A note from Baking Steel: Naan is one of those breads that feels impossible to make at home — until you try it on a properly preheated Baking Steel. The intense, instant heat from below mimics the floor of a tandoor, which is exactly what naan needs to puff and blister the way it should. Alexandra Stafford developed this recipe and shot the photos. We've been making it on repeat ever since.
Steel-Baked Naan
Recipe and photography by Alexandra Stafford
Years ago at a street fair in my town, I watched a man slap rounds of dough to the inside wall of a blazing hot tandoor oven. After just one minute, he would lower a long metal skewer into the oven and peel the blistered and bubbled naan from the wall. Before passing the charred rounds of bread to drooling customers hovering at his side, he brushed the surface with melted ghee.
After watching this performance and tasting the delectable naan, I coveted a tandoor almost as much as a wood-burning pizza oven. I've been on a Moroccan-cooking kick recently and have found myself buying masses of pita bread, flatbread, and that delicious Stonefire naan from the grocery store. I thought it was time to try my hand at a homemade version.
There are a dizzying number of recipes out there for naan — some calling for both baking powder and baking soda, many calling for yogurt and milk, some coated with oil before baking, others with water. I've tried a number of recipes these past few weeks, and this is my favorite. The dough is wet and sticky and requires no kneading. It's a little tricky to work with at first, but once you get the hang of it, getting freshly baked naan on the table is a breeze.
I prefer using my hands instead of a rolling pin to stretch the dough — this seems to create a more pliable finished product — but use whatever method you like. The dough is forgiving, and a little melted butter and sea salt at the end go a long way.
Why a Baking Steel Beats a Pizza Stone for Naan
A note from Baking Steel:
Naan needs intense, instant heat from below to puff up properly. Steel conducts heat 18x more efficiently than ceramic, which means:
- Faster cook time — 2 minutes per side vs. 4-5 on a stone
- Better blistering — those signature charred bubbles that make naan look right
- More forgiving timing — the steel holds heat through multiple rounds without dropping
If you've tried naan on a stone and ended up with something closer to flatbread, the steel is the upgrade.
The Recipe
Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes (mostly hands-off rising)
Cook time: 3 minutes per naan
Yield: 4 large naan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Melted butter, for brushing
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
1. Activate the yeast. Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water. Sprinkle sugar over top. Let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy.
(If using instant yeast, skip this step. Just combine all wet ingredients, then all dry, then mix together.)
2. Mix the dough. Whisk olive oil and buttermilk into the yeast mixture. Add flour and salt. Mix until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky — that's correct.
3. First rise. Cover bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled.
Tip from Alexandra: To create a warm spot, turn your oven on for 1 minute, then shut it off. It will be barely warm — you should be able to touch the racks without burning yourself, but be careful while you test.
4. Preheat. Place your Baking Steel on the middle rack and preheat oven to 550°F at least 45 minutes before baking. (If your dough was rising in the oven, remove it first.)
5. Divide and rest. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Divide into 4 equal sections. Shape each into a loose ball. Let rest 20 minutes (or up to 1 hour).
6. Shape the naan. Using your hands (preferred) or a rolling pin, stretch each ball into an oval about 8 inches long. Transfer to a parchment-lined peel. Wet your fingers and lightly brush water across the surface of the dough.
7. Bake. Slide the naan (with parchment) onto the steel. Bake 2 minutes, flip with tongs, bake 1 minute more.
8. Finish. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Eat immediately.
Alexandra's Tips
- Use parchment paper. The wet dough sticks. I had issues with sticking and excessive charring when I didn't use it. Don't skip this step.
- Hands beat rolling pins. Stretching by hand creates better air pockets and a more pliable finished bread. Rolling pins compress the dough and produce something closer to flatbread.
- Stretch fully. Under-stretched naan ends up doughy in the middle. Aim for 8 inches.
- Two at a time. Most home Baking Steels fit two ovals at once. Cook in batches.
What Goes With It
Naan is a vehicle for everything — grilled chicken, lamb, curry, dal, breakfast eggs, you name it.
If you want to go the pizza route, we have a naan bread pizza recipe that takes this same dough and turns it into a fast weeknight pizza.
Recipe and photography by Alexandra Stafford. For more of her work, visit Alexandra Cooks.
Made on the Original Baking Steel — invented in 2012, made in Massachusetts, pre-seasoned and ready to cook the day it arrives.
