Naan bread, we eat it with so many meals! Not sure why I have never written down my recipe for my whole wheat naan bread.

I make a big stack of them, more than I need, and freeze the leftovers. This way I always have them on hand; I only have to thaw and quickly heat them up and they are ready to be served.

How I make whole wheat naan bread?

I use something I call a starter: I combine wet ingredients, yeast, sugar and a small amount of flour and leave it for 25-30 minutes to activate the yeast. After half an hour it looks all bubbly like this:

To the starter I add some of the flour (not all), baking powder and salt and other add-ins (optional). I combine the ingredients and add the oil. While kneading I add more flour little by little to get a somewhat sticky mixture. I keep on kneading for 1 or 2 minutes until the dough gets smoother. I cover it with a towel and let it rest until it has doubled in size. Depending on the climate you are in this will be 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

Once the dough has doubled, I punch it down and mold it back into a ball with my floured hands. Then I divide it into 4 pieces and shape balls which I place on a piece of parchment paper. I cover the dough balls with the towel again and let it sit for 10-15 minutes while I am prepping the toppings (if any).

Using a bit of flour, I shape the dough balls into naans with a rolling pin. Lightly though so the air from the rising isn’t all squeezed out.

When using toppings, I spray/drizzle a bit of water on the naan and (lightly) press in any toppings.

I heat up a bit of oil in a (cast iron/heavy bottom) skillet over medium/high heat. Carefully I transfer a naan bread to the skillet and slide it in. 1-2 minutes per side is all it takes to get nice coloring and awesome air pockets!

What add-ins and toppings can I use?

A lot of the time I make plain naan bread, since I usually make a large batch of it in the weekend (#mealplanning) and I don’t know what I will be using them for next time.

Add-ins are mixed in after the starter has been activated and the naan-ingredients are added. Add-ins could be:

garam masala
nutritional yeast
cumin powder

A few of my favorite toppings are:

sesame or nigella seeds;
minced garlic
onion flakes
fresh cilantro
cumin seeds

This naan bread has us all hooked here. You will love it too, I am sure of it. It is:

easy to make – perfectly freezable – great with so many dishes – flavorful – and super yummy

Fresh naan bread, who doesn’t like that!? I serve it with so many meals like chicken tikka masala, souvlaki hummus bowl and my lentil coconut curry. But also as a side to soups like this roasted tomato soup and Thai butternut squash soup. Or make this delicious falafel naan burger and serve it with some hummus. Hummus? I’ve got you covered: hummus or roasted pumpkin and garlic hummus.

Whole wheat naan bread

Flat bread made with whole wheat flour prepared in a hot skillet. Great to serve with curries and soups

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Resting/rising Time 1 35

Total Time 1 55

Course Bread, Side Dish

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Starter

125 ml warm water (approx. ½ cup)
30 gr whole wheat flour (¼ cup)
5 gr yeast (1½ tsp)
2 gr sugar (½ tsp)
60 gr (non dairy) yogurt (¼ cup)(mix with ½ tsp vinegar (plain white or apple cider))

Naan ingredients

200-250 gr whole wheat flour (approx. 1¾-2⅛ cups)
3 gr sea salt (½ tsp)
2 gr baking powder (½ tsp)
25 gr oil (of choice + extra for greasing)(approx. 2 tbsp)

Additional add-ins

1-2 tsp garam masala, nutritional yeast, cumin (optional)

Toppings

2 tsp minced garlic, cilantro, parsley, onion flakes (optional)

Instructions

The starter: combine all starter ingredients: warm water, flour, yeast, sugar and yogurt/vinegar mixture. Cover it with a towel and leave it for 25-30 minutes to activate the yeast. It will look frothy.
Add 90 gr/ ¾ cup of flour, the baking powder and salt to the starter. Mix and add the oil. While kneading add more flour (little by little) to get a somewhat sticky mixture. Keep on kneading for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough gets smoother.
Cover it with a towel and let it rest until it has doubled in size (between 45-90 minutes).
Once the dough has doubled, press down the dough and add a bit of flour to mold it back into a ball. Then divide it into 4 pieces and shape balls and place them on a piece of parchment paper. Cover the dough balls with the towel again and let them rest for 10-15 minutes.
Use a bit of flour to shape the dough balls into naans with a rolling pin. Lightly though so the air from the rising isn't all squeezed out.
If you are using toppings, spray/drizzle a bit of water on top of each naan bread and press toppings in.
Heat up a bit of oil in a (cast iron/heavy bottom) skillet over medium/high heat. Carefully transfer a rolled out naan bread to the skillet and slide it in. 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
Serve as a side to curries and soups.

Notes

Nutritional information:

the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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