Delicious Sourdough Naan, classic Indian flatbread made with sourdough starter, flour, yogurt and milk topped with garlic or nigella seeds.
Naan, the Indian flat bread is one of the most famous dishes around the world. For Indians Naan is not just a flat bread, there is proud and emotional attachment to it. The Indian restaurants all over the world made it extremely popular. I tried the Sourdough Naan with my whole wheat starter, and the result was very surprising. My hubby who is not a fan of Naan from the Indian restaurants told me this is the best naan he has had after an exceptionally long time.
What is NaanFirst mention of Naan is in 1300 AD by the Indian poet and musician Amir Khusrow, but its origin is almost certainly older: probably since the arrive of yeast in India from Egypt. During the Moghul era, Naan was served as breakfast at noble families.
Naan in old Persian means bread, and in Iran it indicates any kind of bread. Over the centuries, Naan spread into Myanmar, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and the Chinese region of Xingjian. As a result of the migration flows, Naan also reached the Persian Gulf.
The plain naan, which is most popular are topped with garlic, kalonji (nigella seeds) sesame seeds etc. There are few stuffed naans that are also popular, and they are Keema Naan made with ground Mutton, Goat, or Lamb meat. Peshwari Naan is made with mixture of nuts and raisins, Kulcha Naan is made with onion and potatoes and Paneer Naan is made with Indian cottage cheese paneer.
In addition to traditional version there are fusion recipes are there like Naan flatbread bites, pizza naan and Burger Naan.
Naan is usually cooked in tandoor oven which can reach the temperature of 300-450°C ( 572-842°F) and the breads are baked for approximately 60-120 seconds. It is also common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods to maintain the high cooking temperature.
Creating tandoor effect in home kitchen oven which will not heat beyond 500°F to 550°F is difficult but cooking in the cast iron skillet on a gas stove can mimic that effect.
Sourdough Naan
Naan bread can be made with bread flour or all-purpose flour alone or mix of Whole wheat flour(atta) and all-purpose flour. If you make sourdough naan with mixture of both flours yield increased mineral content compared to single strain yeast.
Other ingredients in the Naan other than flour are, yeast/ sourdough, baking powder, baking soda, egg/ ghee/ oil, yogurt, milk/water, sugar, and salt.
If you are not using sourdough or yeast in your naan then use baking powder that is the leavening agent. Why baking soda is used in both sourdough/ yeast or non- yeast naan bread is because it strengthens the dough and increases the water absorption. Also prevents excessive acid levels in the fermented dough, especially during warm summer weather; and develops a desirable crust color.
Apart from imparting taste to bread, salt brings out the flavor of bread, and controls yeast activity thus keeping the fermentation speed under control. The tightening action of salt on flour proteins helps in gas retention of the dough. It also absorbs water and retards staling. The amount of salt normally present in Tandoori breads is between 1.0-2% of the flour weight
Milk and yogurt will give the naan a soft, more tender crumb than water alone.
I did not add any egg in the Sourdough Naan as it tend to make it tough bread.
I have not added any melted butter/ ghee or oil in the dough but like to spread it immediately after cooking the Naan as it tends to give more flavor and taste. You can add a little fat if you want while making the dough.
Points to remember while making the Sourdough Naan
First make the dough and ferment it for at least 2-4 hours at room temperature. If your kitchen temperature is warmer reduce the fermentation time to 2 hours.
Rest of fermentation is done in refrigerator for overnight or up to 12 hours.
While shaping the naan bread make sure to make slight thick, other wise you will get Naan pita as it tends to puff up while cooking.
You need to shape the naan tear shaped or oval for traditional Naan.
Always brush one side with water before start cooking in the cast iron pan and you need heat the side brush with water first.
No flipping of Naan bread is needed for cooking the naan.
If you do not have cilantro in hand use parsley.
Once you made sourdough naan enjoy with spicy chicken curry or lamb curry. If you want vegetarian version try Chana masala or chickpea curry.
