Garlic Naan in a Cast Iron Skillet

Before you start

Restaurant naan is slapped onto the wall of a clay tandoor, where fierce radiant heat bubbles and chars it in about a minute. At home, a very hot cast iron skillet with a lid gets surprisingly close. The bottom sears against the iron while the trapped heat under the lid puffs the top, giving you the big bubbles, charred spots and soft, tearable interior that make naan worth making.

The dough is enriched with yogurt and a little milk and oil, which keeps it pliable and gives a mild tang. It is softer than most bread doughs, so oil your hands rather than flouring the counter heavily. Stretch each piece thin, about 5 mm, so it cooks through before the outside burns, and have the garlic butter melted and ready, because naan is best brushed and eaten within minutes.

Ingredients

• Dough360 g (3 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 5 g (1½ tsp) instant yeast
• 10 g (2½ tsp) granulated sugar
• 7 g (1¼ tsp) fine salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 120 g (½ cup) plain whole-milk yogurt — room temperature; not Greek
• 150 ml (⅔ cup) whole milk — warmed to about 38°C (100°F)
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil or melted ghee
• Garlic butter60 g (4 tbsp) butter or ghee
• 4 cloves garlic — finely grated or minced
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 pinch flaky salt — optional

Method

1. Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add the yogurt, warm milk and oil and stir into a soft, sticky dough.
2. Knead on a lightly oiled counter for 5 to 6 minutes, until smooth and very soft. It should feel tackier than sandwich bread dough. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for about 90 minutes, until doubled.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the garlic and cook gently for 1 minute, just until fragrant and not browned. Stir in the cilantro and keep warm.
4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces of about 85 g and roll each into a ball. With oiled fingers, press and stretch one ball into a teardrop or oval about 20 cm (8 in) long and 5 mm (scant ¼ in) thick. Prepare a few at a time so they do not stick together.
5. Heat the dry skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until a drop of water evaporates in a second or two. Lay in one naan and cover with the lid. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, until big bubbles rise across the top and the underside has dark blistered spots.
6. Flip with tongs and cook uncovered for 30 to 60 seconds, until the bubbles char lightly. Transfer to a towel, brush generously with garlic butter, sprinkle with flaky salt and wrap loosely to keep warm while you cook the rest.

Tips for success

• If the naan chars before the bubbles form, turn the heat down slightly. If it stays pale and flat, the skillet needs more heat.
• Lightly wet one side of the dough before laying it in the pan, wet side down, for a bit more blistering, a trick borrowed from tandoor cooking.
• Keep cooked naan stacked in a towel. Uncovered, the thin edges stiffen within minutes.
• Greek yogurt is thicker; if it is all you have, thin 90 g of it with 30 ml water to stand in for the regular yogurt.

Substitutions

Whole-milk yogurt

Buttermilk works in the same weight, with the milk reduced by 20 ml. Flavor is tangier and the dough a little looser.

All-purpose flour

Bread flour gives a chewier naan. Add 15 ml (1 tbsp) more milk because it absorbs more liquid.

Garlic butter

For plain butter naan, skip the garlic and cilantro. For a dairy-free version, use olive oil infused briefly with the garlic and use it right away; do not store garlic in oil at room temperature.

Variations

Cheese-stuffed naan

Flatten a ball, place 2 tbsp shredded low-moisture mozzarella or paneer in the center, gather the edges to seal, then gently stretch and cook over slightly lower heat.

Nigella seed naan

Press ½ tsp nigella seeds into the top of each round before cooking and skip the garlic.

Troubleshooting

Naan is stiff and cracker-like

It was rolled too thin or cooked too long on low heat. Keep it near 5 mm thick and use higher heat for a shorter time.

Raw, doughy center

The dough was too thick or the pan too hot, so the outside burned first. Stretch thinner and lower the heat slightly.

No bubbles form

The dough was underproofed or the skillet was not hot enough. Let the dough fully double and preheat the iron for a full 5 minutes.

Dough sticks to everything

This dough is meant to be soft. Use oil on your hands and counter instead of more flour, which makes naan tough.

Storage

Naan is best warm. Wrap leftovers in foil and keep at room temperature for 1 day, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a dry skillet or wrapped in foil in a 175°C (350°F) oven. Refrigerate any leftover garlic butter and use within 4 days.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough. Contains wheat and milk. Use a dry, heavy pan and an oven mitt on the lid, which gets very hot.