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If you are unfamiliar with Naan bread, it is a great time to meet each other.
Naan bread is a traditional Indian bread. It is a type of flatbread that you make in a skillet. It is not a just flatbread, but also a soft and pliable type of bread.
This Naan recipe is quick and easy to make and requires no yogurt. This recipe is probably my favorite recipe for the Naan bread as it is not only quick but super delicious.
Sometimes people mix pita and Naan bread, but although both being types of flatbread, they are completely different. Pita bread is cooked in an extremely hot pan or oven and has a characteristic air pocket in the middle.
Naan bread is cooked over medium-high heat on a skillet and it has more air bubbles than pita bread, which has one big giant bubble.
Naan bread can be served with any type of meal. You can eat Naan along with soups, gravy, meat dishes, or simply used for sandwiches.
Can You Make Naan Bread Without Yogurt?
Yes, you can make the Naan bread without yogurt. The yogurt is used to make the bread soft and fluff, but making Naan bread with yeast and allowing it to raise will give the same results.
Yogurt of any type is not mandatory in this recipe. Yeast will do the trick and turn the Naan dough into the softest and most bubbly bread.
How Is Naan Bread Traditionally Made?
Naan bread uses really simple ingredients:
Flour
Yeast
Salt
Milk
Warm water
First, you want to make the dough by combining the yeast and flour together. Knead the dough by hands or using a stand mixer with dough hooks attached. Divide the dough into six to eight portions and let it raise for at least 1 hour.
Once the dough is made, the bread itself is baked in a very hot clay tandoori oven, with charcoal or wood. Of course, we do not have a tandoori oven so the next best thing is a heated skillet.
You can use either a plain non-stick skillet or a cast-iron skillet (this one that you can pick up on Amazon is by far my favorite, and perfect for making Naan).
The baked bread will have distinguished brown spots on top. The spots are actually air pockets and a great indicator when the Naan bread is done.
Once it’s cooked, you can serve the Naan bread with olive oil, ghee, or butter.
How to Serve Naan
You can make Naan bread plain or with herbs or spices. Although Naan bread is not traditionally made with spices, you can always feel free to adjust this recipe to your personal taste.After all, you’re the one eating it!
You can use some of the traditional Indian spices such as turmeric or a pinch of curry powder, or choose a variety of herbs such as thyme, oregano or basil.
For some extra crunch, you can sprinkle the Naan bread with black cumin seeds.
Now let’s get into our yogurt-less Naan recipe!
How to Make Naan Without Yogurt
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp almond milk or plain milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil + some extra for brushing
Instructions
Step 1
Gather your ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes at a warm place.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and the yeast mixture. Stir to combine until dough comes together.
Step 3
Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece in a ball. Arrange the balls on a plate and cover with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Step 4
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
Roll the dough balls to a 1/4-inch thickness and place into the heated skillet. Cook the Naan bread until it starts to bubble.
Flip the bread and brush with some olive oil.Cook the bread on the other side.
Serve bread warm with olive oil, butter, or ghee, and enjoy!
Naan Recipe Without Yogurt
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour20 minutes
This authentic Naan bread without yogurt is soft and fluffy, just like Naan should be!
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp almond milk or plain milk
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil + some extra for brushing
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast.
Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes at warm place.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and the yeast.
Stir to combine until dough comes together.
Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece in a ball. Arrange the balls on a plate and cover with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
Roll the dough balls to a 1/4-inch thickness and place into the heated skillet. Cook the Naan bread until it starts to bubble. Flip the bread and brush with some olive oil.
While making naan, yogurt can be substituted with buttermilk, lemon juice and milk, curd and butter, sour cream, soy yogurt, and coconut milk yogurt. Some of these substitutes are dairy products while others are vegan-friendly non-dairy products.
My favorite homemade naan recipe is made with basic bread ingredients (flour, water and yeast) plus a generous dollop of yogurt, egg and baking powder to make the bread extra soft and chewy. I also prefer to use touch of honey as a natural sweetener for the bread.
While it may contain more carbs and sugars, it earns its reputation as a healthy alternative with its relatively generous amounts of protein and fiber. Despite its high carb content, naan can be considered a more nutrient-dense alternative to white bread and pita.
Naan bread can be part of a healthy diet, especially if you choose whole grain varieties. Naan bread contains vitamins and minerals like niacin, fiber, and iron, as well as fiber. It also is a good source of carbohydrates, which provide energy.
If you don't have access to traditional Indian or Greek yogurt, some alternatives include regular cow's milk yogurt, coconut yogurt, almond yogurt, soy yogurt, or goat's milk yogurt. Depending on the recipe, it is also possible to substitute other dairy products such as ricotta cheese or crème fraîche.
Naan doesn't get bubbles – Pan not hot enough, dough not moist enough or improper leavening. Naan turns hard – Toasting for too long, not enough moisture in the dough, toasting on low heat or not kneading the dough enough.
Naan bread is soft, fluffy, and chewy, whereas pita bread is denser with a slightly crispy texture on the outside. Naan bread also has a buttery flavor due to the ghee and buttermilk in the dough, which adds an extra dimension of flavor compared to pita bread's more neutral taste.
You sprinkle water to keep the naan bread soft. Naan bread will naturally stiffen when not eaten straight from the pan, so eat it as soon as you possibly can.
Naan is usually made from Maida ( whitest form of flour) which is not quite good for health. On the daily basis, if consumed, it can give rise to many stomach disorders like constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. It can kill your appetite giving rise to many undesirable health issues.
Because their ingredients are similar, loaf bread and pita both have very similar nutritional profiles, including similar levels of protein and fat (around 2 to 3 grams). Naan is higher in protein (around 9 grams) and fat (around 5 grams) than pita and other breads.
From health perspective, flat breads made of whole wheat flour (roti/paratha/chapati/phulka) are better than the ones made with all-purpose flour (naan & kulcha).
Look for “whole grain,” “whole wheat,” or “whole meal” on the label. If a loaf contains 6 grams of fiber per 100 g, it's rich in fiber. Choose breads with plenty of intact grains, like oats, barley, and quinoa, as well as seeds, if you can eat these. Watch out for mass-produced sourdough breads.
Popular choices include Tandoori Chicken or Tandoori Paneer (cottage cheese). These dishes are not only lower in calories and saturated fats compared to their fried counterparts but also retain the essence of Indian flavors.
Although traditionally tandoori chicken recipes call for plain yogurt as the base, I'm not a big yogurt fan. I decided to try using coconut milk instead, and it turned out great!
Buttermilk is the liquid that is left after butter has been churned, and it's a great choice to use in baking or bread recipes instead of Greek yogurt. The acidity of buttermilk will help your dough to rise higher, but because it's thinner than Greek yogurt you may have to use less.
Of all the nondairy milks you could use for yogurt, cashew milk works best, turning pleasantly sour with an underlying sweetness. If you wish to go beyond cashew milk, and use soy milk, coconut milk or your homemade nut milk, our How to Make Yogurt guide.
If you want a dairy-free Greek yogurt substitute, try coconut yogurt, almond milk yogurt, or soy yogurt. Unfortunately, if you're looking for an authentic Greek yogurt experience without the real deal, there's really only one option — strained plain yogurt. While it might not be the exact same thing, it's pretty close!
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