Sourdough Naan
Ingredients
- 125 g All-purpose flour 50%
- 125 g Whole wheat flour 50%
- 50 g Yogurt 20%
- 30 g Sourdough discards/ Sourdough starter 12%
- 100 g Whole Milk 40% ( increase about ⅓ cup / 82.g milk if needed)
- 5 g salt 2%
- 5 g sugar 2%
- 2.5 g baking soda 1%
- Toppings
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon Kalonji/ Nigella Seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 tablespoon cilantro/ coriander leaves
- 3-4 tablespoon ghee / melted butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix everything including, flours, milk, yogurt, sourdough discards, salt, sugar, baking soda and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth dough .
- Leave the dough for rest at room temperature to 2- 4hours. Then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and place it in a lightly greased glass tray. And refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to make Naan, heat cast iron Griddle. Heat it in medium flame. Then when it is heated. Roll dough into tear shape or oval, top with garlic/ cumin seeds/ kalonji( nigella seeds) and spray water on one side the dough.
- Place the dough which you spray water on the heated griddle, reduce to flame to low medium and cook until the bubbles start appearing.
- Lightly increase the flame to medium and invert the pan and cook the Naan directly in flame. This will give brown marks.
- Once it is cooked remove them from the griddle and immediately brush with ghee and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Enjoy with some spicy curry.
Video
Notes
Naan can be frozen in a airtight plastic bag for 2 months. How to cook without a gas stove ?
Nutrition
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Ashley says
Thank you for sharing another amazing way to use sourdough discard. We loved the garlic butter spread on top. I couldn't find nigella seeds so I used black sesame seeds and that worked great!
Claudia says
I gave this a go, and it’s amazing! The sourdough adds such a nice tangy twist to the naan.
Leslie says
I loved this! I didn't have whole wheat starter, but I loved how mine turned out!
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Nikita says
My tweaks : I used only All purpose flour. Added about 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast since I don’t have the time to leave it overnight.Left it to rise in room temp for 6 hrs ( I actually forgot about them but was planning to bake after max 3 hrs ).
30 min before baking divided into 8 pieces and followed the recipe for rolling. Baked in the oven on a pre heated cast iron pan placed in the center at the max temp 250°C ( forced fan and broiler are on ). Baked for maybe 4-5 min until golden brown.no need to flip them. They baked beautifully on both sides.
What I will do next time : after 2 hrs of rising , divide into 8 balls and leave covered until ready to roll out and bake. They shoudl be ready to bake after 2 hrs as well.
Came out delicious. This amount is just enough for 2 adults and one child for one meal ( we had it with butter chicken ).
Amy says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Criss says
I’ve made this recipe before, and it’s a great way to use up sourdough starter. The naan turns out soft and perfectly chewy!
Nisha says
Making a home made naan from scratch must be very satisfying and I am definitely looking forward to making it , good idea to create a tandoor effect using the cast iron skillet on a gas stove
Kelly says
I've tried other recipes but this one is great, thank you! As recipe noted, I used AP+regular WW (assumed) flours with the overnight fridge fermentation and I chose to use active sourdough starter instead of discard. I didn't read other reviews first and didn't mind the light brown result but "White" WW flour was suggested for a lighter colored naan. I'd use less WW & more AP next time. Still, these were soft with a nice texture. I used extra virgin olive oil in place of butter/ghee. They were easy to roll out and bubbled up quickly on a hot cast iron griddle.
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Allyson says
I don’t comment on recipes, ever. This is by far the easiest most amazing naan bread I’ve made. I usually make a yeast recipe naan bread, but I love my sourdough so much I figured I would give this a shot. Wow. I will never make my other naan bread again. This was just perfect. I also added cheese to some of mine!
