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!
More Sourdough Recipes
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Sourdough Naan
Ingredients
- 300 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 412 grams all purpose flour
- 187 grams whole milk
- 112 grams full fat plain Greek yogurt, or any plain full fat yogurt
- 8 grams kosher salt
- 4-6 cloves garlic, diced (optional)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
- olive oil, for brushing cast iron
Garlic butter (optional)
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 6-8 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Feed your sourdough starter 6-8 hours before you plan on making the dough (very dependent on how active your starter is).
- 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 overnight and then let rise at room temperature for a few hours the next day if that fits your schedule better.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Browse more sourdough recipes →
Micaela says
Wow this is my new favorite recipe! I love that it’s sourdough!
Jordyn says
Naan is one of my favorite things!! I can't believe how easy this was to make! Thank you!!
Diya says
These beautiful pictures caught my eye on Pinterest, and despite being very picky about my naan (my Mom is Indian) I had to give it a try. Without a doubt, you nailed it! The texture and flavor are perfect.
You even inspired me to try paratha next!
- D
Bri says
Best Naan recipe ever! These come out the perfect amount of chewy - they aren’t tough or soggy like some other recipes I’ve tried. I could eat these forever - the sourdough creates a balanced tang in the Naan that makes these extra delicious.