Tawa Naan Recipe
Tawa Naan, Naan Without Tandoor
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plain flour, Maida
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup yogurt room temperature
- 1-1/2 tsp oil canola, vegetable
- 1/4 cup look warm water use as needed
Garnishing
- 1 tbsp clear butter or ghee
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp green chili finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- We also need tawa or skillet to make naan, nonstick skillet will not work for this recipe. Iron tawa or skiller works the best for making Tawa Naan.
Making Naan
- For garnishing mix all the ingredients, butter, salt, cilantro, and green chili Set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients together, add 1 tablespoon of oil and yogurt mix it well. Then add the water gradually to make very soft dough but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough well. Apply light oil to the dough and cover. Let the dough sit for about 3 hours in warm place.
- Dough should be about 1-1/2 time, knead the dough again on floured surface. Divide the dough in four parts, lightly roll into the flour, cover the balls and let it sit for about five minutes before rolling.
- Roll the naan one at a time on a lightly floured surface little less than 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the water lightly on one side of the naan.
- Heat the tawa on medium heat, to check if tawa is ready sprinkle the few drops of water on tawa, water should sizzle.
- Put water side naan over tawa, once the naan start bubbling and dough start drying, turn the tawa over flames keeping about 2 inch away from the flames to cook the naan from top. Note: yes naan will stick to tawa and will not fall of, this the reason you cannot use the nonstick skillet.
- Once naan browned to your satisfaction, remove, and spread the butter mix over. Place in a on a plate and cover with a cloth to keep warm until serving. Naan is ready!
Notes
How to make Naan at Home on Tawa Recipe – Manjula’s Kitchen
Tawa or Skillet:
Let’s dive into crafting the perfect Tawa Naan (Indian bread) at home with this easy Tawa Naan recipe. Begin by selecting the right equipment – an essential iron tawa or skillet. Forgo the nonstick skillet; the traditional iron one is crucial for achieving that perfect stickiness in your Tawa Naan.
Garnishing:
Elevate your Tawa Naan with a delightful mix of clear butter, sea salt, chopped cilantro, and finely chopped green chili. This straightforward concoction adds richness, freshness, and a hint of heat, transforming your naan into a culinary masterpiece with our special naan on the tawa recipe.
Mixing the Dry Ingredients:
At the heart of our Tawa Naan recipe lies the meticulous combination of dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, blend Maida, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add oil and yogurt – the oil ensures a smooth integration of flavors, and the yogurt contributes a creamy richness and subtle tanginess to the dough in this How to make naan at Home on Tawa guide.
Gradual Addition of Water:
As you gradually add water to the dry mixture, witness the alchemy of dough creation. Water acts as the binding agent, transforming the dry ingredients into a soft, pliable dough. Aim for a texture that is soft yet not sticky, setting the stage for a naan that strikes the perfect balance between chewiness and tenderness in our naan on tawa recipe.
Kneading and Resting the Dough:
The art of kneading takes center stage. On a lightly floured surface, the dough transforms. Well-kneaded and coated with a touch of oil, it is covered and left to rest for a patient for three hours. This period of repose allows the dough to rise, making it 1-1/2 times its original size, imparting a lightness that will be evident in the final Tawa Naan.
Division and Resting:
Post-resting, knead again and divide the dough into four equal parts. Lightly roll the dough balls in flour, cover them, and grant them a five-minute interlude before the next act in our naan on the tawa recipe. This resting period allows the dough to gather its composure, ensuring a smooth rolling process.
Rolling and Sprinkling:
Each naan takes shape individually, rolled on a lightly floured surface to a thickness slightly less than 1/4 inch. A sprinkle of water on one side adds subtle moisture, a touch that will contribute to the naan’s characteristic texture as per our how to make naan at home on Tawa guide.
Cooking on the Tawa:
The Tawa, heated to a medium temperature with a few drops of water sprinkled on the surface sizzling, signals the readiness of the Tawa. The naan, waterside down, meets the hot surface. As it begins to bubble and the dough dries, a flip of the tawa over flames cooks the naan from the top. A crucial note underscores the unique nature of this process: the naan sticks to the Tawa, a characteristic that needs the use of a traditional iron surface rather than a nonstick skillet.
