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Whole Wheat Naan Bread. Soft, Amazing 100% Whole Grain Naan flatbread. Vegan Butter Naan Recipe. Soyfree Nutfree Recipe. Oilfree Option
Ever Since I posted my Vegan Naan recipe (in 2011, gosh it has been that long!), I have wanted to make a 100% whole grain version. And here it is!
Whole grain flours behave differently, absorb a lot more liquid and need some tricks to ensure that the breads are soft – not dry, airy & not dense and generally pleasing to taste. This wheat Naan recipe is slightly different from a regular Naan. It uses a sponge (a mix of some flour and wet ingredients that sit to hydrate for 25 mins). This extra hydration allows the bread dough to hold more moisture.
Do read the original Naan post for various cooking methods and the tips below to get the best ever result with this Wheat Naan bread. Lets get breading.
Serve this Naan with this Butter Tofu(so good!), Mushroom Masala, Achari Sauce tofu/veggies, some Hemp-Tofu in Pasanda Sauce, Instant Pot Butter Chiken (Soycurls + chickpeas), Palak Tofu (Tofu in Spinach Curry), or any Indian Curries/Entrees!
More Breads from the blog
- Spinach flatbread – Palak Paratha or Spinach Tortillas. Yeast-free
- Easy Wheat Flat bread – yeast-free
- Pumpkin rosemary flatbread – Yeast-free
- Sweet Potato gluten-free flatbread. yeast-free. GF
- Herb Garlic Naan – No Yeast
- Glutenfree Naan Bread., and there are 2 more options in my Book.
Tips to make a great Whole grain Naan
- Use a wheat flour brand or type that you generally like. Some wheat flours can have a strong flavor (sometimes its because they have gone rancid and old). I prefer to use a mix of spelt and whole wheat as spelt is nuttier and more delicious flavor.
- Keep the dough on the sticky side i.e. moist. Too dry a dough means dryer bread as dough loses moisture during cooking.
- Trial and error are your best friends. Pans, Kitchens, Temperature, flours are all variables that affect whole grain baking/cooking (much more than all purpose flours). Make small breads to check how they are turning out so you can adjust by adding more moisture to the dough(spray water on the dough balls and let them sit for longer), or add more flour if too sticky, or knead the dough a bit for chewier.
- Whole grain breads loose moisture faster, so spray or brush oil or vegan butter and cover with a towel right after cooking. You can also start with half wheat and half unbleached all purpose flour to begin with.
Whole Wheat Naan Bread - Vegan Indian Naan Recipe
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1/2 cup warm-hot water
- 1/4 cup whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1.5 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar or maple syrup, , optional
- 1/4 cup non dairy yogurt, (plain unsweetened, I use kite hill) at room temp, or use 1/4 cup cashew milk(thick non dairy milk),mixed with 1/2 tsp vinegar, or use mashed very ripe avocado
Naan:
- 1 to 1.5 cups whole wheat flour, , or a mix of wheat and spelt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp oil, plus more for greasing
- Flavor additions: garam masala, , garlic powder, nutritional yeast, cumin, fresh herbs etc
- toppings: minced garlic, cilantro or fresh herbs, nigella seeds, black sesame seeds, vegan butter etc
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients under sponge in order. Mix well to combine and cover with a towel. Let the sponge sit for 25 - 30 mins in a warm place.
- Then add 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and add to the sponge bowl. Add oil, mix well. Add more flour as needed to make a somewhat sticky but cohesive mixture. Knead for 2-3 mins to get to a somewhat smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a thick towel and let sit until dough is almost double in size. 1 to 1.5 hour depending on the ambient temperature.
- Drizzle a few drops of oil on the dough and spread. Use a tbsp of flour if needed to bring it together into a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal portions. Shape into smooth balls. Place the balls on parchment, cover with a towel and let sit for 10-15 mins. Meanwhile prep the skillet, toppings etc.
- Use some flour to shape the balls into naans using a rolling pin or just pressing with your hand(lightly so that all the air from the rising dough isnt squeezed out). Spritz water on top and press in any toppings like garlic, cilantro, nigella seeds or other seeds.
