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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Dips

    Published: Jun 10, 2019 · Modified: Aug 13, 2022 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 56 Comments

    Mozzarella Pesto Naan (no-yeast bread)

    Jump to Recipe
    Stacks of Cheese Naan Bread image collage, long pin with text
    Stack of three filled grilled Naan Breads, oozing cheese on wooden board with text
    Stack of three filled grilled Naan Breads, oozing cheese on wooden board

    This grilled naan is filled with melting mozzarella and pesto, requires no yeast, and can be grilled in a skillet or outdoors! You can have it ready in an hour and you can vary the flavors of the filling. 

    Stack of three filled grilled Naan Breads, oozing cheese on wooden board.

    This appetizer recipe skyrocketed to the top of my starch-filled list. It is truly amazing and one you'll want to make often. We like to serve it alongside our favorite cocktail sausages and marsala olives with garlic.

    This naan recipe is made with yogurt but no yeast, filled with melting mozzarella and green onion pesto and grilled on a skillet. Or outside on the grill or barbecue.

    For all of you who are afraid of working with yeast or making bread, this dough is as easy as the pizza mix with baking powder that you can buy in the supermarket. 

    Top view of half cheese filled naan stacked on a wooden board.
    Table of Contents Hide
    About naan
    Simple steps
    Fillings
    Pesto filling
    What type of skillet is used?
    Kitchen notes
    Related recipes you might like:
    Cheese Filled Naan (no-yeast)

    About naan 

    Naan means bread and is a flatbread very popular in Indian and other Asian cuisines, made with yogurt, and yeast and baked in a tandoor or clay oven. But they can easily be grilled in a cast iron skillet or outdoor grill.

    There are many types and recipes for naan.

    Today we're focusing on this no-yeast recipe, made with yogurt and baking powder. It comes together in ten minutes and needs to rest for 1 hour. So take that extra time into account.

    But even with the resting time, you can have warm cheese-filled naan bread in an hour and a half. So it's great to make it as an appetizer when grilling outside. It only takes about 30 minutes of actual hands-on time.

    Wooden board with stacks of mozzarella pesto grilled naan, knives.

    Simple steps 

    • Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and add wet ingredients (images 1 and 2). Start by mixing with a fork or wooden spoon until you have a rough mixture.
    • Knead for about 5 minutes (with a stand mixer or by hand on a floured counter) until you have a slightly sticky but smooth dough (image 3).
    • Shape into balls and let rest for 1 hour (image 4).
    Step by step images for making no-yeast naan bread.

    Fillings

    • Cheese: it's important to use a cheese that melts well. Mozzarella (the one used for pizza is the best) is a really good one, but whatever you use for your favorite grilled cheese sandwich will work.
    • Pesto: You can go with not-so-traditional pestos like the one here - more ideas here for other Condiments & Sauces - and even use purchased ones.
    • Grilled veggies are perfect too. Just remember you need the final filled bread to be flat so that it cooks evenly. It might be a good idea to process or cut in small bits the vegetables first.
    Filling naan rounds. Wooden boards with dough balls, slices of cheese, pesto on a wooden table.

    Pesto filling

    The word pesto is very loosely used here, this was more a mixture of green onions, almonds, and parsley with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Maybe we should say paste?

    Maybe, but pesto or paste will not change the awesomeness of the filled pieces of dough, grilled on the stove and eaten right there, almost hot to the touch.

    Make your own fillings, most Mediterranean pizza toppings will go well, or something like this Chorizo Tomato filling. or the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. The original recipe, from this wonderful blog, uses garlic scapes, something I can't yet find here. Use a tablespoon for each bread, it is enough. Using too much will hamper the right cooking of the dough.

    Raw disc of naan dough with pesto in the middle on wooden table.

    What type of skillet is used?

    In a very fortunate turn of events, I found a million years old steak iron that belonged to my grandmother.

    Steak irons (similar to cast-iron steak skillets) are flat surfaces with ridges, two handles but no sides, made of cast iron, used to cook mainly steak, obviously.  I live in Argentina and we consume a huge amount of meat, so having a steak iron was a regular staple in all kitchens when I was growing up. All made from good, sturdy iron, meant to last forever, literally. 

    Many electric gadgets appeared throughout the years, but it took many years for the faithful steak iron to be replaced. Nowadays it’s still sold and used, but not as much.

    Wooden board with raw naan rounds, steel cup, white cloth.

    So the grilling of the filled naan is very easy, not even smoking because you don’t need to use oil.

    You can drizzle some right before eating the bread, and maybe sprinkle with some coarse salt. What’s unavoidable is to use a good melting cheese, like the mozzarella I used here, which is the type we label pizza mozzarella, not fancy but buttery in flavor and great for melting.

    Grilling four naan rounds on a cast iron skillet.

    Kitchen notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Dough: make sure you take into account the resting time. The dough is somewhat sticky, so refrain from adding too much extra flour, It will be less sticky by the time you have to assemble the bread.
    • Filling: Don't use more than 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1-2 thin slices of cheese. If the final pieces of bread are too thick they will not cook properly inside.
    • Grilling: you can use a cast iron steak skillet as I used or a regular one, like the ones used for baking skillet cookies. And you don't need to butter or oil it. This bread produces no smoke while cooking. Or use an outdoor grill.
    • Freezing: Unfortunately, these do not reheat well after freezing, probably because they’re not yeasted.
    Stack of Mozzarella and Pesto Grilled Naan Bread on wooden board

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Close up of round tomato focaccia bread cut in squares on white surface
      Tomato Focaccia
    • Whole muffins in paper cups on top of a beige piece of linen
      Easy Savory Muffins
    • Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
    • Round wire rack with slices and half loaf of soda bread; green and white kitchen towel in the background.
      Easy Irish Soda Bread (4 ingredients!)

