Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast

This Easy Naan Bread made without yeast is soft, fluffy & really easy to make. Perfect homemade accompaniment to any Indian curry and so handy for mopping up your plate clean. You’ve got to try it!

Who doesn’t love a good curry? It really is a rhetorical question. But what would the curry be without soft and fluffy naan bread to help mop up all that deliciousness? 

For me naan bread has always been an integral part of a good curry feast and that is where this Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast recipe comes in.

This recipe is adapted from Bake It Better – Bread * by Linda Collister – wonderful little book out of the entire series of books inspired by The Great British Bake Off.

We are bread fanatics in our house and I think we could easily keep a small bakery going on our bread needs alone. This little book is full of wonderful recipes which are more than achievable even if you are not particularly experienced in bread baking department. I highly recommend this one.

Why is this naan bread recipe so great?

1. This particular naan bread recipe doesn’t use any yeast which makes it really quick and easy.
2. You don’t need any special equipment to make it. 
3. No yeast means no kneading and lengthy dough proving involved. All you need to do is give your ingredients gentle mix to bring your dough together and some resting time to allow it to ferment a bit.
4. Homemade naan bread is so much nicer than the shop bought equivalent even though it is not made in a traditional tandoor oven as the curry house version.
5. Naan breads are soft and simply perfect to accompany any Indian curry.

Pro tips when making No Yeast Naan Bread!

• Original recipe suggests one hour of resting time for the dough. I’ve tried one hour and slightly less than thirty minutes without any difference in the final product.  I suggest that you leave it to rest for anything between 30-60 min depending on the time you’ve got available.

• You can toast nigella seeds in a dry frying pan to make their flavour more intense but it’s not necessary. You can also substitute them with cumin seeds which go really well in naan bread. 

• Feel free to make your naan bread either under the grill or if you prefer in a frying pan or a skillet just like my Easy Flatbreads.
  
  Simply pour 1 tsp of oil onto a hot frying pan and cook your naans until they puff up and start browning at which point you simply flip them and cook the other side. 

• Make sure you don’t leave your naan bread unattended under the grill as the timing between undercooked and burnt might be literally a blink of an eye. When they puff up and start getting brown, they are ready.

• Keep naan bread wrapped in a clean tea towel as you grill/cook some more. This will keep them nice and soft and prevent them from drying out. 

Can you adapt this recipe to vegan diet?

Of course you can! Since my family have adapted  plant based eating  back in December 2019 I have been making this naan bread recipe using only plant based ingredients. 

The substitutions are really easy to make.

Simply swap dairy yogurt for your favourite plant based one (I use Alpro Plain Soya) in the dough and there you have it. 

To make Coriander & Garlic Butter use your favourite plant based block butter or margarine as a substitute. I do like new Flora Plant Butter (available in the UK) that comes in blocks and tastes just like the real thing (not sponsored).

Storing and Freezing Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast

This easy naan bread is best eaten on the day, especially when brushed with lovely coriander and garlic butter. However, we’ve reheated it previously both in the microwave (they will go a bit floppy using this method mind you) and in the oven and it worked fine.

When it comes to freezing, naan bread freezes really well. I would, however, recommend freezing it without melted butter on top. You can brush it with coriander and garlic butter once defrosted and warmed up.

To freeze, simply wrap it in some aluminium foil really tightly to prevent freezer burn and freeze up to three months. 

Defrost at room temperature and pop in a microwave for a few seconds to warm up or alternatively pop it in the oven preheated to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for approximately 5 minutes or until warm. Keep it wrapped in aluminium foil.

You can pop it into the oven still frozen but it will take longer than 5 minutes to both defrost and warm up. Simply check on it every few minutes or so until done to your liking. 

Another way (for the impatient ones amongst us) is to toast it in your toaster! It works great even from frozen!

Easy Naan Bread No Yeast Serving Suggestions

As this naan bread makes the perfect mop and accompaniment to any curry, try it alongside one of the recipes you can find on the blog.

Easy Cauliflower & Lentil Curry 

Celeriac & Chard Vegetable Curry

Tarka Dhal with Spinach (Vegan)

Jamie Oliver’s Inspired Chicken Tikka Masala

Easy Butter Chicken Curry

To complete your curry feast try my Easy Spiced Basmati Rice or Easy Turmeric Rice and if you are planning on the entire Indian banquet, why not include gently spiced Vegan Vegetable Fritters and my delicious and cooling Cucumber Raita! 

How to make Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast – Step- By-Step Instructions!

• Put flour, salt and nigella seeds in a bowl and give them a bit of a whisk with a fork or balloon whisk.

• Add yogurt and start mixing it into the flour mixture with your hand adding some lukewarm water bit by bit as you mix. Only add enough water to make your dough come together. You might not need the entire 115ml / 1/2 cup. It will depend a lot on the flour you are using too. 
• You will get nice and flexible dough that is slightly rough and sticky. You will not need to knead it for a long time only to bring it together to shape a ball. Put the dough ball back in a bowl and cover with clean tea towel and leave to rest for anything between 30-60 minutes (however much time you’ve got). The dough will not raise during this time as there is no yeast. 