Gala says
Wowwww amazing recipe !!! I was skeptic regarding the oven but it turned out amazing! Thank you so much
Nikita says
Recipe is great. But I tried to do it on cast iron and they came out flat and since I don’t have a gas stove I could not make them browned on top. Then I had an idea to put them in my airfryer. WOW !!! They came out puffy and amazing. I made sure to roll them thicker ( 0,5 cm ) and put them in the airfryer at 180°c for 4 min. Game changer !!! I wish I could post the photo here.
Ryan says
I used active sourdough starter and left the dough out for 9 hours thinking it was supposed to rise, but it doesn’t. The flavor is ok, but it came out with a chewy and firm texture. Not a bad recipe, next time I will go with 100% all purpose flour and use much more starter to get a nice rise.
Swathi says
If you use whole wheat flour, then it will become chewy always use all purpose flour to make the naan for less chewiness.
Greta says
Hey, but in the recipe it says to use whole wheat flour? I am also confused, because my flatbreads were light brown color from the whole wheat flour, and yours look like they used only all purpose flour?
Swathi says
I have used white whole wheat flour or atta. That is light in color.
Elli says
Oh shoot. I wish I would have known this. I used whole wheat as well and the dough is dark and dense. Maybe specify “white whole wheat” in your recipe or even better, change to all white flour?
Swathi says
Sure I will
Barbara Dobberstein says
Can I make this in my bread machine?
Rachael says
I love naan and sourdough so this combo is a dream come true. LOVE this recipe. Thank you!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
This is my favorite way to make naan; I've used your recipe a bunch of times and it always turns out perfectly!
Laura Arteaga says
Never though of making Naan bread with Sourdough starter! We are definitely trying this recipe soon 🙂 It looks delicious!
Gloria says
I have never heard of sourdough naan. What a great idea. I love sourdough bread.
Debra says
Loved the combination of delicious naan with sourdough....will never go back to store bought naan.
Liz says
Great recipe for a delicious dish - so easy and simple to follow!
RL says
Used sour cream since I was short on Yogurt, and did not rest overnight but instead only a few hours. The flavor and texture was divine and I know it’ll be even better when I have the time to cold ferment. This is my new sourdough naan recipe!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love how you make this recipe easy for us.
I made this and my husband loves it!
JC Phelps says
I have always wanted to learn how to make naan. This is fabulous. Thank you!
Kate says
Never knew it was this easy to make naan, and that too with sourdough! I am sure this is going to be a hit with my family!
Mitch says
Made this recipe today with dairy-free yogurt and milk. Turned out incredibly soft and tender! Definitely going to be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Giangi Townsend says
I love Naan bread and cannot wait to make this. I am hungry just looking at the pictures.
Yummy!!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
I love anything sourdough. We eat a lot of naan so I had to try this recipe and I'm sure glad I did. It's delicious!
Elizabeth says
LOVE naan! Thanks for the great recipe!
Helga says
Currently I can not rate this recipe. I am struggling with the consistency I used all purpose flour and attacflour but the moisture is not enough to form a dough. Your advice will be appreciated
Michelle says
I had the same problem. The dough was WAY too dry and I had to add a lot of milk (at least a quarter cup) just to be able to knead it into the consistency I've gotten with prior naan recipes. Good dough in the end.
megane says
Love naan and this sourdough version is epic. Thanks for a great recipe.
Keri says
I'm always looking for ways to use my starter and this naan was perfect. Easy to make too!
Linda says
I've never made naan with sourdough discard, but this was wonderful! So glad to have another vehicle for the discard!
Debra says
Made this with discard and it was fabulous...and so easy. Will definitely be making again...and again...and again!
Gloria says
I love sourdough and naan. This is brilliant. I will give it a try, and I have never made naan before. Sounds like a fun time in the kitchen with delicious recults.
Angela says
I love Indian cuisine, and naan bread I always saw it as impossible to make at home. I found this in the recipe in your blog and thought why not try it. Delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Andrea says
loved how the naan turned out! soooo delicious and perfect with so many dishes!
