Naan Dough Hydration (Tandoori)

100%

All-purpose or maida flour — Lower-protein maida (9–10%) produces the classic silky, extensible texture; AP flour (11–12%) works well at home

40–45%

Water (liquid) — Actual added water, not counting yogurt contribution

20–25%

Whole-milk yogurt — Counts as ~85% water (17–21% effective hydration) + lactic acid + milk solids

1%

Active dry yeast — Or 0.33% instant; lactic acid from yogurt slows yeast activity slightly — don't over-reduce

2%

Salt

1–2%

Sugar — Feeds yeast and contributes to rapid browning in the tandoor

2–4%

Ghee or butter (optional) — Adds richness and extensibility; omit for leaner, crisper naan

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (38–40 °C); let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy. Combine flour and salt; add the yeast mixture, yogurt, and ghee. Mix until shaggy, then knead 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft, and slightly tacky — it should feel like an earlobe. The dough should not be stiff; if it resists folding, add water one tablespoon at a time. Cover and proof 1–1.5 hours until doubled. Divide into 150–200 g balls; rest 15 minutes covered. By hand or with a rolling pin, stretch each ball into a teardrop roughly 25–30 cm long and 3–5 mm thick. In a tandoor: slap the naan onto the inner clay wall and bake 60–90 seconds until puffed and charred in spots. At home: use a cast-iron skillet or broiler at maximum heat; 2–3 minutes per side.

• Yogurt temperature matters: cold yogurt straight from the fridge slows fermentation significantly. Bring it to room temperature before mixing, or your 90-minute proof becomes 3 hours.
• Do not rush the proof. Under-proofed naan lacks the internal bubble structure needed to puff against the tandoor wall and will tear rather than inflate.
• The teardrop shape is functional, not decorative — the tapered end goes into the hotter lower zone of the tandoor, where it cooks first and provides a handle for peeling off the wall.
• At home, a well-seasoned cast-iron pan over maximum heat replicates tandoor conditions better than any oven; preheat for at least 5 minutes before the first naan.
• Brush finished naan with salted ghee immediately out of the oven — the residual heat melts the ghee into the surface before it can form a skin.

• Peshwari naan

  Stuffed with sweetened coconut, almond, and dried fruit paste; hydration unchanged, dough rolled thicker to contain filling

• Keema naan

  Stuffed with spiced minced lamb or beef; same dough, doubled thickness around the filling

• Garlic-coriander naan

  Minced garlic and fresh coriander pressed into the surface just before cooking; ghee brushed liberally after baking

• Tandoori roti (no yogurt)

  Whole-wheat dough at 55–60% hydration, no yogurt or fat; stiffer, less puffy, faster to char

• Milk naan

  Replace yogurt with whole milk; less acidity, softer chew, slightly whiter crumb — common in restaurant chains outside South Asia

• Roomali Roti Hydration

  Related Indian flatbread family but at lower hydration (~55%) for extreme thinness without yogurt

• Barbari Bread Dough Hydration

  Higher-hydration (75–80%) Persian flatbread cousin; roomal glaze vs. yogurt fermentation for surface effect

• Pita Bread Hydration

  Similar protein flour and yeast approach at 60–65% hydration; no dairy, higher bake temperature for pocket formation

1. 1.Madhur Jaffrey, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (Knopf, 1973)
2. 2.Camellia Panjabi, 50 Great Curries of India (Kyle Books, 2009)
3. 3.Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid, Flatbreads and Flavors (Morrow, 1995)
4. 4.Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice (Ten Speed Press, 2001)

Confidence: high