Sourdough Naan Bread Recipe
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This Sourdough Naan Bread Recipe is a tangy twist on the traditional Indian flatbread, leavened with a sourdough starter for a distinctive flavor profile. Its chewy texture and slightly acidic taste make it a delicious accompaniment to savory dishes or a delicious base for creative toppings.
Sourdough Naan
As y’all know, bread is my love language and I keep a very large stock in my freezer at all times (unless my boys steal it, which is ok). Recently, I’ve fallen in love with sourdough baking and I’m constantly working on something new. If you are a sourdough beginner, please join me on my mission to share the most delicious sourdough recipes.
Next up – this delicious sourdough naan bread!
If you aren’t into sourdough baking, you can use yeast to make our Cast Iron Naan. Either way, you should be enjoying naan bread soon! Just do it.
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE. This sourdough version of naan bread has only eight simple ingredients! Perfect for home cooks like me (and you)!
- GUT HEALTHY. Sourdough is a gut healthy bread. Sourdough bread is NOT gluten-free, as it contains flour, but its long fermentation helps break down this gluten. It’s easier on the gut because it’s more digestible and easier for the body to absorb.
- TOASTY AND DELICIOUS – We love making naan bread in a cast iron skillet because it gets browned (which we love). This bread is soft, pillowy, with a perfect sour flavor too! I recommend making a double batch and freeze some for later.
Ingredients Used for Homemade Sourdough Naan:
- Bubbly Starter – The starter is THE most important part of sourdough bread making. It takes a little time, but you will be rewarded over and over again with an active bubbly starter.
- Filtered Water – Use filtered water, either out of your refrigerator filter system or use bottled water. The water should either be at room temperature or slightly warmed before adding it to the sourdough process.
- Olive Oil – I recommend using extra-virgin olive oil.
- Greek Yogurt – We use 2% plain yogurt.
- Flour – For this recipe, use a combo of unbleached all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
- Granulated Sugar – Just one tablespoon needed.
- Sea Salt – I recommend using fine sea salt.
Make your own sourdough starter at home with just a few simple ingredients using Sourdough Starter Basics. In just over a week’s time and a little bit of patience, you’ll be ready to use your active starter to make the best sourdough bread!
How to make this Sourdough Naan Recipe:
NOTE: You need to make sure you have an active sourdough starter to use for this naan. It should have been fed and then risen until bubbly.
Step 1
Mix the sourdough starter and water. Use a kitchen scale to measure the water and sourdough starter and add to a large bowl. Stir well with a fork.
Step 2
Add remaining wet ingredients. Then add the remaining wet ingredients – olive oil and Greek yogurt – and mix again.
Step 3
Add the dry ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, and sea salt. Mix well with a fork and then use your hands to squeeze the ingredients together. The mixture will be shaggy (see below).
Cover with a damp towel and let the shaggy sit for 45 minutes. (Be sure to set a timer.) This is the AUTOLYSE.
Step 4
Start stretch and folds. After 45 minutes, start the STRETCH AND FOLDS. Use your hand and lift the dough up on one side, stretching it upward, and then punch into the center of the dough. Turn the dough and repeat. Continue this process for about 30 seconds.
ADDITIONAL STRETCH AND FOLDS: I recommend doing additional sets of stretch and folds if time permits. Do these every 30 minutes for 3-4 more times to further the gluten development. A bench scraper is an excellent tool to assist with the stretch and folds.
Step 5
Let the sourdough naan dough rise for 6-8 hours, or overnight. It should almost double in size and appear soft on top. Small air bubbles may appear as well. This is the BULK RISE (or bulk fermentation).
Note: I recommend placing a damp towel or some plastic wrap on the dough for the overnight rise. You might also add a bit of oil to the top to keep a crust from forming on the dough overnight.
**If you have time, I recommend placing the sourdough in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This will develop a more sour flavor which we enjoy. You’ll want to place the bowl of dough on your countertop for a couple of hours before forming naan bread.
Step 6
Form the naan bread. Add a light dusting of flour to a baking mat or clean surface. Remove the bread dough to the mat and divide the dough into about 10 equal pieces. Then use your hands to form balls of dough and try to coax each ball to have smooth top, using your hands to rotate the shapes on a clean surface.
Place a towel on the dough balls and let rest for 20 minutes.
Step 7
Roll out the dough. Use a lightly floured surface and a rolling pin to roll out each dough ball into a round or oval shape.
