Soft and buttery naan made with sourdough starter discard. Make it to accompany any curry recipe or use it as a pizza crust for a quick lunch idea or flatbread for a sandwich. This iconic Indian bread is simple to make and tastes great with a multitude of dishes.
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What is naan? Naan is a type of flatbread that is very popular in Indian cuisine and is typically made with flour, water, yeast, and yogurt. It goes great with curry and just about any Indian dish.
Traditionally, naan is cooked in a tandoor oven that can get up to 900 degrees. I sure do not have a tandoor oven sitting around and I'm going to take a guess that you do not either. What we use instead is a cast-iron skillet. It is the best option to get the same look and texture as the traditional Indian naan.
When the naan is placed on the hot skillet it gets puffy and when flipped and cooked on the other side it creates those iconic golden brown spots on the puffy bubbles.
Naan is great with so many different things, not just Indian food. We have even enjoyed it by itself with butter and some cinnamon sugar on top. Maybe that's just the Norwegian in me...
It's super easy to make and I will walk you through every step.
Ingredients
The biggest difference with this naan recipe is that I use a sourdough starter discard. A sourdough starter is a combination of fermented flour and water that when added to baked goods will act as a leavening agent.
If you don't have a sourdough starter you can make your very own. If you are not interested in keeping a starter, but still want to make naan, check out this recipe for traditional naan which this recipe was adapted.
Naan is one of my go-to recipes when I have an extra starter laying around because I always have the additional ingredients in stock. I never have to go shopping for naan ingredients which means we can make them whenever we feel like it.
The full ingredient list includes:
- Sourdough Starter Discard
- Water
- Full Fat Yogurt (Greek can be substituted)
- Sugar
- Salt
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter
- Optional: cilantro or parsley
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Start out by mixing together the sourdough discard, water, yogurt, sugar, and salt. Mix well with a fork to fully dissolve the sourdough starter until everything is incorporated.
Next, add 2 and ½ cups of the flour, and with a dough whisk, or wooden spoon, mix in all the flour until it forms a rough ball.
Using your hands, work the dough until it comes together to form a smooth ball. If the dough is sticky you can add the remaining ½ cup of flour as needed. Add 2 tablespoons at a time. The goal is to have a really soft dough that can still be handled.
Be careful to not handle it too much though. We want our naan dough to be soft and fluffy and overhandling it can make it tougher.
Cover with a cloth and set aside for 4-5 hours or until it has slightly risen, but not necessarily doubled in size.
When ready to make, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces.
Using a rolling pin (also lightly floured) roll out the dough to a rough circle about ¼" thick. It should be thick enough that you cannot see the counter through the dough but not too thick where it takes a long time to cook.
Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
We do not want to use butter or oil. Just a plain cast iron works great as long as it is seasoned properly the dough shouldn't stick.
Place the naan on the griddle and cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes or until it starts to turn golden brown and is cooked all the way through. YOu should start to see little bubbles popping up all over. That's what we want to see!
When the first side is cooking the side facing up gets bubbly. This is what we want! When it gets flopped that's where those dark spots will be.
Transfer to a cooling rack and brush on melted butter.
Optional: While cooling, top with freshly chopped herbs. Cilantro or parsley are great options depending on what you will be using it for.
Substitutions
- Greek Yogurt: This recipe calls for regular full-fat yogurt, but greek yogurt can be used in its place. It will still turn out great, and an option I do use when I don't have regular yogurt. It also gives it a little tangy flavor which I do like. The regular yogurt just gives it a more fluffy texture.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: This naan recipe calls for all-purpose flour and a starter that is also made with all-purpose or bread flour. To make it gluten-free you will need to have a gluten-free starter and use gluten-free flour.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Griddle or Pan. I just use my circular cast-iron griddle and it works great. You could also use a larger rectagular version that will hold multiple pieces of naan. When I make huge batches I bring out the blackstone and cook them all at once.
