This skillet garlic naan bread is soft, blistered, and brushed with garlic butter, and it cooks in a hot frying pan with no tandoor needed. A stand mixer handles the kneading, so the work is mostly waiting.
The yogurt dough stays tender and slightly tangy, and each round puffs up in minutes. Serve it warm beside curries, dips, and grilled meats, and watch the stack disappear.
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Why This Skillet Garlic Naan Bread Recipe Works
Yogurt and a little baking powder give the dough a soft, tender crumb with a gentle tang. The dough is sticky on purpose, which keeps the cooked bread pillowy instead of dry.
A very hot frying pan mimics the blast of heat from a traditional clay oven. The dough puffs in bubbles, and the surface picks up golden spots in minutes.
Brushing the finished bread with garlic butter straight from the pan lets the butter soak in while the naan is still steaming.
Ingredients for Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water, warm but not hot
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour (300 grams), plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, for the dough
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (150 ml)
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for the dough
- 3 to 4 tablespoons all purpose flour, for dusting
- 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for brushing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, for the garlic butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley, or 4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Instant yeast. It can go straight into liquid. Warm water wakes it up, and a foamy top after 5 minutes shows it is active.
Bread flour. Its higher protein makes a chewy, stretchy dough that puffs well in the pan. All purpose flour works but gives a slightly softer bread.
Yogurt. Plain yogurt adds moisture and tang and keeps the dough tender. Full fat gives the ideal softness.
Baking powder. A small amount adds lift so the bread bubbles quickly in the hot pan.
Garlic butter. Melted butter, garlic, salt, and parsley form a brush for the hot bread. Mince the garlic fine so it spreads evenly.
How to Make Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
1. Bloom the yeast Stir the yeast into the warm water and leave it for 5 minutes until foam forms on top.
2. Mix the dough Add the bread flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, yeast mixture, yogurt, and melted butter to a stand mixer bowl and mix with the dough hook until combined.
3. Knead Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and quite sticky.
4. Let it rise Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes until doubled in size.
5. Shape the naan Dust the counter with flour, divide the dough into 6 balls, dust each one, and roll into teardrops about 7 inches long and 5 inches wide. Set the oven to its lowest setting for keeping the cooked breads warm.
6. Cook in the skillet Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Cook one naan for about 3 minutes until it puffs, flip it, and cook about 3 minutes more until golden patches appear.
7. Brush and keep warm Mix the melted butter, salt, garlic, and parsley. Brush the cooked naan generously, then place it on a tray covered with foil in the warm oven while you cook the rest.
How to Serve Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
Serve the naan warm with golden coconut chicken curry for scooping up every drop of sauce. It also wraps around chicken shawarma and homemade falafel for a handheld meal, and tastes wonderful torn into pieces and dipped in whipped feta dip with honey. Cut it into wedges for an appetizer board.
How to Store and Reheat Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
Keep cooled naan in an airtight bag at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate it for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the cooked breads for up to 3 months with parchment between them. Reheat in a dry skillet for about a minute per side, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven until soft. Refresh with a little extra garlic butter if the surface looks dry.
Tips and Variations for Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
Check the water temperature. Warm water should feel comfortable on your wrist. Water that is too hot can kill the yeast.
Keep the dough sticky. A tacky dough makes a softer bread, so dust your hands and the counter instead of working extra flour into the dough.
Roll evenly. Roll to an even thickness so the bread puffs and cooks through.
Use a hot pan. Let the skillet heat for a few minutes before the first naan goes in. A cast iron pan holds heat ideal.
Cover the cooked bread. Foil traps steam and keeps the naan soft while the rest cook.
Brush while hot. Garlic butter soaks in ideal when the naan is fresh from the pan.
Add seeds. A sprinkle of nigella seeds or sesame seeds on the dough before cooking adds nutty crunch.
Keep food safe. Cool leftover bread fully before storing, and review the Purdue Extension guide to storing leftovers for general chilling advice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Skillet Garlic Naan Bread
Can I make skillet garlic naan bread without a stand mixer?
Yes. Knead by hand on a floured counter for about 10 minutes, adding only enough flour to keep the dough workable. It will stay slightly sticky.
How do I know skillet garlic naan bread is cooked?
The bread puffs into bubbles on the first side and shows golden patches after flipping. Each side takes about 3 minutes in a hot pan.
Can I prepare skillet garlic naan bread dough ahead?
Yes. After the first rise, refrigerate the dough overnight in a covered bowl, then bring it to room temperature and shape it.
Can I use all purpose flour?
Yes. The naan will be a little softer and less chewy than bread made with bread flour.
What can I use instead of yogurt?
Sour cream or buttermilk thinned slightly with water works in a pinch, though plain yogurt gives the ideal tang and softness.
Skillet Garlic Naan Bread with Yogurt Dough
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Large Frying Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Baking tray
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- ½ cup warm water warm but not hot
- 2 ½ cup bread flour 300 g, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp superfine sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt for the dough
- ½ cup plain yogurt plus 2 tbsp, 150 ml
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, for the dough
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour for dusting, up to 4 tbsp
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted, for brushing
- ½ tsp salt for the garlic butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp dried parsley or 4 tsp fresh parsley
Instructions
Cooking
- Activate the yeast. Combine the yeast and warm water and rest 5 minutes until foamy.
- Knead the dough. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, yeast, yogurt, and butter, then knead with a dough hook for 10 minutes until sticky and smooth.
- Rise. Cover the dough in an oiled bowl and let it double, 60 to 90 minutes.
- Shape. Divide into 6 balls and roll each into a teardrop about 7 inches long.
- Cook. Fry each naan in a very hot pan about 3 minutes per side until puffed with golden patches.
- Brush and hold. Brush with the garlic parsley butter and keep warm under foil in a low oven.
