Kevin Hansen
Have you ever purchased naan from the store and been disappointed by the result? I certainly have. But since then, I’ve wised up and realized that making fresh naan in my pizza oven is both easy and delicious!
No Tandoor Oven? No Problem
Traditionally, naan is cooked in a clay tandoor oven. The raw dough is slapped to the inside wall of the clay oven using a damp cloth.
Unfortunately, I don’t own a tandoor oven, but I do own multiple pizza ovens because I love pizza so much. Luckily, it is absolutely possible to produce restaurant-quality naan in a home pizza oven. I’ve been using my Gozney Roccbox.
An Essential Ingredient: Yogurt
This naan recipe uses mostly ingredients you’ve been using to make your pizza dough, but with the addition of a key ingredient: unsweetened, plain yogurt made from whole milk. It’s important not to use Greek yogurt when making this dish because the moisture content is too low. Each brand of store-bought yogurt is a bit different in terms of fat and moisture content. I’ve tested and refined this recipe, but depending on which yogurt you use, you’ll have to use a little intuition to achieve the ideal dough texture.
Pizza Oven Naan (Indian Flatbread)
I bought 15 pizza ovens to hands-on test.It’s a hobby, not an obsession! Here are the best pizza ovens.Equipment
- Home pizza oven (I used a Gozney Roccbox.)
- Pizza peel
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment (or a regular mixing bowl if you don't have a stand mixer)
- Rolling Pin
- Water spray bottle
- Basting brush (I use a silicone basting brush.)
Ingredients
- 310 g Bread flour
- 4 g Instant Dried Yeast
- 6 g Salt
- 11 g Sugar
- 229 g Yogurt – plain, whole milk, unsweetened. (I used Trader Joe's brand, do NOT use Greek yogurt.)
- 2 tbsp Butter or ghee , melted. (This is for the next day when you bake.)
- Salt for finishing
Seriously. I have a lot of pizza ovens.Let me show you the best after hundreds of hours testing. Read my in-depth pizza oven reviews!Instructions
- Put your flour, yeast, salt, and sugar into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (or just a regular mixing bowl if you’re doing it by hand). Whisk the ingredients together.
- Add your yogurt.
- Turn the stand mixer with dough hook attachment to medium low. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, then just use your hands to knead the ingredients together.) If after a minute your dough isn’t incorporating the dry ingredients properly, add another 10g of yogurt. Keep the dough kneading until you have a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but still easy to handle.
- Remove dough from bowl and place it on a wooden surface with the bowl flipped over to cover it for 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into roughly six equal pieces. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but weigh it out if you prefer.
- Form each piece into a small ball. Place each ball in a small pint container (or whichever container you prefer for proofing—even ziplock bags would work). Place in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the dough from your refrigerator. Preheat your pizza oven until it reaches 700°F.
- Roll out your small dough balls on a floured surface until the dough is round and roughly ⅛” thick.
- Holding the flattened dough in your hand, mist the top surface of the dough with a spray or two of water. Then place it on your peel to launch into the oven set to a low flame.
- The naan will cook pretty quickly (1-2 minutes) so keep a close eye on it and rotate it as needed to get an even cook. The naan will expand almost like a balloon as it cooks—this is expected.
- Remove the naan from the oven. Allow the bread to deflate. Flip the bread over so that the side that was on the stone is now facing up.
- Finish off by brushing the naan with some melted butter or ghee. Sprinkle it with a bit of salt. It’s awesome fresh out of the oven by itself or with your favorite homemade or store-bought Indian dishes!
Video
Notes
Make it a Meal
The final product is a wonderful comfort food that pairs nicely with all types of curries.
Have you tried making naan in a pizza oven?
How did it go? Let me know in the comments!