Step 8
Grill bread. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. As each shape is formed, place in the hot skillet cooking for a couple of minutes on one side. Then flip to cook on the other side. Cooking time will vary.
Step 9
Cool. Transfer each naan bread to a clean towel. Brush both sides with melted butter.
How to serve Sourdough Naan Bread:
We love pairing sourdough naan with so many recipes. Try it with one of the following recipes.
Other Favorite Sourdough Recipes:
Recipe FAQs:
Sourdough is a slow-fermented bread that doesn’t require store-bought yeast to make it rise. It’s a LIVE fermented culture which creates a natural leavening agent. A starter is required to make sourdough.
A starter is a live culture made over a series of days, consisting of flour and water. It can be kept alive for years with periodic feeding.
A starter can be created in less than a week with a simple combo of unbleached flour and filtered water. It’s a process of removing half of the starter and then “feeding” it every day, storing in a jar on your countertop, and getting it to a bubbly, sour point where it floats in water.
Fermentation time can vary depending on factors like room temperature and the activity of your sourdough starter. Generally, allow the dough to ferment for 4-6 hours, or until it doubles in size. However, we love letting it ferment for even longer for a more sour flavor.
Make sure your cooking surface is very hot before placing the naan on it. The rapid cooking will create steam pockets in the dough, resulting in the desired bubbles.
You can add herbs like cilantro, basil, or garlic to the dough for extra flavor. Toppings like sesame seeds or cheese can be added before cooking for a unique twist.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Sourdough Naan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 grams sourdough starter (3/4 cup)
- 235 grams filtered water (1 cup)
- 52 grams olive oil (1/4 cup)
- 120 grams plain Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 13 grams granulated sugar (1 Tablespoon)
- 33 grams whole wheat flour (1/4 cup)
- 390 grams all-purpose flour (3 1/4 cups)
- 12 grams sea salt (2 teaspoons)
Instructions
You need to make sure you have an active sourdough starter to use for this naan. It should have been fed and then risen until bubbly.
- Mix the sourdough starter and water. Use a kitchen scale to measure the water and bubbly (active) sourdough starter and add to a large bowl. Stir well with a fork.
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Then add the remaining wet ingredients – olive oil and Greek yogurt – and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, and sea salt. Mix well with a fork and then use your hands to squeeze the ingredients together. The mixture will be shaggy.Cover with a damp towel and let the shaggy sit for 45 minutes. (Be sure to set a timer.) This is the AUTOLYSE.
- Start stretch and folds. After 45 minutes, start the STRETCH AND FOLDS. Use your hand and lift the dough up on one side, stretching it upward, and then punch into the center of the dough. Turn the dough and repeat. Continue this process for about 30 seconds.
- ADDITIONAL STRETCH AND FOLDS: I recommend doing additional sets of stretch and folds if time permits. Do these every 30 minutes for 3-4 more times to further the gluten development. A bench scraper is an excellent tool to assist with the stretch and folds.
- Let the sourdough naan dough rise for 6-8 hours, or overnight. It should almost double in size and appear soft on top. Small air bubbles may appear as well. This is the BULK RISE (or bulk fermentation).
- **If you have time, I recommend placing the sourdough in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This will develop a more sour flavor which we enjoy. You'll want to place the bowl of dough on your countertop for a couple of hours before forming naan bread.Add a bit of olive oil to the top of the dough and then add cling wrap to the top of the bowl.
- Form the naan bread. Add a light dusting of flour to a baking mat or clean surface. Remove the bread dough to the mat and divide the dough into about 10 equal pieces. Then use your hands to form balls of dough and try to coax each ball to have smooth top, using your hands to rotate the shapes on a clean surface.Place a towel on the dough balls and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough. Use a lightly floured surface and a rolling pin to roll out each dough ball into a round or oval shape.
- Grill bread. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. As each shape is formed, place in the hot skillet cooking for a couple of minutes on one side. Then flip to cook on the other side. Cooking time will vary.
- Cool. Transfer each naan bread to a clean towel. Brush both sides with melted butter.
Notes
- Store leftover sourdough naan bread in a plastic bag on your countertop for a day or two.
- Freeze naan in a freezer bag (separated by parchment paper) in your freezer for up to three months.
- Make sure your cooking surface is very hot before placing the naan on it to cook. The rapid cooking will create steam pockets in the dough, resulting in the desired bubbles.
