Tawa Naan
توے والا نان
Most Pakistani homes don't have a tandoor, but soft, chewy naan is still possible on an ordinary . The dough is made with , yeast and yogurt and left to rise until doubled, which gives the naan its airy, bubbly texture. Cooked on a very hot tawa and finished with a brush of butter, it is perfect with karahi, qorma, daal or any salan.
- ⏱ Total: 2 hr 20 min
- Prep: 2 hr
- Cook: 20 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Stir the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm milk and leave for 5–10 minutes until frothy. The milk should feel just warm on your wrist, not hot.
In a large bowl, mix the and salt. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt and oil, and bring it together, adding the water a little at a time. Knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is very soft, smooth and slightly sticky.
Cover the bowl and leave the dough in a warm place for 1.5–2 hours, until it has doubled in size and a finger poked into it leaves a dent that stays. This is the .
Punch the dough down gently, divide it into 6 balls and rest them, covered, for 10 minutes. Roll or stretch each ball into an oval about 5 mm thick, press a few nigella seeds onto the top and brush the underside lightly with water.
Heat a or heavy pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Lay the naan on it, wet side down, and cook for 1–1.5 minutes until bubbles rise all over the top and the underside has brown spots.
Flip the naan and cook the top for 30–60 seconds, pressing the puffed areas lightly with a cloth, until golden-brown spots appear. On a gas stove, you can instead hold the naan with tongs directly over the flame for a few seconds to char it like a tandoor.
Brush the hot naan generously with melted butter and wrap it in a clean cloth while you cook the rest. Serve warm with karahi, qorma, daal or any salan.
Kitchen notes
Keep the dough soft, softer than roti dough. A stiff dough gives a dense, dry naan.
The tawa must be properly hot before the first naan goes on. If it is too cool, the naan dries out before it puffs.
No yeast? Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda with the yogurt instead, and rest the dough for just 1 hour. The naan will be a little less airy but still soft.
Naan at home, no tandoor needed
In Pakistan, naan usually comes from the neighbourhood tandoor, bought hot just before a meal. But on days when the tandoor is closed, for guests who arrive late, or for anyone living abroad without a naan shop nearby, a tawa naan is the answer. It is soft, chewy and blistered, and it goes with everything from chicken karahi and nihari to a simple bowl of daal.
The key technique: a soft, well-risen dough and a very hot tawa
Two things make a tawa naan puff and stay tender. The first is the dough: yogurt and milk make it soft and slightly tangy, and a full rise until doubled fills it with air pockets. Don’t add too much flour while kneading; a dough that is slightly sticky gives the softest naan. The second is heat. A tandoor reaches far higher temperatures than any pan, so the tawa must be preheated until very hot. Wetting the underside of the naan helps it sit flat and stick slightly, so the top puffs up in bubbles while the base browns.
Variations
- Garlic naan: press finely chopped garlic and coriander onto the top before cooking, and brush with garlic butter.
- Sesame naan: use white sesame seeds instead of nigella.
- Quick naan: skip the yeast and use baking powder and baking soda with the yogurt, as in the notes.
Storing and serving
Naan is best eaten within an hour. Leftovers keep for a day wrapped at room temperature, or for a month in the freezer, separated with baking paper. Reheat on a hot tawa with a sprinkle of water, and brush with fresh butter before serving.
Questions people ask
Can I make naan with atta instead of maida?
You can replace up to half the maida with atta. All atta makes a heavier, denser bread that is closer to a khameeri roti than a naan.
Why didn't my dough rise?
The yeast may be old, or the milk was too hot and killed it. Check that the yeast froths in the first step, and keep the dough somewhere warm, such as inside a switched-off oven with the light on.
How do I keep naan soft for later?
Stack them in a cloth-lined container as they come off the tawa. To reheat, sprinkle with a few drops of water and warm on the tawa for 20 seconds per side, or wrap in foil and heat in the oven.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 340
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
