Chef Tom shares his tips & techniques for creating pillow soft, perfectly browned, butter naan bread on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- A double rise builds real pillowiness. Letting the dough rise once as a whole ball, then again after it's divided into portions, is what gives finished naan its soft, airy texture instead of a dense chew.
- Everything but the butter goes into the food processor at once. Combining the flour, yeast mixture, yogurt, and leaveners together and blitzing just until it balls up keeps the dough from being overworked.
- A cast iron griddle insert turns a pellet grill into a tandoor stand-in. Removing the diffuser and adding a flat cast iron surface over the firebox gets the grill hot enough to replicate the blistering, quick-cook heat naan is traditionally made with.
- Ghee goes on the moment it comes off the heat. Brushing it onto both sides immediately after cooking lets the warm bread absorb the butter fully instead of it just sitting on the surface.
How to Make Naan
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 3 users
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
Indian
Servings
10
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Calories
317
Experience fresh, savory, deliciously pillowy naan thanks to Chef Tom's masterful recipe for the pellet grill! Learn the secrets of creating the perfect, buttery, crispy texture – and tantalize your taste buds with a flavor you won't forget.
Ingredients
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1 cup (227g) warm water
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1 tbsp (9g) Caputo Dry Yeast
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1/4 tsp (1g) white sugar
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3 1/2 cups (500g) All Purpose flour
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1 tbsp (12g) Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Salt
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1 tsp (4g) baking powder
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1/2 tsp (4g) baking soda
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3/4 cup (200g) plain full fat Greek yogurt
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10 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
Directions
Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a cup and stir. Let the yeast bloom for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Combine all remaining ingredients (except the butter) in a food processor. Pour the water/yeast into the processor, as well. Blitz just until the mixture balls up above the blade and works its way around the walls of the food processor, about 10 seconds.
Remove the dough from the food processor and transfer to an oiled container. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Turn out the dough on your work surf and divide into 10 equal portions (about 95g each). Roll into balls and transfer to an oiled sheet pan. Cover and let double in size once again.
Preheat your Yoder smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 475ºF with the diffuser removed and a Yoder smokers Cast Iron Grill installed over the fire box, flat side up.
Using a rolling pin, roll each ball out on a floured surface until 1/8”-1/4” thick. Stack the rolled out discs, dividing them with parchment paper.
Transfer a couple of discs of dough to the griddle. Let the naan cook until it begins to bubble and the bottom browns in spots, about 45 seconds. Flip and brown the opposite side. The naan should puff as it cooks. Remove when browned, but not crispy.
Immediately brush or spread the naan with ghee on both sides. Stack in a container or foil to keep warm.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why does the dough need to rise twice?
The first rise develops the dough as a whole ball, and the second rise — after dividing it into portions — is what gives the individual pieces their light, pillowy texture once cooked.
Why combine everything except the butter in the food processor?
Blitzing the flour, yeast mixture, yogurt, and leaveners together just until the dough balls up keeps it from being overworked, which would make the naan tougher instead of soft.
Why remove the diffuser and add a cast iron griddle to the pellet grill?
This setup exposes the cast iron directly to the firebox's heat, letting it get hot enough to replicate the intense, quick heat of a traditional tandoor — something a standard pellet grill surface can't match on its own.
Why brush the ghee on immediately after cooking instead of before?
Applying ghee right off the heat lets the warm bread absorb it fully, giving the naan its signature buttery finish rather than leaving a layer of unabsorbed fat on the surface.
How do I know when the naan is done?
It should be browned in spots and puffed, but not crispy — pulling it too late will dry it out and lose the soft, pillowy texture that's the whole point of naan.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the dough can be made in any kitchen, but replicating the intense direct heat of the cast iron over a firebox is difficult with a standard home stovetop or oven; a very hot cast iron skillet is the closest substitute.
Recipe Highlights
The double rise: Letting the dough rise once whole and again after dividing is what produces naan's characteristic soft, airy texture.
One-shot food processor mixing: Blitzing all the dough ingredients together just until they ball up avoids overworking the gluten, keeping the bread tender.
The cast iron tandoor substitute: Removing the diffuser and adding a flat cast iron surface over the firebox creates the intense heat needed to blister and puff the naan quickly.
Buttering immediately off the heat: Brushing ghee on right after cooking lets the warm bread fully absorb it instead of the fat just sitting on the surface.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 Naan
- per serving
- Calories
- 317
- Fat
- 14 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 8 grams
- Cholesterol
- 36 milligrams
- Sodium
- 584 milligrams
- Carbs
- 39 grams
- Fiber
- 1 grams
- Sugar
- grams
- Protein
- 7 grams
