Afghan Naan Bread (Afghani Naan)

Soft Afghan Naan Bread,  a homemade flatbread recipe perfect for any kind of stew or curry.

This Afghan naan bread has become our favorite homemade naan, I have made it countless times and it is a delight every time. So soft, so comforting, so tasty!

We all love homemade flatbread. There is really no comparison to the dry and chewy packaged naan that we can buy in the supermarket!

This Afghani naan with yogurt is soft, fluffy, has a wonderful butter flavor and it’s just the perfect side for a good curry.

Over the years, I’ve tried several naan bread recipes, some good, some not so great. This recipe is definitely our favorite, the only one I bake over and over again. Actually, as I repost this recipe today, I realize this is probably the only naan bread I have been baking during the last 3 years or so. If I did try another recipe during this time, I don’t even remember it right now.

Ingredients

Flour:

• You will need mostly all-purpose flour, which will be mixed with a small amount of whole wheat flour. I think using a little whole wheat flour makes the dough easier to roll and makes the Afghan flatbread heartier.

Instant dry yeast:

• I use instant dry yeast, which can be mixed directly with the rest of the ingredients.

Active dry yeast:

• If using active dry yeast, proof it first. Place it in a small bowl, add a little amount of lukewarm water (from the 230 ml/ 1 cup water you have already measured) and stir to dissolve.
• Add the yeast to the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe.

Maple syrup:

• I use it if I happen to have it.
• If not, you can take runny honey instead.

Butter or ghee:

• Ghee would be the original, but butter is fine as well.
• I tend to use butter more often, because I don’t always have ghee, and I just love that buttery flavor.

Cumin or Nigella seeds:

• The original recipe calls for the homemade naan bread to be sprinkled with cumin seeds, I have done that but didn’t like it much, so I scraped them all off again at the table. You could try it though, might be you like that more than I did.
• The second time, I sprinkled the Afghani naan with Nigella seeds and I liked that a lot, so I keep doing it all the time now, I can totally recommend it. (Amazon affiliate link)

How to make?

Dough:

• You can make the dough by hand, in a food processor fitted with a dough blade or with a mixer fitted with a bread hook.
• Mix both types of flour, yeast, syrup, salt, water, yogurt and oil.
• Knead for about 5 minutes (more or less depending on the machine you are using) or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
• If you do that by hand, you will have to knead a bit longer.
• The dough should be soft but not too sticky.
• If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour a little at a time.
• Form a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place. I put the bowl in the oven and turned on the oven light. Not the oven, just the oven light.
• Leave the dough rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Shape:

• Divide the dough into 10 portions, form small balls, cover with a kitchen cloth and let stand for another 15 minutes.
• Roll the balls into discs using a small rolling pin, and shape the dough to form the typical elongated naan bread.

Fry:

• Melt a little bit of the butter or ghee in a large non-stick skillet.
• Add 2 or 3 of the dough pieces to the pan, depending on the size of your pan.
• Fry for 1 minute.
• Flip and cook the second side for about 4 minutes, until the underside has brown spots.
• Melt another small piece of butter and repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Place the naan breads on a cloth and brush with a little more butter or ghee.
• Keep covered in cloth until ready to serve.

What to serve with naan bread?

The easiest answer: curry!

Afghan Braised Pumpkin

Vegan Chickpea Zucchini Curry

Rhubarb Fish Curry

Balti Chicken Curry

Pumpkin Turkey Curry

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