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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    Stack of three filled grilled Naan Breads, oozing cheese on wooden board.

    Cheese Filled Naan (no-yeast)

    ★★★★★

    5 from 11 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    This grilled naan is filled with melting mozzarella and pesto, requires no yeast, and can be grilled in a skillet or outdoors! You can have it ready in an hour and you can vary the flavors of the filling. 

    • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    Units
    • 5 to 5 ½ cups (700g to 750g) all-purpose flour
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • ½ cup plain yogurt (natural, unsweetened)
    • 1 egg
    • ¼ cup olive oil + extra to brush the bread
    • 1 ½ cups warm water
    • ½ cup pesto (any type works)
    • 7 ounces (200g) of mozzarella cheese (or another melty one) cut into thin slices

    Instructions

    1. In a large bowl or the mixer, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
    2. In a medium bowl mix yogurt, egg, warm water, and oil. Mix and pour into a well in the flour mixture.
    3. With the dough hook start mixing at low/medium speed, until a smooth dough forms that sticks around the hook, about 5 minutes. If it is too wet, add a tablespoon of extra flour. If making by hand, integrate the ingredients inside the bowl and then knead until smooth.
    4. On a floured counter, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
    5. Form buns and put them on a plate dusted with flour.
    6. Lightly brush the surface of each with olive oil, cover with loose plastic, and let rest for 1 hour.
    7. Divide each bun into two parts.
    8. Flatten half of the dough portions, and put a tablespoon of pesto in the center, spread it a little without breaking the dough, and put a piece of cheese on top.
    9. Cover with another piece of dough, joining the edges well and taking care that the filling does not escape.
    10. Turn on the skillet or grill, brush it with olive oil and add the bread.
    11. Cook slowly over low heat until the dough is dry and the loaves are golden brown.
    12. Repeat on both sides, allowing time for the dough to cook well.
    13. Eat right away.

    Notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Dough: make sure you take into account the resting time. The dough is somewhat sticky, so refrain from adding too much extra flour, It will be less sticky by the time you have to assemble the bread.
    • Filling: Don't use more than 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1-2 thin slices of cheese. If the final pieces of bread are too thick they will not cook properly inside.
    • Grilling: you can use a cast iron steak skillet as I used or a regular one, like the ones used for baking skillet cookies. And you don't need to butter or oil it. This bread produces no smoke while cooking. Or use an outdoor grill.
    • Freezing: Unfortunately, these do not reheat well after freezing, probably because they’re not yeasted.
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Resting time: 60 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Category: Bread, Appetizers
    • Method: Grilling
    • Cuisine: International

    Keywords: cheese naan

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

    Naan recipe from Feasting at Home

    Stack of three filled grilled Naan Breads, oozing cheese on wooden board

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    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. Pabs says

      December 16, 2020 at 3:58 pm

      Que buena receta, pinta rico. !!,Lo voy a hacer y quizá le agregue pago que tengo en el freezer de acción de gracias! Saludos

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        December 16, 2020 at 7:44 pm

        Gracias por tu mensaje Pablo! Que tengas una buena semana.

        Reply
    2. Macarena says

      November 25, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      This bread might be one of our favorite appetizers ever! We make it before a barbecue or when we watch tv. Thank you for the recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Saima says

      June 16, 2019 at 9:52 pm

      Amazing naan bread recipe without yeast! I am very fond of naan and have it with most of my meals. (Indian meals have to have some kind of bread to go with). I would absolutely love to try this mozzarella and pesto stuffed naan. The ingredients for the pesto are so yum- almonds, green onions, parsley etc. I would make a tiny addition here - garlic!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        June 17, 2019 at 6:09 am

        Yes, you're right about the garlic! Hope you like it!

        Reply
    4. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

      June 16, 2019 at 8:30 pm

      I love a good naan bread, and when they're stuffed with mozzarella and pesto, they must be downright divine! We're definitely going to have to give these a try.

      Reply
    5. Elena says

      June 16, 2019 at 12:30 pm

      This naan bread looks absolutely delicious! Love the creative spin you put on it. So many amazing flavors packed into these! Your instructions look so easy to follow. I will give it a try for sure!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        June 17, 2019 at 6:09 am

        thanks Elena!

        Reply
    6. Kathryn says

      June 16, 2019 at 11:23 am

      This looks like a cross between grilled cheese and a quesadilla which means I've got to give it a try!!

      Reply
    7. Amanda Mason says

      June 15, 2019 at 11:40 am

      OMG these look amazing!!! I love pesto and the fact that these are no yeast just made my day! My daughter is allergic to yeast so we are so excited to find this recipe!! I'll let you know how it turns out!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        June 15, 2019 at 6:04 pm

        I never knew you could be allergic to yeast. Hope you like this bread, it's amazing!

        Reply
    8. Vanessa says

      June 15, 2019 at 8:58 am

      This looks so delicious! I love that it's easy and can be made by anyone.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. Tammy says

      June 15, 2019 at 12:33 am

      Gorgeous photos!! That melted cheese is calling to me...I love the sound of this grilled cheese with the pesto and honestly, I love melted mozzarella over any other! Yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Eva says

      June 13, 2019 at 6:00 pm

      I love making creative pesto variations and I can't wait to try them in this filled naan bread. Love the idea those can be made on the stovetop!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
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