Scott says
I made this recipe twice today. First using 125 grams dark whole wheat flour. The dough was too stiff to even knead. This could be partly due to the fact that I used greek yogurt that was a little thick. And so I tried again just using all purpose flour for the entire 250 grams of flour. This dough was also too stiff to knead but slightly less so. I added a small amount of milk and water gradually to both of those doughs until they seemed closer to what I expect bread dough to feel like. After resting 4 hours at room temperature, they were still fairly solid and had not raised much at all, but I shaped them each into 8 balls and left covered in the refrigerator over night. After removing from the refrigerator I left them on the counter for a couple of hours to return to room temperature. The dough was somewhat softer after this time. The ball rolled out easily and I followed the procedure to cook on the stovetop and then under the electric broiler. The results were quite satisfactory. If you do make this recipe, just be aware that you should add more liquid if the dough seems stiff. Dough should be pliable and easy to stretch.
Genevieve says
We love naan bread but I've never tried to make it homemade. I love that you use sourdough bread. This recipe looks scrumptious!
Julia says
I make sourdough EVERYTHING and even get the sourdough bagel when it's an available option, loved using my starter to get make this naan.
Jeannie says
I am happy to find another recipe for my sourdough starter, the naan turned out great, I like the sourdough flavor in it too.
Peggy says
This naan is absolutely delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Nikki says
Made this for dinner tonight. Was a success! I didn’t have yogurt so I substituted with sour cream+slightly more milk.
I topped with garlic, butter and coriander leaves.
First time making naan and I have had plenty of it where I am from.
This is a keeper esp this sourdough version!
Thank you!
Raquel says
I never knew it was this easy to make Naan, Delicious!
Glenda says
If I had to choose only one food to make a meal out of, it would always be bread. And this yummy naan would top the list. It's delicious!
Teri says
This looks SO good. Great idea to use the sourdough starter! Thanks!!
MC Piper says
Lovely recipe and video, thank you. One tip to keep your board from slipping while you roll: place a slightly wet cloth underneath it, between and the counter. No more slipping!
Swathi says
Thank you I will do it from now . Thanks once again.
Scott says
Does “whole wheat flour” mean white wheat maybe? I used whole wheat flour from red wheat and the dough came out a big unmanageable chunk. It is very dark and impossibly stiff.
Swathi says
Yes use white whole wheat flour, I used Indian whole wheat flour ( atta ) which is light in color.
Scott says
That would be good to know in the recipe. Whole red wheat flour does make a big clump of unmanageable dough. Wish I had known that.
Swathi says
Yes use white whole wheat flour instead of whole red flour
laura says
Another AMAZING recipe using sourdough. Thanks, it's delicious!!
Suja Manoj says
Great idea Swathi, looks yummy
Dianne says
Aside from loving naan bread, this is a great way to continue making my own bread during the summer when I don't want to heat up the house with the oven! I love my sourdough starter and will be trying this soon - Thank you so much. The history of this bread was so interesting.
Agnes says
This looks yummy! I will try to copy your recipe and wish me luck, hope I can make it perfect like the one you did. 🙂
Chef Dennis says
I love Indian food so much. They're one of the best. This Sourdough Naan looks really yummy and I'm sure..it's worth all the bite.
Rosey says
I have never made it before. With all of this free time we have right now there is no better time to try and make it.
Rosemary says
I love naan, especially pipping hot naan from the oven. I've always thought it was complicated to make, but your recipe makes it look so easy. You've certainly given me the confidence to try making at home. Thanks for the inspiration.
Catalina says
I love naan, but I've never made it at home! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
Daynia says
butter naan, garlic naan, cheese naan.... i'm not Indian, but I too feel deeply attached to naan. It is one of my favourite foods. I enjoyed learning about a new type! Will save to my pinterest recipe board.
Heather D says
Sourdough is my FAVE and I love Naan so I am all over this!!
Jennifer Van Haitsma says
Your posts make me so hungry! Thanks for sharing as always. It inspires me to cook more!