Tandoori Butter Naan (without Yeast)

tandoori butter naan served in plate with butter paneer.

5 from 1 vote

This tandoori-style butter naan is so delicious and soft and is incredibly versatile! Learn how to make these quick, easy and traditional butter naan (Indian flatbread/bread) without yeast!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: naans

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Sonia

Equipment

Tawa/tava pan

Ingredients

150g Plain flour (all-purpose flour) (plus extra for dusting)
¼ Baking powder teaspoon
⅛ Salt
110g Natural yoghurt (or homemade yoghurt), whisked

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a bowl. Add the whisked yoghurt and mix to form a sticky dough.
Knead the dough until ingredients combined to form a smooth, slightly soft and sticky dough, divide into four sections/balls.
Preheat tava/frying pan on low heat.
Using a rolling pin, roll one dough ball into a thin tortilla/flatbread on a floured surface.
Cool on preheated tava for 2-3 minutes, or until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the naan. Flip to cook the other side.
Optional step (recommended for restaurant-style/tandoori flavoured naan) - Once both sides are cooked and have bubbles/air pockets, carefully grill/char the naan on an open flame (stovetop) for a few seconds. Use tongs to carefully flip the naan to grill the other side.
Transfer naan onto a plate and spread with butter. Repeat steps with remaining dough.

Notes

Use a pre-heated tava: preheat the tava on low-medium heat, this will help cook the naan at the right temperature – if the temperature is too low the naan will stick to the tava and not form bubbles, resulting in an undercooked, dry naan. With the correct temperature, the naan will form air pockets and bubbles which allows the naan to become cooked, crispy and fluffy
Use salted butter: I recommend spreading the cooked naans with salted butter for the best results
Cook on low/medium heat: this helps to evenly cook the naan
Grill/char naan slightly on stovetop/open flame: although this is an optional step, it is highly recommended for a delicious, roasted flavour of naan that resembles restaurant-style naan made using a tandoor.
Ensure dough is kneaded to appropriate consistency: we want the dough to be slightly soft and sticky and kneaded appropriately to ensure ingredients are well mixed.
Sprinkle your worktop lightly with flour and roll dough gently with the rolling pin: This helps to create naan of even thickness and keeps them from sticking to the worktop (if you roll them too hard the force will make them stick to your worktop, this could make you use extra flour, which will make the naan tough and reduce their softness).
Cook and roll simultaneously: this is a time-saving tip – in the method above, you’ll notice I recommend cooking the naan whilst rolling out the next naan, this helps you save time and make the naans faster.
Storage: These naans can be kept for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. To pack and store in the fridge, transfer cooled stack of naans onto a paper towel/kitchen towel and wrap with foil and seal to keep airtight. To pack and store in the freezer, line each naan with parchment/baking paper and wrap with foil and seal to keep airtight.

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