This Homemade Naan with Roasted Garlic Herb Butter is a simplified take on the delicious classic. It’s extra soft, chewy, rich in flavor on it’s own, but if you choose to brush it with some of the garlic herb butter…it’s easily one of the best breads you will ever have! To be totally honest, you’ll have a difficult time finding a better naan recipe out there…just because this one is truly special! But the absolute best part is that this bread is so easy make, and pretty difficult to mess up. Serve alongside your favorite lunches/dinners, with grilled meats, alongside dips like hummus, or simply on its own! Especially when it’s fresh out of the oven. You simply can’t go wrong with this naan.

four naan stacked on white plate with chopped parsley, melted butter, naan on wood board, and a white napkin

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Homemade Naan

About The Recipe

If I’m going to be honest, this recipe has been a long time coming!

A lot of you probably don’t know this, because we haven’t talked about it very much, but my mom and I are absolutely obsessed with homemade naan. It’s truly one of our absolute favorite recipes to make. It’s easy, delicious, and there’s just something about it that makes you always want to come back for more! And this naan, without a doubt, is the one recipe we remake most often…So, it only felt right to finally share it with all of you!

butter being poured onto naan with spoon

We have been making this naan for years. I can’t remember exactly how we came across it, I think it might’ve been in one of the baking textbooks my mom bought me years ago. Whoever it came from, it had almost an impossible method of cooking for the home baker. It tasted good, but was kind of a pain to make. So, my mom simplified it! And now, I definitely think, we have the best naan ever!

But, I didn’t just want to share a super simple naan recipe. Of course, we could, but what would be the fun in that? We mixed up some garlic herb butter to go with these and… oh my gosh.

This herby, garlicky naan is our classic homemade naan recipe, but with the addition of that garlic butter I was talking about. It really just..elevates this into something so much more! Of course, if you want to leave this plain, go ahead! It’s just as delicious without the garlic butter as it is with it. The butter really just makes this into a great appetizer!

Honestly, this is so simple, and pretty much perfect in every way. I can’t believe it’s taken us almost three years to create and share this recipe with all of you…but, I’m so glad you all can enjoy it now!

torn naan atop two others on a white plate with spoon, chopped parsley, and more naan behind

close up of naan stacked on a white plate with bowls of butter and chopped parsley

Equipment Needed

A Mixer
Glass Bowls
Whisk
Sheet Pans
Parchment Paper
Plastic Wrap
Bench Knife/Sharp Knife
Baking Stone
Pizza Peel
Food Processor
Small Pot
Pastry Brush

Ingredients

For The Poolish:

Bread Flour
Yeast
Water

flour, yeast, and water on marble counter

For The Naan:

Poolish
Olive Oil
Buttermilk
Bread Flour
Salt
Yeast

poolish, olive oil, salt, yeast, buttermilk, flour in glass bowls on marble counter

For The Garlic Herb Butter:

Salted Butter
Roasted Garlic
Parsley

parsley, butter, and roasted garlic on marble counter

Instructions

To make the poolish, combine bread flour, yeast, and water in a glass bowl. Whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for about 3-4 hours, or until it’s bubbly. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

For the naan, place the poolish, olive oil, buttermilk, bread flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high with the dough hook until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough into a large container and let sit covered until it has doubled in bulk. About 1-2 hours.

naan dough after rising in plastic container

Turn the dough out of the container onto a heavily floured surface. Cut into 12 pieces.

naan dough turned out onto floured marble surface

dough cut into nine pieces with pastry knife on marble counter

Form into small boule’s and place on a lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for one hour.

six dough boules after rising on lined baking sheet and covered with plastic wrap

One at a time, press the boule’s out into thin circles. It’s okay if they aren’t perfectly round. Just get the dough as thin as you can without tearing it. Carefully place one naan on a hot baking stone and close the oven, letting bake for 5 minutes. The naan should be lightly browned.

naan being pressed out on marble counter

After the naan is made, combine the butter, parsley, and roasted garlic in the largest bowl bowl of the food processor. Blend until smooth.

two sticks of butter with parsley and roasted garlic in food processor

garlic herb butter in food processor bowl

Transfer the butter into a small pot and melt.

Brush the naan with the melted garlic butter. Top with extra parsley, if desired.

butter being brushed onto naan on a white plate with bowl of butter behind

overhead shot of naan on white plate with chopped parsley on top, bowl of butter, bowl of chopped parsley, and more naan around

Ways To Use This Naan

The wonderful thing about naan is that it’s the perfect flatbread for…well, everything! Here are a few of our favorites things to do:

Serve it solo. Yes, I’m serious. This naan is just that good. It makes for the perfect appetizer or snack! Especially when served with dips or our garlic butter!
Flatbread and/or pizza. Oh, yes. Leftover naan? Not a problem anymore! Just make your favorite flatbread/pizza and have a delicious lunch or dinner in minutes!
Sandwiches. Is there anything better than a sandwich? I don’t think so! We absolutely adore making chicken club sandwiches with this naan. Make your favorite sandwich and let us know what you think!
Wraps or tacos. Told you this naan was versatile! You can make your favorite wraps or tacos with fresh or leftover naan and have a meal that everyone will enjoy…because what could be better than a fluffy taco shell?
As a spoon. This one sounds a little silly, but it’s true! Got a favorite rice bowl or curry? Use this naan instead of a fork/spoon to give your dish that little extra oomph.

three naan stacked on a white plate with one torn, bowls of parsley and butter behind, and wood serving board with naan on top

Topping Ideas

Looking for a way to change things up? We’ve got you covered This is a quick list of a few things to top this delicious flatbread with to change it up:

Garlic Herb Butter
Fresh Herbs (such as parsley or cilantro)
Cheese
Easy Guacamole
Loaded Guacamole

How To Store

If you’re planning on storing this naan immediately after making, don’t brush with the garlic butter. Instead, put off making the butter and keep the naan in a sealed, freezer safe bag in the fridge or freezer. Whenever you’re ready, heat up the naan and use however you wish!

Substitutions

You could easily substitute plain yogurt or water for the buttermilk in this recipe. A little tip, the water won’t add any flavor to the naan. So, we don’t recommended using it unless you really don’t have yogurt or buttermilk.
You can pretty much use any herb you like in the butter! You could even use a blend of herbs.

naan stacked on white plate with spoon, white napkin, melted butter, chopped parsley, and wood serving board with naan

Expert Tips

In a rush? You can actually use poolish after it’s proofing time, instead of refrigerating overnight! The bread won’t have as much flavor, but it’s a great way to have naan same-day.
Depending on where you live/the temperature, proofing times may vary. We can’t guarantee our proofing times will be the exact same as yours. Just keep an eye on the dough!
This recipe can be made into 16 pieces of naan instead of 12, if you would rather have smaller portions.
This bread is the definition of rustic. Have fun with it! None of pieces have to be even or perfectly circle. It’s also okay to have some thinner spots in the dough when pressing out.
Have a pizza peel on hand when making this naan! It will make getting the bread out of the oven so much easier.
This naan stores really well!

When you make this Homemade Naan with Roasted Garlic Herb Butter, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

Homemade Naan with Roasted Garlic Herb Butter