- Glass Bowl: Use a 1.5 quart or larger. The dough will need room to rise and expand.
- Butter Melter: I finally broke down and added this cast iron butter melter to my collection. It does not disappoint! Unlike my other butter melter, the cast iron keeps it hot even after removing from the stove. I find my stainless steel one cools down really quick, and then the butter solidifies. Not this one.
Storage
- Naan is best served warm but will keep in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag for 3-4 days.
- Reheating Naan: To reheat naan, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the naan in tin foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until warm.
- Freezing: Naan is great for freezing and thaws out really quickly. Store in a ziplock bag and will last up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to make a double loaf when I have enough stater, so we have lots to throw into the freezer for future meals. Follow reheating instructions when ready to serve.
Top Tip
Naan is a very tacky dough. If you haven't worked with sticky dough before it can be a bit frustrating. Be sure to make sure your hands, counter, and rolling pin are lightly floured.
A bench scraper is great for getting the dough off the counter without causing damage to the freshly rolled out naan. I highly suggest using one.
Food Safety
- Make sure the naan is completely cooked through. Raw flour can be harmful if not fully cooked.
Pair this naan with any curry dish or use it as a dipper in any bowl of soup. Can also be cut up and used on a charcuterie board. Here are a few ideas to pair with this bread:
Other Sourdough Recipes
Did you try it? I would love to hear how it went and what you think! Leave me a comment below or tag me on social media @dirt.dough.
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Recipe
Sourdough Discard Naan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Sourdough Stater Discard
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- ¼ Cup Full Fat Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 & ½ - 3 Cup All Purpose Flour Start off with 2 & ½ Cup and add more as needed.
- 4 tablespoons Melted Butter To brush on freshly baked naan
Optional
- Freshly Chopped Herbs Cilantro or Parsley
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, add the sourdough discard, water, yogurt, sugar, and salt. Mix well with a fork (or dough whisk) to fully dissolve the sourdough starter and everything is mixed together.
- Using your hands, work the dough until it comes together to form a smooth ball. If the dough is sticky you can add the remaining ½ cup of flour as needed. Add 2 tablespoons at a time. The goal is to have a really soft dough that can still be handled.
- Cover with a cloth and set aside for 4-5 hours or until it has slightly risen, but not necessarily doubled in size.
- When ready to make, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a rough circle about ¼" thick. It should be thick enough that you cannot see the counter through the dough but not too thick where it takes a long time to cook.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
- Place the naan on the griddle and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown.
- Little bubble should start forming all over. That is exactly what should be happening.
- Flip and cook the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until it's cooked all the way through.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and brush on melted butter.
- Optional: Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs.
Notes
- Be careful to not handle it too much when making the dough. We want our naan dough to be soft and fluffy, and overhandling it can make it tough and dense.
- Use a flat cast-iron griddle or skillet. Do not use butter or oil. Just a plain cast iron works great as long as it is seasoned properly the dough shouldn't stick. If you don't have a cast iron, any non-stick pan will work but may not deliver the same results.
- Greek Yogurt: This recipe calls for regular full-fat yogurt, but greek yogurt can be used in its place. It will still turn out great, and an option I do use when I don't have regular yogurt. It also gives it a little tangy flavor which I do like. The regular yogurt just gives it a more fluffy texture.
- Gluten-Free: This naan recipe calls for all-purpose flour and a starter that is also made with all-purpose or bread flour. To make it gluten-free you will need to have a gluten-free starter and use gluten-free flour.
- Naan is best served warm but will keep in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag for 3-4 days.
- Reheating Naan: To reheat naan, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the naan in tin foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until warm.
- Freezing: Naan is great for freezing and thaws out really quickly. Store in a ziplock bag and will last up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to make a double loaf when I have enough stater, so we have lots to throw into the freezer for future meals. Follow reheating instructions when ready to serve.
- Make sure the naan is completely cooked through. Raw flour can be harmful if not fully cooked.
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