
Whole-Wheat Naan (Paratha) with Garlic Cilantro Butter
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 pieces naan 1x
- Category: Recipes
- Method: Prep Now, Cook Later, Sheet Pan
Description
This easy Whole-Wheat Naan recipe uses simple ingredients and is finished with a garlic cilantro butter. It tastes better than the restaurants and can be served with your favorite dinner, such as curry or Tikka Masala, or as something to snack on.
Ingredients
Naan:
- 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2 and 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon white whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus some for greasing pan)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Combine the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (that’s fitted with a dough hook). Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the yeast and give it a quick stir, then let it sit until the yeast foams up, about 5-10 minutes. (If mixing by hand, see notes below.)
- Turn the mixer on low speed. Gradually add the flour, salt, yogurt, egg and EVOO. Once they are combined and start to come together, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-low. Continue mixing the dough until it begins to look smooth and forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3-5 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add a few pinches of flour. If too crumbly, add a tiny bit of water until it comes together.
- Place dough ball in a large olive oil-greased bowl, giving it a quick turn to coat it lightly in oil. Cover bowl with a clean towel. Turn oven off and place bowl in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour (make sure that towel is not touching grates), until ball doubles in size. This speeds up the rising process. If prepping ahead, allow your dough to rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- While the dough is rising, mix the softened butter, garlic and cilantro so that the butter is infused with the garlic/cilantro flavor. Set aside to brush on the naan just after cooking.
- Once the dough has almost doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Roughly roll the dough into a log shape and cut into 8 equal-size pieces. If your dough seems too sticky to work with, and is difficult to form into a log, see notes below. One by one, roll each piece of dough into a ball with your hands. Then, use a rolling pin to flatten each one out, forming a circle until the dough is about 1/3-inch thick. If you prefer an oval or tear-drop shape, pick up the naan from one end and gently shake it so that the naan stretches out from that end.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet (a sauté pan will work too, but doesn’t brown quite as nicely) on medium-high heat. Add one of the rolled-out dough pieces to the dry pan and cook, one at a time, for 1 minute, or until the dough begins to bubble on top and the bottom turns a light golden brown color. Flip the dough with a spatula and cook on the other side for 30-45 seconds, or until the bottom is golden brown.
- Brush top of finished naan with garlic cilantro butter and transfer to a covered plate to keep warm while repeating the process with the remaining dough. You can also place cooked naan warm in the oven (on the lowest setting) and brush it with butter immediately before serving. Serve warm.
Notes
If your dough seems too sticky after rising to work with: Skip rolling it out on a floured surface (this is likely due to too much water/not enough flour). Instead, wet your hands and grab a small amount of dough (about 1/8th of the dough) and quickly slap it down on the hot cast iron skillet. Use the back of a large, WET spoon or spatula to QUICKLY press the dough flat (so it’s about 1/3-inch thick). Cook as specified above. Baking any type of bread is easy to do, but takes some time to master. Don’t get frustrated. Your naan may not look quite as pretty but it will taste just as good!
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Always check for FfL-friendly ingredients.
Variations (we have not tried these ourselves):
Vegan: Omit the yogurt, egg and butter. Instead, try coconut yogurt, flax eggs and coconut or olive oil.
Diary-free: Omit the yogurt and butter. Instead, try coconut yogurt and coconut or olive oil.
Egg-free: Omit the egg and slightly increase the amount of yogurt.
Picky eaters: If you or your family is new to the flavor of whole grains, use half bread flour and half whole-wheat flour. As your taste buds adjust, modify the ratios to favor whole-grain flour.
Keywords: Appetizers, Breakfast, Create A Meal Using Leftovers, Freezer-Friendly, Side Dishes, Theme Nights, Vegan
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