Naan has to be one of those flatbreads you can’t really replicate—until you do. And if you’ve got no tandoor (most of us don’t), the stove can still get you close.
The basic idea is simple: make naan on a stovetop using baking powder instead of yeast. Buttermilk steps in for flavor and rise, so the dough doesn’t just sit there waiting to be encouraged. The method also leans on a hot, cast-iron skillet, which is where the magic starts to happen—puffs of dough, a little blistering, and that charred vibe people usually associate with a tandoor.
There’s some history to this version, too. The original recipe from “660 Curries” suggested using a grill or a pizza stone. We tried an oven test once—actually, it wasn’t a great feeling. Results came out uneven, which is probably the polite way to say “not quite right.” So we pivoted and used America’s Test Kitchen’s stove-top method instead.
On the burner, the dough hits the skillet and starts behaving. A lid goes on partway through, and that matters more than you’d think. It keeps the bread soft and pliable instead of drying out or turning crisp in all the wrong places. Without that cover, you might end up with naan that’s more like toasted bread—fine, maybe, but not the same mood.
One small real-world detail that stuck with me: the kitchen filled with that warm, wheaty smell pretty quickly, and there was a faint sizzle you could hear over everything else. Not loud, just steady. Like the skillet was quietly insisting we keep going.
Best practice is also straightforward—naan is best freshly made. Still, if you need to save some for later, you can store it in an airtight container for 1 day and reheat briefly in the oven. It’s not exactly the same moment as pulling it from the skillet, but it gets you back to “pretty good” fast. Honestly, after that, you start thinking about… what to serve it with—though that’s a whole other detour, and I’m not fully convinced I won’t loop back to it later.
