe - 4 cups is WAY too much flour! Suggest editing this recipe to start with 2.5 cups, then add more as necessary.

next time I'll try it in the stand mixer, as other commenters suggested, with the wet ingredients first. And I will proof my yeast first. following the recipe as written, they turned out ok but not great.

I used cold milk and have the dough slow rising in the fridge since dinner is later in the day. I’ll pull the dough out an hour ahead of time and let it sit in the microwave with a cup of steamy water.

My dough was super tough, what did I do wrong? Really hard to roll out. Help please.