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wholewheat naan bread on a grey napkin
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📋Whole Wheat Naan

This whole wheat naan recipe makes soft and pillowy naan to go with all kinds of curries and stews. You'll never want to buy the pre-packaged naan from the supermarket once you try this authentic and healthy naan!
Course Bread
Cuisine Indian
Keyword naan bread, naan recipe, whole wheat naan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 8 naan
Calories 190.2kcal

Equipment

  • Instant pot OR a large Pyrex bowl for proofing the dough
  • Rolling Pin
  • Iron tawa OR cast iron griddle OR frypan for cooking the naan
  • Flat spatula for flipping the naan
  • Stand mixer for kneading the dough (optional)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Indian whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoon yogurt
  • ¾ cup milk warmed
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoon nigella seeds kalonji
  • 2 tablespoon butter or ghee

Instructions

  • Take the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and baking powder) in a large Pyrex bowl and whisk together to combine. 
  • Add the yogurt and mix it in. 
  • Add the milk little by little and knead the flour until it becomes a smooth ball. (8-10 minutes)
  • Lightly oil the bottom and sides of the instant pot and place the dough ball in it. Roll it around to coat the surface with oil. Put the lid in place and set the instant pot on the yogurt setting (normal) for one hour. Alternatively, you can put the ball of dough in a greased Pyrex bowl, cover it with cling foil and keep it in a dark place to rise. It will take 2 hours approximately for the dough to rise and double in size. 
  • Once the dough has doubled, it will be very soft and light. Carve it into 8 pieces and shape it into balls. Cover these balls with a damp tea towel and allow them to rest for 15 minutes. 
  • Now, take each ball and with a rolling pin, roll it it out into an oblong or round disc. You won't need any dry flour at this point because the wholewheat dough is very pliable and will not offer much resistance. Sprinkle a few nigella seeds on one side and roll over it so the seeds stick.  Keep the discs covered with a damp tea towel till they are ready to cook. 
  • Place a griddle on the stovetop and heat it to moderate heat. Take one rolled out disc and brush the other side with water. Press this side face down on the hot griddle so that the disc sticks to the griddle. Allow the dough to cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The dough will form bubbles and air pockets on the side that's up, and after about 30 seconds, it will start leaving the sides. With the help of a spatula, flip the naan and cook on the other side. Repeat for all the discs. 
  • If you don't want to flatten those air pockets, invert the griddle after pressing the water side down and cook the naan directly on the open flame until the edges start to char slightly. However, you can do this only if you have a stovetop with gas burners.
  • Once all the naans have been cooked, brush them with ghee or butter and serve hot with your favorite curry.  

Notes

  1. You can use a tawa (iron griddle), a cast iron pan or a frypan to cook the naan. However, if you want to invert the pan, make sure the pan you are using is not non-stick as the disc will not stick properly to it. 
  2. Make sure the griddle is moderately hot. If it is not hot enough, the naan won't cook properly and become dry. If it is too hot, the naan will burn. 
  3. Variations - chop some fresh garlic finely and press it to the naan along with the nigella seeds to make garlic naan. Or chop some cilantro leaves, add them to the ghee or butter and brush them on once the naan is cooked. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1naan | Calories: 190.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.6g | Protein: 7.3g | Fat: 4.4g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5.1mg | Sodium: 91.2mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2.4g