How to Get Those Charred Bubbles Without a Tandoor

Q: What if I Don’t Have a Pizza Steel?

Consider investing in one! They are cheap, about $40 CAD and they are so versatile. I use them to make all of my pizzas, breads and loaves. I love this one. An alternative to a pizza steel would be a pizza stone, but I prefer the steel since they are much easier to maintain and don’t have a risk of breaking. Otherwise, there are two other techniques you may use. I will discuss both here:

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About this recipe

Make restaurant-style tandoori naan at home with this easy, authentic recipe. Soft, pillowy, and perfectly charred — just like your favorite Indian restaurant bread.

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Everybody from Asia, Europe and North America, know and love naan! It is one of the most popular Indian breads and is associated with quality North Indian cuisine.

It is rather disappointing that growing up, my sister and I never got to try homemade naan. This is especially shocking since now I know how easy it is to make and how tasty it can be! Naan was always saved for our few and far between restaurant extravaganzas.

This Homemade Tandoori Naan recipe is amazingly simple! You will need all-purpose flour, milk, yeast, sugar, salt, and some olive oil for greasing. I recommend that you use yeast, since this helps create the softest naan. This Homemade Tandoori Naan recipe uses your home oven to bake the perfect naan. I will be using a baking steel to really replicate the hot tandoori clay oven temperatures in a home oven.

Hand dipping triangular piece of naan bread into creamy orange tandoori dipping sauce in white bowl.

What if I Don’t Have a Pizza Steel?▼

Consider investing in one! They are cheap, about $40 CAD and they are so versatile. I use them to make all of my pizzas, breads and loaves. I love this one.

An alternative to a pizza steel would be a pizza stone, but I prefer the steel since they are much easier to maintain and don’t have a risk of breaking.

Otherwise, there are two other techniques you may use. I will discuss both here:

Bake Homemade Tandoori Naan on a Baking Sheet

Place the rolled out naan dough on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes.

In case your naan is turning out crispier than you like, you can preheat the baking sheet for a few minutes in the oven and then place the naan on the sheet. This will start cooking the naan quicker, since the pan would not have to heat up with the naan.

Cook Homemade Tandoori Naan on a Tawa Pan on the Stove-top

This tawa variation will work great if you don’t have a home oven.

Anyone can enjoy naans!

Freshly cooked tandoori naan breads on a white plate, garnished with green onions and showing char marks from cooking.

Warm naan bread triangles garnished with fresh cilantro on white plates, stacked and ready to serve.

How Do I know the Dough Balls are rReady to Cook?▼

Visually, the dough will have roughly doubled in size. When you pick up the dough, you should notice that it feels much lighter than it appears. The dough should spring back if lightly pressed on.

What Makes This Homemade Tandoori Naan Recipe So Great?

Simply mix all of the dry ingredients together and add milk to knead to a soft and tacky dough.
No need to wait for the yeast to activate.
Naan always turns out soft and fluffy.

The entire process will help you realize how easy it is to turn flour into delicious naan bread. Here’s the process in a nutshell:

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add milk to knead to a smooth, soft and tacky dough.

Dry ingredients for naan dough mixed together in a stand mixer bowl, ready for milk to be added.

Milk being poured into a stand mixer bowl containing dry ingredients for naan dough.

2. Lightly grease a large bowl. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hours in a warm place.

Smooth, soft naan dough resting in a greased glass bowl after 2 hours of rising.

Smooth, pale tandoori naan dough resting in a greased glass bowl after the first 2-hour rise.

3. Divide dough into 8-10 equal portions, form the portions into boules by cupping your hands and rolling against the countertop.

4. Lightly grease the dough balls and lightly cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for another 2 hours.

Eight rested naan dough balls on a granite countertop with additional balls in a baking dish in the background.

Dough balls resting under plastic wrap on a burgundy surface before baking naan.

5. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 F with the baking steel at the second to highest oven rack.

6. Turn on the broiler.

7. Roll out or stretch the dough into an oblong shape and carefully place the naan on the baking steel.

Hands using a wooden rolling pin to stretch out a round piece of naan dough on a granite countertop.

Rolled dough stretched into an oblong shape on a dark pizza steel, ready for broiling.

If using a baking sheet, place naan on a baking sheet placed on the oven rack.
If using tawa pan, preheat until just smoking and add naan to hot tawa.

Two unbaked naan breads on a dark red baking sheet next to two smaller naan pieces on a countertop.

Naan bread cooking on a preheated tawa pan, showing light browning on the surface.

8. Cook until light brown spots appear. Take the naan out right away using tongs. If cooking on a tawa pan, flip the naan once and cook other side.

Freshly cooked naan bread with light brown spots on a dark surface, ready to be brushed with butter.

Two cooked naan breads on a red tray, one with light brown spots, being lifted with tongs.

9. Brush with molten butter and serve immediately. Enjoy!

This naan is perfect for mopping up a rich curry like my Punjabi lobia.

Let me know which variation you tried! Oven-Broiled, Baking Sheet or Pan-Seared? If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra

Restaurant-Style Homemade Tandoori Naan Recipe

Make restaurant-style tandoori naan at home with this easy, authentic recipe. Soft, pillowy, and perfectly charred — just like your favorite Indian restaurant bread.

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4 hr 20 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

4 hr 30 min

Total

pieces

medium

Level

Ingredients

Tap any quantity to scale

(500 g) all-purpose flourShop →
active dry yeastShop →
(6 g) saltShop →
(25 g) sugarShop →
(420 ml) milk
olive oil(as needed to grease the dough ball and mixing bowl)Shop →
butter(as desired)

Instructions

1
Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add milk to knead to a smooth, soft and tacky dough.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together and add milk to knead to a smooth, soft and tacky dough.
2
Lightly grease a large bowl add dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hours
Lightly grease a large bowl add dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hours
3
Divide dough into 8-10 equal portions, form the portions into boules by cupping your hands and rolling against the countertop.
Divide dough into 8-10 equal portions, form the portions into boules by cupping your hands and rolling against the countertop.
4
Lightly grease the dough balls and, lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another 2 hours.
Lightly grease the dough balls and, lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another 2 hours.
5
30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 500 F with the baking steel at the second to highest oven rack. Skip steps 8-9 if using baking steel method.
30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) with the baking steel at the second to highest oven rack. Skip steps 8-9 if using baking steel method.
6
Turn on the broiler.
Turn on the broiler.
7
Roll out or stretch the dough into an oblong shape and, carefully, place naan on the pizza steel.
Roll out or stretch the dough into an oblong shape and, carefully, place naan on the pizza steel.
8
If using a baking sheet, place naan on a baking sheet place on the oven rack.
If using a baking sheet, place naan on a baking sheet place on the oven rack.
9
If using tawa pan, preheat until just smoking and add naan to hot tawa.
If using tawa pan, preheat until just smoking and add naan to hot tawa.
10
Cook until light brown spots appear, take naans out right away using tongs. If cooking on tawa pan, flip naan once and cook other side.
Cook until light brown spots appear, take naans out right away using tongs. If cooking on tawa pan, flip naan once and cook other side.
11
Brush molten butter and serve right away.
Brush molten butter and serve right away.

Nutrition per serving

409

Calories

13g

Protein

59g

Carbs

14g

Fat

Fiber

Sugar

696mg

Sodium

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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen

Bake Homemade Tandoori Naan on a Baking Sheet

Cook Homemade Tandoori Naan on a Tawa Pan on the Stove-top

What Makes This Homemade Tandoori Naan Recipe So Great?