Although I have never been to an Indian restaurant, I do know about Naan bread. Cast Iron Skillet Naan is my nod to Naan.
Naan has a light flavor and soft texture that makes this a popular choice as a vessel for scooping up the remains of our chosen dish. Not being familiar with Indian food I understand it is served with many an Indian meal.
Originating from India, the naan, a word that just means ‘bread’ in Persian. This flatbread is baked in a clay oven which gives it a crisp surface, a fluffy, and a unique charred taste.
Well…I don’t have a clay oven, but I do have a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, invest in one. The applications for them are endless.
Venturing into making Cast Iron Skillet Naan was one of those I was at the grocery store when….moments. There was day-old naan on a clearance rack, so I grabbed them.
Being of the never had Indian food group, we are of the love pizza group. That’s right I use naan bread for a pizza crust. It’s perfect! Already cooked, just throw on some toppings a quick few minutes in the oven and you have a great snack pizza.
So as Tim and I were eating our little snack pizza, Tim said: “You should try making this bread yourself.” And so I did.
The recipe is pretty easy, with things you probably have on hand. Flour, yeast, yogurt, and a bit of oil. The hardest thing is rising time…I’m not super patient, but it only requires one rising and no baking.
After the rising time, about an hour, just divide the dough, roll into circles, and cook them in the cast iron skillet. Easy right? The correct answer here is yes!
Tips:
Make sure the skillet is hot.
Be sure to brush the skillet with oil or the naan will stick.
Work with one circle at a time.
Keep the remaining circles covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
Once they start to puff and bubble check for that signature char and flip, you don’t want them to burn.
If you are going to serve them right away brush them with butter. I was going to freeze mine for late night snack attacks, so I skipped this step.
We have already eaten all the Cast Iron Skillet Naan, so I will definitely be making more. I can think of a slew of thing to use the bread for besides pizza.
Whether you make pizza, use it for a wrap, a panini, or for your favorite taco filling Cast Iron Skillet Naan will be your new go-to!!
Print
Cast Iron Skillet Naan
- Prep Time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour of rise time
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon oil, plus extra for brushing skillet
3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
In a large bowl, add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. The yeast will become foamy and activated after about 10 minutes. Mix yogurt and oil into yeast mixture, then add flour (about 1/2 a cup at a time) and stir to combine. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead the dough until the surface becomes smooth and shiny about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, then roll the dough into 8-inch circles. Don’t worry if they are not perfect circles.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and lightly grease the surface with oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place circles in skillet one at a time. When the circle begins to puff up, and bubble and burnt spots start to appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining dough.
Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm.
Keywords: cast iron, skillet, flour, yeast, easy, Indian, bread, naan bread
Looking at your picture, mine did not turn out very far off. But, can anyone suggest the best surface temperature to bring my cast iron skillet. I cannot be the only one that uses a laser thermometer to check my pan temperatures, right? I find that dark brown is good; dark black is bitter. So, I want more control by knowing the best surface temperature. Thanks.
For me, I try a few test Naan to make sure I have the right temp.