Skillet Naan with Garlic Ghee
A yeasted flatbread cooked in a bare, screaming-hot skillet until it chars and puffs — no tandoor, no oven, just enough heat to compensate for the wrong pan.
- Serves
- 8 naan
- Prep
- 1 hr 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water together and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the yogurt and oil, then work in the flour and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
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Knead on a floured counter until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
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Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
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Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a thin oval.
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Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until it’s just short of smoking.
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Lay a naan in the bare skillet and cook until bubbles rise and the underside is charred in spots, about 2 minutes.
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Flip and press down with a spatula until the second side chars and the naan puffs, another 1 to 2 minutes.
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Stir the garlic into the melted ghee and brush over each naan while it’s still hot.
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Scatter cilantro over the top and serve immediately.
Notes
No tandoor needed — a dry cast-iron skillet gets hot enough to char the outside before the inside dries out, and the dough’s own steam does the puffing. The pan has to be properly screaming before the first naan goes in, or you get a pale, leathery flatbread instead of one with blistered black spots.
Stack these under a towel as they come off the skillet so the ones waiting stay soft. They’re built to go alongside anything in the larder that comes with a sauce worth mopping up — the coconut red lentil dal or the red curry chicken both go straight for the naan before the rice.