Grilled Garlic Naan

August again and the school year countdown is serious. Two weeks. The house is in that pre-school summer camp of activities and later bedtimes, everyone knowing the structure is coming back and either dreading or welcoming it depending on personality. Noah is welcoming it. He loves school. Mason is indifferent — school is what it is. Olivia is in mild dread because sophomore year is harder. Ethan is focused, which is his version of ready.

I gave the first private lesson to someone from outside my normal community this week: a woman in her thirties named Priya — different Priya from the graduate student at Thanksgiving — who found me through the YouTube channel and drove from Salt Lake City for the session. She wanted to learn Indian cooking from her grandmother's recipes but had never understood the foundational techniques. We spent ninety minutes on tempering spices, building a base, the architecture of a dal. She took notes the whole time.

This is new. Someone driving from another city because they saw a video and wanted hands-on instruction. The radius of the work is expanding in ways I didn't plan for.

I made my annual back-to-school cookies: sugar cookies in school supply shapes, the kids' favorite, the yearly signal that summer is officially wrapping up. Even Ethan, seventeen and generally too cool, came into the kitchen and decorated a pencil-shaped cookie with careful concentration. Mason made a perfectly geometrical notebook. Noah made a star because "stars are better than school supplies." He's not wrong.

After spending ninety minutes with Priya walking through the foundations of Indian cooking — the why behind tempering, the patience a dal requires — I came home wanting to make something that honored that same tradition in a simpler, more immediate form. Garlic naan is what I reach for when I want Indian food to feel both celebratory and accessible: it pairs beautifully with everything we worked through in that lesson, and honestly, it’s also the kind of bread my kids will tear into without any convincing. Back-to-school week needed both things — a nod to where my work is going, and something that still brings everyone to the table.

Prep Time: 20 min (plus 1 hr rise) | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 8 naan

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
1 cup warm water (around 110°F)
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tbsp neutral oil (such as avocado or vegetable)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, stir together warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit undisturbed for 5–10 minutes until the mixture turns foamy and fragrant. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be expired — start again with a fresh packet.
Build the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and kosher salt. Pour in the yeast mixture, yogurt, and oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, supple, and springs back gently when poked.
Let it rise. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough, and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Set in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Make the garlic butter. While the dough rises, stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, and cilantro (if using) in a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature.
Divide and roll. Punch down the risen dough and turn it onto a floured surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a rough oval or teardrop shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Don’t worry about perfection — irregular edges are traditional.
Grill the naan. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Working one at a time, lay a naan flat in the dry skillet (no oil needed). Cook for 1–2 minutes until bubbles form across the surface and the underside has dark char spots. Flip and cook another 1–2 minutes. The naan should puff and blister.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat and immediately brush generously with the garlic butter. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Stack finished naan under a clean towel to keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Garlic Naan — The Lesson That Expanded My Kitchen