Wednesday, 12 August 2015

Really Soft Naan Bread.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Naan bread which is almost like cake? Eight simple ingredients is all it takes.

I posted a version of naan back in 2012 but this really soft naan bread is our new favourite.
My mother first made a batch of it at the end of July. We ate them with stir-fried chicken and I was like woah! What is this? Write the recipe down Mother! We need to blog this ASAP.

And, so we did. This recipe is so easy and uses everyday ingredients. All you need to make them is a bowl, wooden spoon and a whisk. The combination of self-raising flour and dried yeast gives these naan's their unmistakable softness and texture. And, I'm happy to report that they stay soft even when cold which means that they'll make the perfect wrap. We ate them for lunch on a Saturday afternoon with grilled chicken tikka. Basted with a garam masala butter, may I add.
The leftover naan dough also made an excellent pizza dough for the perfect meatless Monday dinner. We piled our pizza high with fresh summer produce and it was honestly one of the best pizzas I've had in a while.
However you use this naan dough, be sure to make it as traditional naan breads first. You just have to experience this naan with all its pillowy, almost cake-like goodness with a chicken karahi at least once.

Naan, previously: naan bread.

A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Milk
2. Dried Yeast
3. Sugar
4. Margarine
5. An Egg
6. Plain Yoghurt
7. Salt
8. Self-Raising Flour

Bismillah, let's begin!

To make the dough, all you need is a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and a whisk.

First ingredient? Milk. I used semi-skimmed but feel free to use whole. 

Measure out 250ml (1/2 pint) Milk in a microwave-safe jug. Heat it in the microwave for about a minute or until hand-hot.

Pour the milk into the mixing bowl.

To see if the milk is the right temperature, stick your clean finger into it. It should be hot but not so hot than you pull your finger out quickly.

If it's too hot, give it a stir to help it cool down.

Once the milk is ready ...

... it's time for the dried yeast.

Take 7 grams Dried Yeast which is basically one of these sachets. Also, quick tip, check to see if your yeast is fresh. Don't ask how many recipes of mine have been ruined because the yeast had expired.

Sprinkle in the dried yeast.

Give it a quick stir.

Next, sugar. Ordinary granulated sugar will do.

Throw in 1 tablespoon Sugar.

Next, margarine!

Take 1 tablespoon Margarine.

Add it in.

Give it a whisk until it's nearly melted.

Then, 1 large Egg.

Crack it in.

And, give it a whisk.

Plain yoghurt is next.

Add in 140ml (4 tablespoons) Plain Yoghurt.

Whisk it in.

1/2 teaspoon Salt is added in.

A final whisk and it's time for the flour.

Self-raising flour to be exact. The combination of this with the dried yeast is what makes this naan extra fluffy and soft.

For this recipe, you will need 550 grams Self-Raising Flour which is added in batches until we get a soft dough. 

This is where we use a wooden spoon instead of a whisk.

The dough should be soft and you should be able to handle it without it being too sticky. We used the complete 550 grams Self-Raising Flour but you may need more or less.

When the dough is at this stage, get in there with clean hands and bring it together.

The dough is ready!

Pour on a little vegetable oil and brush all over.

Cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm.

Place a clean tea towel over the bowl and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This should take about an hour or so.

After it's risen, here it is!

Give the dough a quick knead and let's cook.

We cooked ours on a tawa but you could also use a dry frying pan. Place your pan of choice over a medium heat.

Grab a rolling pin and board.

Now, you can make your naan as big or as little as you like. We just took a handful and placed it on the board, sprinkled with extra flour.

The dough was formed into a ball.

Roll the ball into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.

Place onto the hot pan.

Let it cook on the first side for 2 minutes until bubbles appear.

And, flip!

Cook for a further 2 minutes until golden.

Keep it warm by wrapping in clean tea towels. Continue making the rest.

Serve the naan with whatever you like. Maybe a curry?

We ate ours with these chicken tikka skewers.
Oh, and you can also butter the naan if you're in the mood.

We also used this same naan dough as a base for a summer veggie pizza. Roll it out, pile on your fave toppings and bake at the highest oven temperature for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Full Written Recipe:

Really Soft Naan Bread.

Prep Time: About 10 minutes + 1 hour, for rising.
Cook Time: About 4 minutes per Naan.
Serves: Makes about 10-12 Naan, depending on how thick you make them.

250ml (1/2 pint) Milk
7 grams Dried Yeast
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Margarine
1 large Egg
140ml (4 tablespoons) Plain Yoghurt
½ teaspoon Salt
550 grams Self-Raising Flour


Place the milk into jug and heat in the microwave until hand-hot (about 1 minute).

