Once you realize how easy it is to make delicious naan bread at home in a matter of minutes, you won’t bother buying it again.

Piping hot and straight from the pan, they can be eaten plain or perked up with a little garlic and cilantro (coriander leaf); or perhaps some cumin or sesame seeds; brushed with a little saffron-soaked warm milk, etc…the options are endless.

If you’re going to eat them unadorned, you may be surprised to know they only contain two ingredients; self-raising flour and plain Greek yogurt.

You’ll definitely need a heavy-based pan and cast iron is perfect as you want the pan to be smoking hot.

Here’s a link to a number of great Indian recipes that are crying out for freshly baked naan bread that can be substituted for rice – or maybe like me, you’ll enjoy them both.

Easy Indian Naan Bread with Garlic & Cilantro

EASY INDIAN NAAN BREAD WITH GARLIC & CILANTRO

(Makes 10 Naan)

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups (790 ml measure) of self-raising flour (to make your own, combine 4 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sift the ingredients together)

1 1/2 cups (355ml measure) of full fat Greek yogurt

1-2 tablespoons of water

A little vegetable oil or spray

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons of cilantro (coriander leaf), chopped

A pinch of sea salt

Action:

In a large bowl combine the yogurt and flour and mix them together until you have a workable dough. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if it’s too dry, then knead it well until you have a smooth ball.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide it into ten and flatten each piece, rolling them out one at a time until you have a circle measuring about 6 inches (15cm) across.

Heat up your pan or griddle until it’s very hot and spray or brush lightly with a high-temp cooking oil.  Place a rolled out dough circle in the pan (you may need to adjust the heat as you’ll want some scorched patches rather than a total cinder) – give it about 2 minutes and flip it over. While the second side is cooking, brush the cooked side with a little oil then sprinkle it with garlic, cilantro and sea salt. If you want plain naan, just give it a couple of minutes each side without any tweaking.

After topping it with whatever you prefer and as soon as the second side is cooked, flip it over again and give it another 30 seconds to sear those flavors into the naan.

Keep them covered in a warm place while you cook the rest or serve them immediately, one at a time.