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Recipe · Direct · Easy

Garlic Butter Naan on the Kamado

Yogurt-leavened Indian flatbread cooked on a blazing stone until blistered, then brushed with garlic-cilantro butter. The perfect partner for a curry or for mopping up anything off the grill.

Quick answer

Naan cooks on a hot stone or cast-iron plancha at 250-280 °C in the kamado over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per piece, until it puffs and blisters. Brush it hot with garlic-cilantro butter and serve alongside curries: chewy inside, charred and tender outside.

Naan recién horneado y ampollado, pincelado con mantequilla de ajo y espolvoreado con cilantro, sobre una piedra junto a un kamado de cerámica.Save to Pinterest
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Prep
25 min
Cook
18 min
Servings
6 servings
Temperature
260 °C

Ingredients

  • strong bread flour500 g
  • natural Greek yogurt120 g
  • warm water160 ml
  • active dry yeast7 g
  • salt1 cdita
  • unsalted butter60 g
  • garlic cloves3 ud
  • chopped fresh cilantro1 puñado

Method

  1. 01

    Bloom and mix

    Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (lukewarm, max 38 °C) with a pinch of sugar if you have it and leave for 10 minutes until foamy. Mix the flour with the salt, add the yogurt and the yeasted water, and bring it together into a sticky dough.

  2. 02

    Knead and proof

    Knead for 8-10 minutes on the counter until the dough is smooth and elastic; it will be soft, so resist adding much flour. Shape into a ball, cover with a cloth and let it proof somewhere warm for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.

  3. 03

    Fire the kamado

    Light the kamado for direct cooking and set the cordierite stone (or a cast-iron plancha) on the grate so it heats along with it. Stabilize the dome around 260 °C and let the stone soak up heat for at least 20 minutes; the surface should reach 250-280 °C.

  4. 04

    Divide and shape

    Turn out the dough, gently degas it and divide into 6 portions. With floured hands or a rolling pin, stretch each ball into an oval about 3-4 mm thick, leaving it a touch thicker in the centre. Keep them covered while they wait their turn so they don't dry out.

  5. 05

    Cook and blister

    Lightly brush the top side with water (it helps it stick and creates steam) and lay the naan on the stone. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes: it will balloon up and toasted blisters will appear. Flip for 30-60 seconds to mark the other side, then pull it before it dries out.

  6. 06

    Garlic butter

    Melt the butter with the finely chopped garlic in a small pan in the kamado's heat, without letting the garlic brown (60-90 seconds). Off the heat, stir in the cilantro. Brush each naan while hot and stack them wrapped in a cloth so they stay supple until serving.

About this recipe

Naan is all about contrast: an enriched dough that puffs in seconds against a screaming-hot surface, throwing up those toasted blisters that mark a good flatbread. A tandoor achieves it by slapping the dough onto a clay wall; at home the kamado is the closest thing there is, because the ceramic stores and radiates a stable, enveloping heat that a kitchen pan simply can't match.

Why yogurt changes the crumb

Yogurt brings acidity and fat, both of which relax the gluten and give a soft, slightly chewy crumb instead of a dry one. It also keeps the bread supple the next day. Use thick natural Greek yogurt and let the yeast handle only the oven spring; we're not after a long sour ferment, just a quick, pillowy bread.

The stone rules

The critical variable isn't the kamado's air temperature but the surface temperature. A cordierite stone or a cast-iron plancha at 250-280 °C dumps heat into the base of the dough, generates internal steam and inflates it. If the stone is merely warm, the naan dries out before it blisters. Preheat generously and check the surface with an infrared thermometer.

In 30 seconds

Strong-flour dough with yogurt and yeast, proofed until doubled. Stone or plancha at 250-280 °C in the kamado, direct heat. Each naan cooks for 2-3 min until it puffs and blisters, then gets brushed hot with garlic-cilantro butter. Serve alongside curries or grilled meats.

It's a forgiving recipe for rounding out any cook: while the coals settle after searing meat or vegetables, the stone is already hot for quick batches of bread. And the garlic butter, infused in the kamado's own heat, turns a humble flatbread into the bite everyone reaches for again.

Editor's tips

  • No stone? A well-preheated cast-iron plancha or skillet works just as well: always chase that 250-280 °C surface before the first naan.
  • Don't overcook. Naan should come off supple; the moment it's blistered and puffed, pull it. Stacking them under a cloth keeps them tender thanks to their own trapped steam.
  • For deeper flavour, clarify the butter or use ghee: it handles heat better and leaves a nutty aroma that plays well with garlic and cilantro.

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FAQ

  • What temperature should naan cook at on a kamado?

    On a stone or plancha with the surface at 250-280 °C and the dome around 260 °C, direct heat. Each naan takes 2-3 minutes to puff and blister.

  • Why won't my naan blister or puff up?

    Almost always a too-cold stone or too-dry dough. Preheat longer, check 250-280 °C at the surface and brush the top with water before cooking.

  • Can I make naan without yogurt?

    Yes, but you'll lose tenderness. Swapping in milk or kefir works if you add a spoonful of oil to make up for the fat; Greek yogurt still gives the pillowiest crumb.

  • Do I need a pizza stone or will a plancha do?

    Either works as long as it retains and radiates heat. A cordierite stone gives a gentler blister; a cast-iron plancha gives darker marks and a crisper edge.

  • Can I make the dough ahead of time?

    Yes. After the first proof, refrigerate it for up to 24 hours; it cold-ferments and gains flavour. Take it out 30-40 minutes before shaping so it comes to temperature.

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