Naan bread is one of the most representative Indian side dishes. This famous bread is used as a substitute at the table for cutlery and also to accompany curries. The main characteristic of this bread is its spongy dough made from yogurt.
Naan bread should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. I will stay soft and fresh for approximately three to four days. For longer-term storage, naan can be frozen. Naan will last approximately two to three months in the freezer.
To maintain freshness as long as possible, storage containers like this one from Amazon will do the trick nicely.
The versatility of naan bread is undeniable; its consumption works very well whether it serves as a side dish at lunch and dinner or as the primary food at breakfast. Read on, and you will learn the correct way to preserve this delicious side dish.
Does Naan Need To Be Refrigerated?
The reality is that it is not necessary to refrigerate naan bread. You can keep it perfectly at room temperature if you put it in an airtight container or bag. However, the main reason for placing naan bread in the fridge is to extend its shelf life by a few days.
You should not refrigerate naan bread but freeze it if you do not plan to consume it very soon.
How Do You Store Naan In The Fridge?
If we want to store naan and have not opened the package, it will be enough to place the bread directly in the fridge as-is. However, to store leftover naan, you will want to put it in an airtight container.
Here is a really good storage container that I recommend.
How Long Does Naan Bread Last?
The shelf life of naan bread in a fresh and delicious state may vary depending on the storage method chosen. Below we will establish the average shelf life of this bread according to the way it is stored.
Shelf Life Of Naan Bread In A Fresh Or Natural State
When you decide to store naan bread in its natural form, that is, at room temperature, you should place it in an airtight bag or container. Under this method, the naan bread will have a shelf life of approximately 3 to 4 days.
Shelf Life Of Naan Bread In The Freezer
If you choose to store naan bread in the freezer, you can keep it in the freezer for 2 or 3 months.
A quick guide to storing leftover naan in the freezer:
- When it comes to homemade bread or leftovers, we must wait for the bread to cool completely before starting the storage process.
- Once the naan bread is cold, we must place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. It is preferable to set the loaves to not touch each other before placing them in the freezer.
- Place the tray inside the freezer horizontally so that the bread does not slide around. The bread should be left to freeze for 2 to 3 hours.
- After 3 hours and with the bread frozen, we must place it inside an airtight container carefully and one by one.
- Now you are ready to close the lid of the container and put the bread in the freezer. Some people place a sticker outside the container the day they are freezing the naan bread.
Related How To Store Pita Bread (To Maximize Shelf Life).
How Should You Keep Naan Bread Soft?
The best way to eat naan bread as fresh as possible is fresh out of the oven. But don’t fret if you don’t know how to or don’t want to bake your bread and opt to buy it from the store; there are also options for keeping your bread soft and fresh.
To keep naan soft, preheat it before serving to ensure that its flavor and texture are soft, crunchy, and fresh at the same time.
To prepare naan bread for consumption:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Place it on the tray and sprinkle a little water on top. Put the tray on the middle rack of the oven and let it heat up for only 2 or 3 minutes.
How To Store Naan Dough
The key with naan bread is storing it the right way to preserve it well and keep its flavor and texture unchanged. Whether it is naan bread that you bought at the supermarket or bread that you baked yourself, there are two ways to store this delicious side dish properly:
Naan dough should be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag that is fully airtight. It will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When you want to defrost it, you should move it from the freezer to the refrigerator so that this process occurs gradually.
The Origin Of Naan Bread
Nann is a soft and smooth bread that people traditionally baked in a clay oven called tandoor. This bread is native to western, central, and southern Asia. It is widespread to combine it with curries and other stews until the dish is immaculate.
The word naan means bread in Persian. About its origin, records were found to explain that it was the result of an experiment when yeast arrived in Egypt. However, there is another theory; people said that Mongols and Persians created naan around 1520. The first recorded note of naan was among the books of the Indo-Persian poet Amir Kushrau in 1300 AD.
Sometime later, naan was highly valued at the Imperial Court in Delhi as a light bread. During the Mughal era in India in 1526, naan was an excellent accompaniment to the kebab. The kebab and naan were the most popular breakfast among royalty.
There is not much evidence of how naan reached the ordinary person in the late 18th century. But what is certain is that this bread stayed with us, becoming a treasure unknown to the majority of the people.
Cool Factoid: Naan bread combines excellently with ghee, which is a type of clarified butter from Indian cuisine and is very easy to prepare at home. In addition to this combination of naan bread and ghee, Indian culture attributes excellent medicinal properties to this combination. As you can see in these few lines, naan bread is a product of great value and usefulness in the kitchen, so storing it is a task of interest to everyone.
Final Thoughts
There you go. Storing naan bread properly is not difficult.
It is a bread of great versatility that we can use as an accompaniment to almost any meal, giving our dishes a uniquely Indian flavor. The key is to know how to store and reheat the fabulous naan bread.
I hope you found this article helpful!
For more, don’t miss Can I Use Butter Instead of Ghee? | With 5 Other Substitutes.
Anne James has a wealth of experience in a wide array of interests and is an expert in quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, mixing drinks (worked as a professional bartender), and making jelly.
Anne has a professional canning business, has been featured in the local newspaper as well as on the Hershey website, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass. Amazingly, she doesn’t need to reference many resources due to her vast wealth of experience. She IS the source.
Anne wants nothing more than to pass on her extensive knowledge to the next generations, whether that be family or anyone visiting her website, her YouTube channel, or preservingsweetness.com.