Final Touch:
As the naan achieves the desired golden-brown hue, it exits the stage. A generous spread of the previously prepared butter mix crowns the naan with a final change of richness and flavor. Placed on a plate and covered with a cloth, the naan awaits its moment of glory, ready to be served warm and relished in our naan on tawa recipe.
Serving Suggestion:
Completing our culinary symphony, the serving suggestion recommends pairing the Tawa Naan with Dal Makhani, Punjabi Chole, Palak Paneer, Butter Paneer Masala & Malai Kofta. This is not merely a suggestion but a curated experience, inviting us to savor the naan’s texture and flavor alongside these iconic accompaniments, creating a culinary ensemble that transcends the ordinary according to our how-to-make naan at home on tawa guide.
94 Responses
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Can you recommend a specific Tawa?
Tawa should be heavy otherwise any tawa will work I have tried many different
Thank you for this beautiful recipe and would love to try. Please let me know the brand of tawa you are using. That looks light. I have a wonderful Lodge cast iron tawa but owing to its’ weight and my bad wrist, it will be impossible to flip. Thank you so much
I really loved it. It looks so easy and must try this recipe.
This is the easiest recipe ever! For those who don’t have a tawa or gas oven, here is a tip. Use a cast iron skillet on the stove top. While the naan is cooking on one side on the stovetop, turn the oven to broil on high, making sure the top most rack is four inches from the broiler. Once you are ready to cook the other side, just slide the cast iron skillet under the broiler. Voila! Less than two minutes to cook the naan under the broiler on the other side!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I had been looking for a good naan recipe. I had to modify my own method as I do not have a tawa, nor do I have a gas range. I used a stainless steel skillet, which while not perfect, I was able to get some decent results. I can imagine how much better my naan would have been if I had the tawa and a gas stove-top!
I did notice one thing (and thankfully, your YouTube video was extremely helpful). The ingredient list, it states 1-1/2 tsp instead of 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil.
I alwayz follow ur receipes. But this time Naan whether stuffed or plain Naan. My Naan alwayz fell dowm on gas from Tawa. What exactly am i doing wrong..
First time the naans came out perfect. Second time, they kept falling off when I turned the tava upside down.
What did I do wrong?
Thanks
Amar You need to wipe the skillet every time
First time the naans came out perfect. Second time, they kept falling off when I turned the tava upside down.
What did I do wrong?
Thanks
Thank you so much for the recipe, they are always helpful, I doubled the recipe and used 1 cup APF and 1 cup Wheat Flour, naan turned out wonderful and my kids asked me to make them again next week!!
My naan didnt rise. I think my flour is good. Tastes and smells fine. My baking soda is good. What happened?
Is this baking powder or bicarbonate of soda??
Tasty and easy to prepare. However, here recipe which i also recommended. Thank you
Hello, Manjula, Do you recommend seasoning a Tawa? If so, how do you do it, please? Thanks, Edward
Edward you don’t need to season the tawa
Manjula! Help me. It was working for me, now it isn’t…. what am I doing wrong? I use your special kneading/rolling method. I dot the dough once in the skillet with my fingers….. but now it’s just one puff (slight puff). I have to use a cast iron skillet because my stove is electric. Is that the cause? I have a feeling it has more to do with my technique than the stove. It’s still the tastiest naan I’ve ever made. Sending hugs from afar… PS Can this recipe be doubled?
How much baking soda to use if recipe is doubled?
Little less then double
I don’t have a Tawa, but I have a carbon steel Wok. Can I use this instead, as I think the Naan will stick to it, so that I can cook the top directly over the flame?
I want to say thank you, my son made this Naan and it was the best ever!
Bharat, thank you
Hi Manjula,
First of all, thank you for your excellent recipes, they always work like a dream. I just made your palak paneer and it turned out delicious!
I’d love to make the naan. One question though: can I make it ahead of time and refrigerate it? Thank you!
