When most people think of traditional Indian food, one of the first things that come to mind is the wonderfully crispy buttered naan bread. It’s a staple to Indian food, just as pasta is to Italian food and tortillas are to Mexican food. Although it’s traditionally cooked in a special oven, many aspiring home chefs are wondering, “Can you cook naan on a pizza stone?”
Yes, you can certainly cook naan bread on a pizza stone. In fact, you can cook a wide variety of different breads and foods on a pizza stone. The stone helps to evenly disperse the heat and gives the bread that little bit of crunch that everybody loves in a piece of homemade naan!
In today’s post, I’m going to answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding cooking naan bread on a pizza stone and outline some of the key benefits of doing so. I’ll also take a look at cooking naan bread on a stone inside of a pizza oven- which shares many of the same traits as a traditional Indian naan oven.
Cooking Naan On A Pizza Stone
So, you’re having cravings for naan bread, but you can’t find a good Indian restaurant anywhere around you, and you don’t feel like buying the stale, pre-packaged naan they sell at the grocery store. What are you to do? Well, as long as you’ve got a simple pizza stone, then you have all of the materials you need to bake your very own naan!
What Is Naan Traditionally Cooked In?
Traditionally, naan bread is cooked in a special oven known as a tandoori oven. These ovens are typically made of insulated stone, have a tight door, and a small chimney on top. They’re very similar to one of those fancy portable pizza ovens like the Ooni or Roccbox (more on this below).
How Long Will Naan Take To Cook On A Pizza Stone?
Providing that the yeast has already gone to work and your naan dough has risen completely, your naan bread should cook relatively quick in your oven. You’ll usually want to raise the top rack of the oven to one of the higher slots and then turn your broil function on high. Let the oven heat up for around 25 minutes to ensure that the temperature mimics the 900-degree plus temperatures in a tandoori oven.
Once you put your small balls of naan in the oven, they shouldn’t take longer than 4 or 5 minutes per side to fully cook. Make sure you keep a sharp eye on them! They cook very fast, and if you’re not careful, they’ll quickly burn.
How Big Does My Pizza Stone Need To be?
The size of your pizza stone isn’t that important as far as cooking time and the naan taste are concerned. However, the larger your pizza stone is, the more naan that you can cook at a time. Most pizza stones are around 12-inches wide, but you may be able to find some extra-large stones that are up to 16-inches in diameter.
What Type of Pizza Stone Should I Use?
There are several different types of pizza stones that you’ll be able to choose between:
- Traditional clay or earthenware pizza stone.
- Granite pizza stone.
- Carbon steel “pizza steel.”
All three of these materials serve the same basic function- disperse heat and create a crispy-bottomed bread. The pizza steel is the most efficient of the three, but if you don’t have one of those, then a regular clay pizza stone will work just fine!
Advantages Of Cooking Naan On A Pizza Stone
There are several key advantages of cooking naan on a pizza stone as opposed to cooking naan on a standard metal cooking tray.
It Makes The Naan Crispy
The pizza stone is able to concentrate more heat onto the bottom-facing pieces of naan. This will help those traditional naan bubbles to rise up and will give the bread a crispy texture.
Pizza Stones Are Affordable
A typical clay pizza stone doesn’t usually cost more than $20 or $30.
Pizza Stones Conduct Heat Well
Pizza stones will help your naan bread cook evenly. They conduct heat well and ensure that all of the pieces on the stone will be finished cooking at the same time.
Can I Cook Naan In A Pizza Oven?
If you have one of those trendy new pizza ovens (like the wood-fired Ooni), then you’ll find that this is an even betterway to cook your naan bread! The pizza oven’s high temperatures mimic the environment of a traditional tandoori oven and it will produce very similar results. It’s still a good idea to use a pizza stone to keep the naan clean from any soot in the oven, though.