Simple, Yeasted Homemade Naan

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. In a medium bowl or a liquid measure, stir or whisk together the water and yogurt. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula. When the mixture becomes too stiff, knead with your hands for about a minute or until the flour is incorporated and you have a sticky, wet ball. Cover with a towel or cloth bowl cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.25 hours. (See notes above for creating warm spot. See notes above for making dough ahead of time.)

Step 2

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal portions, then shape each into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Heat a large skillet (something like cast iron is great) over high heat. You want it very, very hot. Using a rolling pin dusted in flour, roll one ball into a thin large round or oval (8- to 9-inches in diameter, roughly), using flour as needed to prevent sticking. Repeat with another round. (I like to start with 2 rounds rolled out; then I roll the remaining 2 while the first 2 are cooking.)

Step 4

When the skillet is very hot, transfer rolled out round, dusting off excess flour if possible, to the skillet. Cover. Cook for 1 minute. Close to the end of the minute, you’ll hear the pan hissing a bit … this is a good sign. Flip, and cook for another 30 seconds uncovered. Transfer to a plate and brush the top lightly with melted butter.

Step 5

Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls. You may have to adjust the heat as you go. If too much flour is burning in the skillet, turn it off, carefully wipe it out with a dish cloth, then crank the heat back up. As the naan emerge from the skillet, stack them on top of one other in a shallow bowl or plate. Cover with a tea towel to keep warm.