Why You Need To Add Water Into The Equation When Reheating Naan Bread

If there's a bread finer and more versatile than naan, we haven't discovered it yet. These pillowy, tender flats of bread combine all the usual suspects — flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and water — with yogurt to create that bubbly, warm, pull-apart texture. Surprisingly, the secret to achieving naan's crave-worthy texture lies in baking it quickly at high temperatures, just as it does inside a traditional ceramic tandoori oven. However, when it comes to reheating leftovers, replicating those intense, dry temperatures will only suck the life from your tender naan.

Much like a spoonful of water is your hack for perfectly reheated pizza, moisture is also the key to restoring naan's signature softness. As many of us know, naan is best fresh from the oven when it's pliable and warm. The longer it's allowed to cool the more steam it loses, and the stiffer and more crumbly it becomes, also losing some of that beautiful, subtle tanginess from the yogurt folded into the dough. This means steaming is the best way to reheat leftovers, as it brings back that lovely softness.

The trick is to lightly spritz the surface of each naan you intend to reheat with a light mist of water, using restraint as too much water will make things soggy. After that, wrap each naan in a layer of parchment paper and warm it for a few minutes in the microwave, or oven. Even your air fryer or a pan on your stovetop will work — just nix the parchment paper.

The microwave offers the fastest, easiest method for steaming naan to reheat it. All it takes is a sprinkle of water and about 30 seconds to restore softness and get it steaming hot. You can also wrap the naan in damp paper towels to create a makeshift steaming bag. The disadvantage here is that microwaves are notorious for heating things unevenly, and there's no precision heat control, so there's a risk your naan may dry out or have cold spots with this method.

The oven and the air fryer both take a bit longer than the microwave, but offer precise heat control, which enables them to produce results that taste fairly close to the freshly-baked stuff. Preheat both to between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and hit a baking sheet or basket liner with a little nonstick spray, and spritz some water onto the naan. After three to five minutes, it should be the perfect texture for serving with silky, beautiful room temperature baba ganoush.

The most finicky reheating method is also the one that's fast with easy temperature control that doesn't require preheating anything, combining the advantages of the other two. However, since the naan is in direct contact with the heat source, you need to keep your eye on it to prevent burning. Add just a spoonful or two of water to the pan, slapping in the naan when it starts to sizzle, cover, and steam for up to two minutes.