• Take the dough ball out of the bowl and put on a kitchen counter dusted lightly with flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal size balls. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and stretch it lightly into the oval shape 15-18 cm long. 

• Cook your naans under the hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side, until they puff up and start to brown slightly. Timings might differ depending on your grill and the size of your individual naans. Feel free to cook them in a frying pan instead (see tips above).

• Keep cooked naan bread wrapped in a clean kitchen towel as you cook the remaining ones. This will keep them soft until you’re ready to eat them.
• Prepare Coriander & Garlic Butter by gently melting the butter in the microwave or in a small pan on the hob. Once melted add chopped coriander and minced garlic and mix well. Brush the mixture over hot naans. 
• Enjoy with your favourite curry!

Have you tried my Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast?

Please leave a comment to let me know what you thought, share your tips, tricks etc. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away too and I’ll try and respond as soon as I can.

If you’ve made this recipe please rate it too! Thank you in advance!

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Some more yeast free and other bread recipes you might want to try

Easy Flatbread (No Yeast)

Vegan Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread with Yogurt

Easy Bread Rolls

Yogurt Bread Rolls

Easy Wholemeal Bread Recipe (No Knead)

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5 from 7 votes

Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast

This Easy Naan Bread made without yeast is soft, fluffy & really easy to make. Perfect homemade accompaniment to any Indian curry and so handy for mopping up your plate clean. You’ve got to try it!

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Bread, Easy, flatbread, Naan, yeast free

Equipment

• Large Glass Bowl*
• Large Carbon Non-Stick Frying Pan 28cm (Oven Safe)*

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Resting Time 1 hour

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8 naans

Calories 164kcal

Author Jo Allison

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

• 250 g self-raising flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds) lightly toasted if desired
• 3 heaped Tbsp full fat natural yogurt see notes
• 115 ml lukewarm water see notes

Coriander & Garlic Butter

• 50 g unsalted butter (melted) see notes
• 1 clove garlic minced, grated of finely chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped

Instructions

• Put flour, salt and nigella seeds in a bowl and give them a bit of a whisk with a fork or balloon whisk.
• Add yogurt and start mixing it into the flour mixture with your hand adding some lukewarm water bit by bit as you mix. Only add enough water to make your dough come together. You might not need the entire 115ml / 1/2 cup. It will depend a lot on the flour you are using too.  
• You will get nice and flexible dough that is slightly rough and sticky. You will not need to knead it for a long time only to bring it together to shape a ball. Put the dough ball back in a bowl and cover with clean tea towel and leave to rest for anything between 30-60 minutes (however much time you’ve got). The dough will not raise during this time as there is no yeast. 
• Take the dough ball out of the bowl and put on a kitchen counter dusted lightly with flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal size balls. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and stretch it lightly into the oval shape 15-18 cm long.
• Cook your naans under the hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side, until they puff up and start to brown slightly. Timings might differ depending on your grill and the size of your individual naans. Feel free to cook them in a frying pan instead (see tips above).
• Keep cooked naan bread wrapped in a clean kitchen towel as you cook the remaining ones. This will keep them soft until you’re ready to eat them.
• Prepare Coriander & Garlic Butter by gently melting the butter in the microwave or in a small pan on the hob. Once melted add chopped coriander and minced garlic and mix well. Brush the mixture over hot naans. 
• Enjoy with your favourite curry!

Notes

• Nutritional information is approximate, per 1 naan bread and should be treated as a guideline only.
• This naan bread recipe is easy to adapt to plant based diet by substituting dairy yogurt with your favourite plant based one and regular butter with your favourite vegan block butter. 
• Naan breads are best eaten on a day but can also be reheated if need be. They freeze really well (without coriander and garlic butter) for up to 3 months. For more see paragraph above. 

Tips:

• Original recipe suggests one hour of resting time for the dough. I’ve tried one hour and slightly less than thirty minutes without any difference in the final product.  I suggest that you leave it to rest for anything between 30-60 min depending on the time you’ve got available.
• You can toast nigella seeds in a dry frying pan to make their flavour more intense but it’s not necessary. You can also substitute them with cumin seeds which go really well in naan bread. 
• Feel free to make your naan bread either under the grill or if you prefer in a frying pan or a skillet just like my Easy Flatbreads.
  Simply pour 1 tsp of oil onto a hot frying pan and cook your naans until they puff up and start browning at which point you simply flip them and cook the other side.
• Make sure you don’t leave your naan bread unattended under the grill as the timing between undercooked and burnt might be literally a blink of an eye. When they puff up and start getting brown, they are ready.
• Keep naan bread wrapped in a clean tea towel as you grill/fry some more. This will keep them nice and soft and prevent from drying out. 
•  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Naan Bread Without Yeast

Amount Per Serving (0 g)

Calories 164 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 150mg6%

Potassium 42mg1%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 0g0%

Sugar 0g0%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 165IU3%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 15mg2%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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