Garlic and Cheese Naan

This garlic and cheese naan is so soft and fluffy. It's stuffed with garlicky cheese and then cooked in a hot cast iron pan. It might become your new favorite bread. 

While you can't see it from the outside, there is a handful of shredded and melted cheese stuffed inside each one of these little flatbreads. 

Ingredients in this Garlic and Cheese Naan:

Bread Flour: You can also use unbleached all purpose flour, but if you have bread flour, definitely use it. 

Instant Yeast: You can also use active dry yeast, but instant yeast might provide a slightly fluffier naan. 

Sugar and Warm Water: For activating the yeast. Even though you don't necessarily need to activate instant yeast, for this naan recipe, the yeast gets a great head start by getting all foamy before adding it to the flour. 

Ghee: Ghee is a form of clarified butter where the milk solids and water has been cooked off, leaving behind pure fat. It has a higher smoke point than butter so you can use it for cooking at high temperatures without burning. You will need ghee for the dough as well as for oiling the pan and brushing the cooked naan. 

If you only have butter, you can use it in the dough and for brushing the final naan, but I would use a combination of butter and oil for lightly rubbing the cast iron pan you will be using to cook the breads. 

Garlic: To add a garlicky flavor, steep minced garlic in the finishing ghee (the final two tablespoons before brushing the warm naan). 

Egg and Milk: You will use a portion of a whisked egg plus some milk to mix the dough. Many naan recipes call for yogurt, including my garlic jalapeño naan, but it's not included in this cheese naan in order to keep it extra fluffy. 

Cheese: I use freshly grated Fontina cheese to make this naan. It has a buttery and nutty flavor, with a faint sharpness similar to Gruyere. Any melty cheese works, such as Jack, cheddar, or Colby. I also think that pepper Jack would add a nice flavor to the naan. 

For Finishing the Cooked Naan:

Garlic infused ghee or melted butter, nigella seeds (also called charnushka or kaloji), and minced cilantro. Nigella seeds have a peppery flavor that is also slightly sweet. 

To Make This Garlic and Cheese Naan:

This cheesy naan is pretty easy to make and can be ready in under two hours. 

First, bloom the yeast in water and sugar for about 10 minutes, until foamy. 

After that, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. In a cup or small bowl, combine the egg, milk, and butter in the dough  ingredients and whisk together. Pour it over the flour mixture and then add the yeast and water mixture. Mix everything with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Cover and let rise until doubled. 

Once the dough has doubled, divide it into six equal pieces and form them into balls. Cover and let rise for about 15 minutes. 

Next, press and roll the dough balls out into 6 inch rounds and lightly brush each top with the garlic infused ghee and top each with about 3 tablespoons of grated cheese. Fold the dough over the dough to form a ball and re-roll the dough out into six inch rounds. 

Finally, cook the breads in a super hot cast iron skillet, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until slightly charred and bubbly. The naan will puff up like pita as you are cooking the second side, an indication that you have rolled the dough out to the correct thickness. 

Once the breads are cooked, brush them with the garlic infused ghee and sprinkle with nigella seeds and cilantro. It's delicious both warm and at room temperature. 

Tips for Success:

This naan dough may seem pretty sticky after it has risen but resist the urge to add too much extra flour. Simply lightly dust your work surface with flour to prevent sticking. You can also dust your hands with a little flour as well. 

Be sure to use a ruler to measure the rolled out naan to make sure it is neither too thick nor too thin. 

Very lighly oil your cast iron skillet, mostly by rubbing it with a paper towel. If your skillet is well seasoned, you can probably skip this step. 

You can store any leftover naan in an airtight container or ziploc bag for a day or two. You can reheat it on a skillet or for about 20 seconds in the microwave. 

More Indian Breads You May Also Enjoy:

Aloo Paratha (Indian Spicy Potato Bread)

Roti

Matar Kulcha

This month, the Bread Bakers are making Indian Breads! I have heard various theories about the origin of cheese-filled naan, including in a restaurant owned by an Indian ex-pat in Paris. Regardless, cheesy naan had made its way to India, and from what I've read (I've never been there), it is very popular. 

You can use this naan for scooping up stews or just enjoying it as a snack on its own. It would be great for making wraps and individual pizzas too.  

Indian Breads: 

• Butter Naan from Passion Kneaded
• Cheese and Garlic Naan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gujarati-style Savory Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Gulachi Sanjyachya Polya with Whole Wheat Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• "Instant" Appam from A Messy Kitchen
• Khamiri Roti from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Litti Chokha from Cook with Renu
• Magical Avocado Paratha from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Garlic Cheese Naan

Yield: 6 Naan Breads

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 15 M

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/2 cup warm (105 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons whisked egg
• 39 grams (2 tablespoons) melted ghee or unsalted butter
• 223 grams (7.87 / 1 3/4 cups) bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) melted ghee or unsalted butter
• 4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated cheese (I used Fontina)
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Instructions

1. In a small measuring cup, stir the yeast into the water and sugar, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In cup or small bowl, combine the egg, milk, and the melted butter or ghee and whisk. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and then add the yeast and water mixture. Mix everything with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
4. Once the dough has doubled, on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into six equal pieces and form them into balls. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter or ghee and let infuse. Strain out the garlic.
5. On a lightly floured surface, press and roll the dough balls out into 6 inch rounds, about 1/16 inch thick, and lightly brush the tops with the garlic infused melted ghee. Top with about 3 tablespoons of grated cheese. Fold the dough over the dough to form a ball and re-roll the dough out into six inch rounds.
6. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and rub the surface with a small amount of ghee or oil using a paper towel. Cook the breads in the hot cast iron skillet, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, until slightly charred and bubbly. .
7. Once the breads are cooked, brush them with the garlic infused ghee and sprinkle with nigella seeds and cilantro. Stack them on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm and soft. .

Nutrition Facts

Calories

323

Fat (grams)

17 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10 g

Carbs (grams)

31 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

29 g

Sugar (grams)

2 g

Protein (grams)

11 g

Cholesterol (grams)

58 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/06/garlic-and-cheese-naan.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

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Recipe adapted from my new favorite cookbook, Recipetin Eats Dinner: 150 Recipes for Fast Everyday Meals by Nagi Maehashi. You definitely need the book.