No knead naan is fluffy, golden, and made for scooping curry or melting garlic butter. No rolling pin or stand mixer needed!
I know you’re probably all sorts of excited about this bread you see here (as am I, always), but let me first call attention to the fact that I GRILLED AGAIN. (!!!)
I know this may seem like no big deal, as grilling is one of the easiest ways to cook things, but to me it’s always been a bit of a battle. How hot is too hot? Are the burners even on? How do I not accidentally drop any vegetables between the grates this time? Why does the steak always stick to the grill? There has been much hand-wringing by yours truly around a grill, as you may imagine.
But one of my goals this summer was to master the grill. And I don’t mean just plopping some hot dogs on there and calling it a day — I mean learning how to make a decent grilled steak and mushroom kabob, or not fear the idea of grilling bread for this and my flatbread recipe. So far, both have been accomplished with ease (and with seriously delicious results, too).
This grilled naan recipe is a favorite for two reasons: One, it’s no-knead. You mix the dough together in a bowl, let it sit and suddenly, it’s ready. That’s really it. You can thank the crazy-talented folks of Artisan Bread in 5 for that. Two, it’s technically no-bake, too, because you’re cooking it on the grill. And even that cooking time takes less time in your life than it does to, say, run to Target to buy the storebought version of naan.
And for someone like me who a) is working toward being an accomplished grill master, b) loves bread, c) doesn’t love baking in the summertime and d) doesn’t want to drive to the store to get naan when she can make a tastier version at home (and also doesn’t want to drive to Target because she inevitably will buy a pillow or dress or chair she didn’t plan to buy but now suddenly NEEDS, thanks Target), this recipe is perfection.
It’s also perfection because even with all this minimal effort, the end result is a flavorful, ever-so-lightly tangy, chewy naan dough that I want to brush with ghee and garlic and chopped herbs and munch on all the days of my life. When I visited India in college, I was terrified of eating any of the food there (which is a sincere regret, now that I know how tasty Indian food can be) but I did love the naan, and I really did subsist on it. Naan for breakfast, naan for lunch, naan for dinner, naan for midnight snack because I can’t sleep because India is noisy 24/7 (if you’ve been there, you know). It was a temporary way of life that I didn’t hate because hello, naan is delicious.
And this version is, too, all puffy and slightly charred from the grill. It’s great plain or topped with all the toppings I mention above, but it’s also great to eat as a pita bread stuffed with sandwich toppings, or as a pizza with all the tomato sauce and melty cheese your heart desires (and my heart desires a lot of both). You can even double the recipe and keep some of it in the fridge all week long so you can have fresh grilled naan any time you want. You can also freeze the dough to keep it for even longer. Naan all summer long! That’s my new motto.
This is the good life, you guys, this bread-grilling life. I also include all no knead recipes in this good life — so try no knead dutch oven bread along with no knead sourdough bread too!
Recommended Bread Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!
No Knead Naan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water, about 110 degrees F
- ¾ cup milk, about 110 degrees F
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine water and milk. Add yeast, salt, yogurt and honey and stir to combine. Add flour and, using a wooden spoon, stir mixture until just combined and all flour is incorporated into dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest about 2 hours until it rises and then collapses or flattens on top. Once collapsed, use dough immediately or transfer dough to a lidded, non-airtight container and store for up to 7 days in fridge*, or 3 weeks in freezer in four 1/2-lb portions. Once frozen, thaw dough in refrigerator overnight before using.
- On baking day, heat grill to high for 5 to 10 minutes, covered, and use a grill brush to scrape any residue from grill grates. Reduce heat to medium; keep covered.
- Meanwhile, punch down dough and, on a lightly floured surface, divide into 4 equal pieces. With floured hands, stretch and press each piece of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness.
- Quickly but carefully transfer dough to grill, using tongs if needed, then cover grill and cook 3 minutes until grill marks appear on bottom and top of dough is puffy. Use tongs to flip dough and cook on other side 3 minutes until grill marks appear and bread is cooked through. Repeat with any remaining dough.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice (butter, ghee, garlic and fresh chopped herbs are some tasty examples).
- *NOTE: It is easier to handle the dough once it’s refrigerated, so I usually let mine rest overnight in the fridge before using. There tends to be a more developed flavor, too, when it chills overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this naan recipe! Check out more flatbread recipes like this whole wheat pita bread next.
Grilling bread is something I’ve always avoided, but this recipe gave me confidence. The bench rest step before shaping made the dough easier to stretch. Hot off the grill, the naan was fluffy and perfect for scooping the curry my neighbor brought over!
Can I make this under a broiler?