Pour it into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast. If it’s too hot, give it a stir before adding the yeast.

Next, add in the sugar and margarine. Stir to let the margarine melt.
Then, crack in the egg and mix in.
Add the yoghurt and salt. Whisk in.

Add the self-raising flour in stages until it forms a soft dough and you can handle it without it being too sticky.

Brush it with oil and place into a large bowl. Cover with clingfilm and a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

To cook, take small handfuls of the dough and form into balls. Roll out to about ½ inch thick circles and cook on a tawa or a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Place on for 2 minutes until it bubbles then flip over. A further 2 minutes and it should be done.

Serve with curries, grilled meats or make into a wrap. This dough is also great for pizzas.

The dough can be kept in the fridge for a few days, covered tightly. You could also freeze it.

This Time One Year Ago:

This Time Two Years Ago:

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your naan,


Spice Enthusiast


  1. Hi! I absolutely love all your recipes - you are such an amazing cook! I was wondering if you could make more posts on how to cook chicken curries (such as Madras)! Wish you all the best, Thank you x

    1. thank you so much for your kind words! I will definitely try to post more chicken curry recipes - they're a real favourite of mine! :)

  2. WOAH! This looks EPIC! I can't wait to try this out! I think this would go fantastic sprinkled with some kalonji and sesame seeds and then smeared with butter. And the tea! Oh my.... jazakillah khayr for sharing!

    1. jazakillah khair! and your suggestion sounds absolutely delicious!

  3. Hi there, I dont have a kitchen scale so it'd be so nice of you to share how much is 550gr of flour in cup please?

    1. The cups I use say that 1 cup = 226 grams. So, for this recipe, I think about 2 and 1/2 cups or as much as it takes to make a soft but not too sticky dough.

  4. Love love love it!!

  5. As'salaamilkum sis, how can keep the dough fresh? If I don't want to make lots of nan bread? X

    1. Wasalaam! My mother says to wrap the dough in clingfilm and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also wrap it and pop in the freezer. :)

  6. Assalaamualaykum. I came across your blog randomly..keep up the fantastic work. I made these nan breads and was pleasantly surprised that it was a huge success. Thank you for sharing a nd giving us step by step pictures. I shall try more of ur recipes and let you know how I get on!. If I could I would send u photos!

    1. Wa alaikumus salaam! Welcome to my blog! So happy to have you here and I'm even happier that you enjoyed this naan recipe - it's one of my favourites! You can send me photos through any of my social media! :)

  7. I have just mixed the flour .....waiting for iftar i.a will make it then ...i just love how you take show much time n effort to put photoes up of everystep its soooo important thanks .....may u be rewarded for ur hard work i have being raving on about you to everyone jazakla hun xxx

    1. Thank you for all your kind words. Hope the naan turned out well.

  8. Assalamu alaikum Faatimah, may I know what's the different between POORI, PARATHA, NAAN, and ROTI/CAPATI?

    1. A poori is a deep-fried flatbread that has many layers in it. A paratha has layers but is cooked on a tava or frying pan with butter or oil. Naan is a flatbread usually made with yoghurt and sometimes yeast. It's very soft, chewy and spongy. Roti is a simple flatbread which sometimes has oil in it.

    2. Thank you so much for the well explaination, Faatimah. Allah bless for your kindness & generosity in sharing with us... Allahumma Aamiin <3

  9. Love your page. Thanks for the time and effort. I may not have seen it, but I was just wondering how many naans does this make? I know it depends on the size, but let's assume a "normal" average sized naan. Thank you.

    1. Thank you! I would say the recipe makes about 10-12 naans.

  10. Thank you for this lovely naan and all the time you take to bring us recipes and cookery ideas, they are very much appreciated!

  11. Salaam, just used this recipe today as my son had been wanting me to make pizza for me. I must say it was delicious the recipe is so easy and it tastes excatly the same as takeouts. My whole family loved it, i cant thank you enough, I've never really been a big fan of cooking but you make it so much fun I'm always looking through your website for new recipe's you never cease to amaze me! Thank you so much for all these amazing recipe's and making cooking so much fun and varied .may allah bless you a lot and fufil all your duas.

    1. Wasalaam, so glad you enjoyed the naan bread. Love that you used it for pizza. Thank you for all your kind words. :)

  12. Asalamu Alaiykom sis, thank you for sharing the recipe, can't wait to try it. Just wanted to ask, how long do we wait for the milk and yeast to combine and activate before adding the rest of the ingredients?

    1. I usually cover them with clingfilm and leave for 5-10 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is. When it's foamy and bubbly, it's ready.


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