cheese naan recipe with step by step pics. this delicious recipe of cheese naan does not use yeast and can be easily made at home with readily available ingredients. these naans are also made on a tawa and not on oven. you can also make them in a pan. these cheese naan have a soft texture with a nice cheesy taste.
soft textured naans is a favorite at home. at times i do make naans. for this cheese naan i have used a mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour (maida). however, you can use only whole wheat flour or all purpose flour.
few more naan recipes are:
- cheese garlic naan – no yeast cheese garlic naan recipe made on tawa.
- naan recipe – easy naan recipe made on stovetop or tawa.
- butter naan – soft whole wheat butter naans on the stovetop.
- garlic naan – light and soft naan with garlic flavors made on stovetop.
for the cheese, you can use cheddar cheese or a mix of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. you can also use processed cheese.
serve cheese naan as a plain snack or with a side dish of any north indian dal or veggie curry. so you can serve with dal fry or dal tadka or paneer masala or mix veg gravy or veg kadai or matar paneer or veg kurma.
how to make cheese naan
a) preparing naan dough
1. in a mixing bowl or pan, take 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour.
2. then add 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. mix very well with a spoon or spatula.
4. add 3 tablespoons buttermilk or 3 tablespoons curd.
5. then add ⅔ to ¾ cup water in parts.
6. mix well and then add 3 tablespoons oil or butter.
7. again mix and begin to knead.
8. knead very well to a soft, smooth and pliable dough. add more water if required while kneading dough.
9. flatten the dough. brush some water or oil all over the dough. cover the bowl and allow to leaven the dough for 2 hours.
rolling and stuffing cheese naan
10. after 2 hours this is how the dough looks like. grate cheese and keep aside. you will need 1 cup of grated cheese. you can use cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese or processed cheese.
11. make medium sized balls from the naan dough.
12. dust some flour on the dough ball.
13. roll in to a 5 to 6 inches diameter circle.
14. add 2 to 3 tablespoons grated cheese. you can even add less cheese if you want. but it will be like a cheese flavoured naan and not cheese naan.
15. fold the edges from all around.
16. bring the edges in the center and then join them. press the joined edges back on the dough. dust some more flour.
17. now roll the cheese stuffed naan. roll to 7 to 8 inches circle.
18. brush some water on the side facing you.
19. sprinkle some nigella seeds (kalonji) or sesame seeds all over and press them with the brush or with your fingers, so that they stick to the naan.
roasting – making cheese naan on tawa
20. now place the naan with the nigella seeds side down on a hot tawa or griddle.
21. roast naan on a medium to high flame.
22. it will begin to puff up.when you see some blisters and the naan begins to puff up, flip it.
23. when you turn naan, it will be cooked and roasted well. cook the second side.
24. flip again when this second side is cooked. you can flip a couple of times more for even roasting.
24. take them on a plate.
25. spread some butter on top.
26. then cut the cheese naans in two or four pieces if serving immediately. make all the naans this way. you can serve them hot or stack them in a roti basket or casserole. later while serving you can cut them and then serve.
27. serve cheese naans hot or warm as a plain snack or with a side dish of any north indian dal or veggie curry. so you can serve with dal tadka or matar paneer or mix veg gravy or kadai paneer.
Cheese Naan
INGREDIENTS
for the naan dough
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or 240 grams whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour or 125 grams all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk or curd (yogurt)
- 3 tablespoons oil or butter
- ⅔ to ¾ cup water or add as required
other ingredients
- 100 grams cheese or 1 cup grated cheese OR add as required
- nigella seeds (kalonji) as required, can also use sesame seeds
- butter as required, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
making naan dough
- in a mixing bowl or pan, take 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour.
- then add 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.
- mix very well with a spoon or spatula.
- add 3 tablespoons buttermilk or 3 tablespoons curd.
- then add ⅔ to ¾ cup water in parts.
- mix well and then add 3 tablespoons oil or butter.
- again mix and begin to knead.
- knead very well to a soft, smooth and pliable dough. add more water if required while kneading dough.
- flatten the dough. brush some water or oil all over the dough. cover the bowl and allow to leaven the dough for 2 hours.
assembling, rolling and stuffing cheese naan
- after 2 hours grate cheese and keep aside. you will need 1 cup grated cheese. you can use cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese or processed cheese.
- make medium sized balls from the dough.
- dust some flour on the dough ball.
- roll in to a 5 to 6 inches diameter circle.
- add 2 to 3 tablespoons grated cheese. you can even add less cheese if you want. but it will be like a cheese flavoured naan and not cheese naan.
- fold the edges from all around.
- bring the edges in the center and then join them. press the joined edges back on the dough.
- dust some more flour and roll the cheese stuffed naan.
- roll to 7 to 8 inches circle. brush some water on the side facing you.
- sprinkle some nigella seeds or sesame seeds all over and press them with the brush or with your fingers, so that they stick to the naan.
roasting - making cheese naan on tawa
- now place the cheese naan with the nigella seeds side down on a hot tawa.
- roast naan on a medium to high flame. it will begin to puff up.
- when you see some blisters and the naan begins to puff up, flip it. cook the other side.
- flip again when this second side is cooked. you can flip a couple of times more for even roasting.
- take them in a plate and spread some butter on top.
- then cut the cheese naans in two or four pieces if serving immediately. make all the naans this way. you can serve them hot or stack them in a roti basket or casserole and then serve later.
- serve hot or warm with a dal or curry.
Can I ferment a ball of atta and use it in place of yeast or baking powder/soda?
yes, you can do this. but for a quicker fermentation, i would suggest adding some curd and a pinch of baking soda. in india, before the commercial baking yeast came in the market, yeasted breads were made with fermenting a batter of flour and water. this was called as khameer. the batter was fermented for a couple of days. this batter starter is then used in the dough. this process uses natural yeast from the air.
i have shared a bhatura recipe which uses the method of making khameer and will help you in making naan. you can check the recipe here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/bhatura-recipe-bhature-bhatura/
Thank you Dassana and yes Khameer’s the name! You have put so many recipes of dishes as our elders used to make. That’s one great job. I keep referring to your site when I forget some step or a recipe.
welcome anu and thank you. khameer was used in ancient times when making leavened bread in india. there is khameeri roti also and is a traditional mughlai recipe. but nowadays khameeri roti is made with commercial yeast – even in restaurants. once a reader from poland had shared with me the making of polish whole wheat bread which makes use of khameer (starter) and then fed every day – similar to making sourdough starters with natural yeast. there is a lot of information available in books on making sourdough and you can read them. thanks again.
can i use only baking power for this receipe ?
yes you can use baking powder. but add 2 teaspoons baking powder overall.
thank you so much
i love cheese naan and so does my son
love ur recepies and tryed many
all the best
Welcome Maria. Glad to know that you have tried many recipes from the blog.
simple and easy