- Heat a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes per side. (You can cover the Naan for half a minute during cooking). Brush liberally with vegan butter or oil. Cover with a towel is not serving immediately. Store on the counter for a few hours or refrigerate for upto a week or freeze for month. See Tips above the recipe. Serve with Indian Curries/Entrees. For more cooking options, see my original Naan post to Bake.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Added input: Yesterday, I froze the 2 left within 2 hours of making them. Today I couldn’t resist, so I thawed them for about 20 min on the counter, then warmed them for 20 seconds in the microwave as soon as dinner was ready. Yummy!
FYI: I made lentil soup over served over brown rice and this naan was a delicious match!
Perfect!
WOOOOOW! ❤️❤️❤️ Make it now and double the recipe!
1) These is SO pillowy soft and delicious! I only tried wheat naan once and it was chewy, tasteless and horrible so I tossed it. This is a dream.
2) I used Chakki Atta flour (Brand: Deep) so I can say it works well.
3) I’ll use vegan yogurt next time, but was out so I used mostly Tofutti sour cream and mixed in a little plain almond milk for a thick curd-like liquid. Worked!
4) I tossed on Nigella seeds. Mine had no flavor, but it made my naan look professional!
5) I made four, but hubby is out of town, and it took *everything* not to eat them all myself! I did freeze them. Still, I will never make another single batch again so I can have an emergency stash on hand.
6) They were so good that you could serve them to folks that normally only eat white bread. I mostly have white.
thank you for your enthusiastic feedback!!
Hi! can I bake them in the oven instead of using a pan?
Thank you!!
you could – brush each side with oil and broil on high- medium on middle rack until crispy & look like the picture
Easy and very tender compared to other, drier recipes I’ve tried. I regret not having doubled or tripled it. Next time!!
❤️❤️❤️
Hi, what kind of yeast are you using? Active-dry or instant?
Active dry
I use Chakki Atta for rotis. Will this work better than US wholewheat flour?
Atta has lower gluten. It will work. The whole wheat will be puffier
I was always afraid (for some odd reason) to try making naan from scratch, even though I’ve cooked extensively from your cookbooks and website. This recipe was easy and the end result was delicious even when I used only spelt flour. I also didn’t have any yogurt and appreciated the alternative options (I quickly made some cashew cream in the blender). As someone who doesn’t keep any white flour or white rice at home, I’m so grateful for all of the whole wheat or brown rice recipes and alternative instructions you have where they work. I know it’s extra work–so thank you!
Awesome so glad it turned out good!
I have tried this naan using Aashirvaad Select Atta and it is so tasty.
excellent, thank you
I was admittedly skeptical of whole wheat naan, but I followed the recipe and it was a hit, with an omnivore spouse, in fact. I often mix flours, but this time I only added a small amount of all purpose flour when shaping. I added black sesame seeds, which was a great idea, too. I never have vegan yogurt on hand, however, so I did use some homemade vegan sour cream instead. I used to buy naan often, and this was a great way to enjoy it again, so thanks so much! We really enjoyed it with your tofu in creamy black pepper tomato sauce with basmati rice. Excellent meal with some green beans.
Omg! I made this with atta and a ripe avocado – it couldn’t have been more amazing !!! I hadn’t eaten warm fresh naan for at least 2 years since I became vegan. My non vegan family was also speechless at how good they were with Vegan navratan korma – killer combo. I feel so pampered after eating my dinner just now and wanted to say thank you sooooo much. All your recipes are amazing but I couldn’t leave your site without commenting on this one in particular. 🙂
yay! thanks for popping in and taking the time to comment
These were so yummy!!! I was so surprised by how easy they were! I have only made naan one other time, and they had me cook it in the oven, so I was a little skeptical (as I have only ever made english muffins on a pan, no other breads) but they were really simple! I have also never made a sponge before when making whole wheat bread, and that is definitely a trick I will have to remember. I couldn’t believe how stretchy the dough was! They were just perfect topped with vegan butter and chopped garlic, and I paired them with your instant pot butter chicken soy curls (https://fettabbau-trim.today/instant-pot-vegan-butter-chicken/%3C/a%3E which I highly recommend to anyone reading this comment). Thank you for posting this! I will definitely be trying out some other recipes of yours after my success with these two.
Awesome !! thank you