Naan Bread

Real naan wants a tandoor, but this home version gets remarkably close by cooking on a foil-lined grill. The teardrop shape is classic, a nod to how tandoor naan slumps against the clay oven wall, and the whole-wheat base gives this version a nuttier flavor than the all-white pillowy kind.

Yogurt is the quiet hero. It tenderizes the gluten in the flour and keeps the bread soft for hours. Along with the yeast, it gives naan its signature slight tang and the fluffy, open crumb that pulls apart in soft strips.

Cooking on a grill or under a broiler mimics the intense top-down heat of a tandoor. You want charred brown patches on the first side in under a minute. Watch every second because naan burns from perfectly browned to blackened in the time it takes to reach for a plate.

The flip-and-brush technique is important. A coat of melted ghee (or butter) on the uncooked side as it goes back on the heat puffs the bread and carries aroma into the crumb. Serve warm, tearing straight from the grill.

Roll it about ¼ inch thick. Thinner and it cracks, thicker and the inside stays doughy.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the full amount of yeast the first time and watch your dough rise. If it triples fast, use slightly less next time.
• Pre-heat the grill well before the naan goes on. A cold rack steams the bread instead of searing it.
• Brush the flipped side with ghee (not butter) for real Indian flavor. Butter works but scorches faster.
• Keep cooked naan in a clean folded towel on a plate to stay warm and soft while you cook the rest.

Variations

• Press minced garlic and chopped cilantro into the rolled dough before grilling for garlic naan.
• Scatter nigella (kalonji) seeds on top before the final flip for an aromatic, slightly peppery note.
• Swap half the whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour for a softer, lighter naan.