Gosia
Where can I get a tawa pan?
An Indian grocery that sell cookware will have them.
Awesome receipe, thankyouuuu soooo much????????????????
OMG… This receipe was amazing, so simple and really yummy naan… thank you for your amazing receipes
many blessings
Surbhi
How can I make this gluten free ?
Can I use buckwheat flour instead ?
Also if I want a vegan version can I use full fat coconut milk and add limon to replace the yogurt ?
Thanks in advance for your help
Chana, I hope I had some suggestions.
Does it make a difference if the yogurt is non-fat or full-fat? What is the type you used in your video?
Chelsey, I use full fat yogurt.
We don’t have ‘cups’ to measure ingredients in UK. Can you give metric equivalents please?
A cup is 250ml
Can these be frozen?
Linda, yes
At what stage would you freeze these. When rolled into ball and covered with clink film or when cooked.
Thank you
When rolled into ball and covered
This was easily the best naan I’ve ever made. I love this recipe. It’s so good and it worked. Thank you so much for sharing!
Dana, Thank you, It always feel good to hear that.
Interesting, the reason it works even without yeast is because yogurt contains lactic acid which is one of the components of sourdough. To help the dough rise even further you could try subbing sparkling water for mineral, or (but this will change the taste) use beer or wine (the alchohol will evaporate as it cooks, so it won’t be alcoholic, but if you don’t cook with alcohol at all then don’t try this). Beer in particular gives a taste similar to yeast (industrial yeast was once made from beer).
So if you make this vegan, use a vegan yogurt with bacterias as that’s what helps the dough. I will try to make a gluten free version for my friend to eat ~ Didi
What flours to make it gluten free ?
How about buckwheat or millet.
Chana, I have not tried with naan but I tried with Manjula’s kulcha recipe which is similar. I would weigh the flour in grams because it is much easier with substitution. So you have about 1 cup flour with this recipe, that is around 140 gr. I would sub with 1/3 in weight (140 gr/3=~47 gr) glutinous rice flour (SE Asian sticky rice, different from regular rice, it helps with the stickyness, do not sub), 1/3 (~47 gr) cornstarch or tapioca starch, 1/3 (~47 gr) millet or jowar or any gluten free grain you prefer (I like jowar because I think it tastes a bit similar to wheat but it’s your choice). If you don’t mind your naan puffing less replace the starch with your favorite gf grain flour.
I know some about substitution bc I like baking and I have a coeliac friend. I am Italian so going without bread is unthinkable. Gf bread is by far the most difficult to get right but the kulchas I made with the same method were pretty nice.
Thanks a lot ????. So let me see if I understood
Instead of 1 cup of flour I will use 1/3 cup of rice flour, 1/3 cup of tapioca and 1/3 cup of millet.
And because I’m a vegan maybe use coconut milk with lemon because I don’t have a vegan yogurt.
By any chance you have a blog so I can follow your recipes ?
I miss bread really bad bit each time a get a piece my throat each like crazy. ????
Soni, sounds good after you make it I will like to know the result.
You’re the best! Awesome recipe!
Kyle, thank you
mam can we knead the flour with a little butter instead of oil
Home made Tawa Naan will be the most important thing I will learn, as I always order Naan in Restaurant and now I will prepare it at home. Thank you for the recipe
Mam can we use fruit eno while making dough.. I think tghn we dont need to keep it for 3 hours.. It will instant naan recpie..!!
It turned out so well. Just like at Gaylord in Bombay. Great recipee. Thanks for sharing
These came out so perfect! the whole family loved it.
Thanks for all your lovely recipes and tips. Makes life easier for me and makes Indian food available so far away from home.
Thank you again!
Hello, I tried this at home and it came out exactly like the ones served at hotel. Thanks for sharing this perfect recipe
Hello mam , I tried your recipe of tawa nan this weekend and it came out really well…my husband and kids really loved it n my husband even stated it is a magical recipe..Thanks for it.
Krithika, thank you, it is always nice to hear that
Aunty i dont have an iron tawa, can i use the oven?
