Sourdough Naan
Our easy Sourdough Naan recipe is one of my favorite sourdough recipes that isn’t bread. Made with unfed sourdough starter, milk, yogurt, flour, and olive oil, this naan bread is great for soaking up every last drop of gravy, curry, or sauce!
Many sourdough bread makers are familiar with how sourdough discard can easily take on a life of its own. After each feeding, some of the unfed discard is repurposed for another recipe or simply thrown away.
I prefer to use unfed discard whenever possible and that means coming up with lots of new recipes. We already love these overnight sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough discard cinnamon rolls, and sourdough discard waffles. Since we make hummus from scratch a couple times a week, I decided to make some simple discard naan bread.
Our recipe uses only 6 ingredients and makes a soft naan flatbread with beautiful char marks. It tastes great with our cilantro jalapeño hummus, red pepper dip, or as a side to some shrimp curry!
How to Make Sourdough Naan
- Add the sourdough starter, milk, yogurt, and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and combine the ingredients using the paddle attachment.
- Add the flour and salt to the mixture in the bowl, using the hook attachment to combine on low speed until a stiff, slightly shaggy dough forms (5-6 minutes).
- Form one large ball from the dough. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel, and let the dough rise until it doubles in size (about 8 hours).
- Divide the risen dough into 8 equal portions, form each one into a ball, and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, loosely cover the portioned dough with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel.
- Let the dough rest for about 1 hour or refrigerate overnight, if needed.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten each of the 8 dough balls until they form ⅛-inch thick rounds. Heat a medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat. Place a teaspoon of olive oil or ghee into the skillet.
- Add a piece of dough to the skillet and cook until it bubbles on the top and turns brown and charred on the bottom (3-5 minutes). Flip the flatbread to cook the other side until charred spots appear (another 2-3 minutes).
- Transfer your naan to a waiting wire rack while you repeat this step with each of the remaining pieces of dough.
- Enjoy your naan bread warm or at room temperature!
Kim’s Tips
Tips
- Add Flavorings: Experiment with adding garlic, herbs, or spices to the dough for extra flavor.
- Roll Thinly: Roll out the dough thinly for a light and airy naan.
- Make a Pizza! Discard naan bread is the perfect crust for your own personal sourdough pizza! Load it up with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings for a quick meal for one.
- Sourdough Starter: You’ll need a sourdough starter for this recipe, so make sure one is in the works. It doesn’t need to be well established.
- Use Cooking Spray: If you don’t want to use oil, ghee, or butter in the skillet, coat is with a little non-stick cooking spray.
- Garlic Butter: Brush homemade garlic butter on warm sourdough naan for extra flavor!
Storage Information
- Room Temperature: Store leftover naan bread at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container, plastic, or paper bag.
- Refrigeration: For longer storage, keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days. It may become chewy and a bit dry the longer it’s stored.
- Freezing: You can freeze sourdough naan for up to 2 months. Thaw before reheating.
My naan didn’t puff up while cooking. What went wrong?
There could be a couple reasons for this, such as not rolling the dough thin enough or not heating the pan adequately. It’s similar to making pancakes. The first one or two might resemble “duds,” but they still taste delicious.
If the dough is too thick, roll it out a little more before cooking the remaining naan.
Is it necessary to use a wire rack for cooling?
You don’t need to transfer the cooked sourdough naan to a wire rack. That’s my personal preference. Cooling the naan on a wire rack prevents the bottoms from becoming soggy, maintaining a nice texture. If you don’t have a wire rack, you can also use a dinner plate lined with paper towels.
How do I reheat sourdough naan to keep it soft?
To reheat, lightly sprinkle water over the discard naan bread and heat it in a 350°F oven for about 5-7 minutes or until warm. You can also reheat it in a skillet over low heat.
More Baked Goods to Try
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) sourdough starter, unfed discard
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) milk
- ¼ cup (57 g) plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil, butter or ghee (for cooking)
Instructions
- Add the sourdough starter, milk, yogurt, and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and combine the ingredients using the paddle attachment.1 cup (227 g) sourdough starter⅓ cup (75 ml) milk¼ cup (57 g) plain yogurt2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the flour and salt to the mixture in the bowl, using the hook attachment to combine on low speed until a stiff, slightly shaggy dough forms (5-6 minutes).2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt
- Form one large ball from the dough. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel, and let the dough rise until it doubles in size (about 8 hours).
- Divide the risen dough into 8 equal portions, form each one into a ball, and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, loosely cover the portioned dough with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel.
- Let the dough rest for about 1 hour or refrigerate overnight, if needed.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten each of the 8 dough balls until they form ⅛-inch thick rounds. Heat a medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat. Place a teaspoon of olive oil or ghee into the skillet.
- Add a piece of dough to the skillet and cook until it bubbles on the top and turns brown and charred on the bottom (3-5 minutes). Flip the flatbread to cook the other side until charred spots appear (another 2-3 minutes). Transfer your naan to a waiting wire rack while you repeat this step with each of the remaining pieces of dough.
- Enjoy your discard naan bread warm or at room temperature!
I love that you put the ingredients in the recipe process so I dont have to go back up and look at the ingredients. So simple, but much appreciated. Im going to give these a try today.
I wish I could put a picture of how beautifully my naans turned out. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Yuliana! We’re thrilled everything turned out wonderful for you. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe card. Have a lovely day 🙂
These naan are great. They have a nice flavour, and are soft and slightly chewy. I’ve tried several recipes for sourdough naan and this is one of the best. It’s straightforward and easy to follow. The dough initially rested at cool room temperature for 12 hours, then another 4 hours after I divided it and shaped into balls. The dough balls didn’t double in the 4 hours but they were soft and puffy. I brushed one side of the rolled dough with water, sprinkled with nigella seeds, then cooked that side face down. Before flipping, I brushed the top side with melted garlic butter. The only change I’d make the next time is to divide the dough into 6 portions for bigger naan.