Sourdough Naan

Naan is one of my all time favorite breads. It's a little chewy, a little tangy, and goes with just about anything. Indian food? Always. Base for flatbread pizza? Delicious. Midnight snack? Duh. If you have a sourdough starter, you need to make this sourdough naan ASAP because it will become your new favorite recipe, I promise!

Don’t have a sourdough starter? Never fear! Just check out my Sourdough Guide for all my tips and tricks!

Naturally leavened sourdough can be tricky to work with, but this is honestly one of the easiest recipes for a sourdough beginner! The dough is very forgiving and since we roll it flat before cooking, you don't have to worry about under or over proofing it. 

Why is this recipe only in grams? 

For all my sourdough recipes I measure things in grams because it's more accurate. Unfortunately, I don't have reliable equivalents in cups for this particular recipe. If you don't have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend getting one! You can get one on Amazon* for super cheap and it's such a game changer for breads and baked goods.  

How do you replicate the tandoori oven? 

Now obviously I don't have a traditional tandoori oven to bake my naan in, so how do I make great naan at home? Luckily a cast iron skillet* is a pretty close second and makes killer naan complete with the classic brown spots. You want to use a 10 inch (or larger) skillet to make 12 even sized naans with this recipe. But if you want to make smaller ones, just divide the dough into more pieces. 

Let's talk sourdough starter

I only bake on the weekends, so my starter lives in the fridge for most of the week. Starter that lives in the fridge is often sluggish and less active when it's first removed, which is not what you want to bake with. I like to give my starter at least two feedings before using it to bake so that it's nice and active. Naan takes longer to rise than your typical sourdough, so making sure your starter is super ripe and active before you get started is important!

So here's a rough timeline of how I bake my naan:

• Day 1
  • 6 am: remove starter from the fridge and feed
  • 6pm: feed starter 
• Day 2
  • 6 am: feed starter
  • 12-1 pm: make dough
  • 6-7 pm: cook naan to have with dinner

Step 1: Prep your starter

Feed your sourdough starter 6-8 hours before you plan on making the dough (very dependent on how active your starter is). 

Step 2: Make the dough

When your starter is ripe and bubbly, mix all of the dough ingredients (except the garlic and cilantro) in a bowl and hand knead for 3-5 minutes until smooth. You may need to add a little extra flour of milk depending on the consistency of your starter. The dough should form into a smooth ball but still be slightly sticky. 

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. For me, this typically takes 5 hours at room temperature but can vary anywhere from 3-8 hours based on the temperature/starter ripeness.
You can also mix the dough and then refrigerate it overnight. Then let the dough rise at room temperature for a few hours the next day if that fits your schedule better (the timing is harder so you just want to use it when it’s doubled in size).

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top. If you are adding toppings, lightly knead them into the dough until just combined. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces (about 85g each) and roll each piece into a small ball. Cover the dough balls and let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Garlic butter

While the dough is resting, prepare the garlic butter.
In a small sauce pan melt the butter over low heat and add in the garlic and cilantro. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and no longer bitter. 

Step 4: Cook the sourdough naan

Heat your cast iron skillet (10 inches or larger is ideal) over medium to medium-high heat and lightly brush with olive oil. 

Roll out your first ball to a little less than ¼ inch thick.

Cook each naan for 1-2 minutes on each side. Flip when the top of dough starts to bubble. You're aiming for those classic brown spots so adjust your heat accordingly. 

Roll out your next naan while one is cooking.
Place the cooked naan on a cooling rack and brush with garlic butter.

Best served warm with your favorite curry. Also great to use as the base for flatbread pizza! 

If you make this sourdough naan, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers.

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