Neha, to make this naan naan has to stick to the skillet, just non stick skillet will not work. Skillet has to heavy.
We have only electric range at our house. How do I invert the tawa on that? Any alternative technique?
Svb, it should work put the heat on high
thank u so much.excellent video
i just want to know if yeast is really important in the preparation of naan or not.
Wow yours recipe is great can u teach me how to make makkhani paneer
Reeta, try this link https://manjulalive.wpenginepowered.com/paneer-makhani/
This turned out awesome. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Hii chef Manjula I m a big fan of urs I want to ask that can we kept dough overnight ? Is it OK ?
Anam, Yes
Excellent recipe, I tried it. thumbs up 🙂 I am from Pakistan and gonna share this recipe with my loved ones.
Thank you for the wonderful video — everything was so well explained!
Perfect!
Thanks for your wonderful website. I started preparing this recipe and noticed that there is no yeast. Is that correct? Looking at other naan recipes online I see they all use yeast.
Jem, in this recipe I did not use any yeast
You are an inspiring cook and I’ve learnt a lot from your videos. Regards,
Shilpa!
Shilpa, thank you
Manjulji can we use whole wheat ata instead of maida flour
Varsha, if you want to use whole wheat flour that will be tandoore roti check this link https://manjulalive.wpenginepowered.com/tandoori-roti/
Do you but ghee/butter directly on stove first? also, how do you garnish this? Thank you for recipe manjula, hoping you will put more like this. excellent for paneer.
Sumithi, mix butter, salt, cilantro, and green chili for garnishing, after remove the naan from tawa then apply the butter mix over naan.
Dear Manjula, namaste!
Thank you for your wonderful and sacred recipes which Swami Ananda and I enjoy a lot. We are very fond of nan bread and would like to try your recipe. But we have an electric stove, no flame stove… However, is it possible to do this recipe? Which method should we use then? Thank you.
Blessings,
Sri Mâ
Hello Manjula
I am a fan and a subscriber of yours from when you still had your long hair:) I have made your naan today, they were really good and I will do that recipe again. Is this naan the original Indian one or are the ones done with yeast also original Indian? Also I rolled one out a bit too large and one corner flipped over so it was double layered on one side. It didn’t matter much. Could you please tell me how thick the naan should be before it goes into the frying pan or skillet, and does it matter if it bubbles?
Thank you for your help
Christel
Christel Webb, it should be about 1/8 inch of thick and it doesn’t matter if it has some bubbles.
Manjulaji, Are you sure, you used only one cup of flour for this recipe? It seems more to me.
Shaku, just one cup of flour
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.. I’d like to make this naan for a party this weekend.. There are going to be about 12 people.. Can I make this naan in advance ??
Vandita, Yes then you can warm them in oven or over skillet
IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER?
Is there any difference between Baking Powder and Baking Soda? can baking powder be used here?
Baking powder and soda are deffinately not the same item. Both are used in baking, sometimes together.
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Baking Powder is sodium bicarbonate mixed with cream of tartar and a starch. They each have an effect on how your baked goods turn out.
Baking powder is in the isle of the store with other baking supplies and is usually in a round container. A common brand is Clabber Girl here in the U.S. I use Rumsford a Baking powder as it is Non-GMO and Aluminum Free. Most health stores/organic grocers carry Rumsford
Does it have to sit for 3 hours? I’d like to make this tonight but will not have time to let it sit for 3 hours.
Just tried, worked like a charm. Made few with kalonji sprinkled on top-yummy! This recipe is a keeper!!
Wow yummy..
I have been wondering why Naan bread could not be baked on a tawa. Now I will try it. I really enjoy the practicality of your recipes Manjula:-)
so how does the other (sticky) side cook ?
First before putting naan on tawa…..keep the sraight side on for 30 sec and then turn the side of tawa towards flame…then again after removing the naan directly u can cook on flame ….
Tasty and easy to prepare I must try
Thanx for sharing, its really useful,I’m gonna try it asap
I don’t have a flame stove only the one with coils. So would this recipe work in that case?