Use your sourdough discard to make the most delicious, soft and pillowy naan bread. Since this uses no yeast (only baking powder + baking soda), it can be ready in under half an hour!
Naan is a type of flatbread that originates from Central and South Asia. It is made with wheat flour and traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven, which gives naan its soft, puffy texture. It is so good with curries, kebabs, chicken tikka masala, and more. And it's so easy to make in your own kitchen!
Why Make Na'an With Sourdough
Na'an is probably not the first thing you think of making when you think of your sourdough starter, but it is so good!
- Sourdough starter adds so much good, slightly sour flavor. Na'an already has a bit of a sour punch from the yogurt, but the sourdough starter kicks it up a notch.
- It's quick. This na'an uses NO YEAST and can be ready in 25 minutes! It's a perfect addition to so many meals, and you can whip it up in a flash.
- It's a perfect way to use up your sourdough starter discard. I love using sourdough discard in all sorts of recipes, and this is one of my favorites! Don't throw your discard away - make this instead!
Making Good Na'an at Home
Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor oven. A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven that gets extremely hot, often over 900°F. The dough is slapped onto the interior walls of the super-hot tandoor, where it cooks rapidly and develops that signature puffy, charred texture. The intense dry heat helps create a nice char on the outside of the naan while the inside stays soft and moist.
Probably (maybe even hopefully!) there's nothing in your kitchen that gets to 900°F, but a skillet or griddle heated as HOT as you can get it will still give the naan a place to char and puff up nicely.
I love to use my electric griddle for this since it's easy to make a few at the same time rather than making them one at a time. Anything to minimize time over a super hot skillet!
Once they puff up and large bubbles appear all over the tops, they're ready to flip. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side.
Once they're off the griddle, brush both sides with melted butter, stack on a plate, and cover with foil.
Continue cooking, brushing with butter, and adding to the foil-covered stack until they're all cooked. Leave them covered until ready to eat.
How to Make Soft Naan
If ever you've had homemade naan that's been dry or - dare I say it - crispy, you know how important it is to have some foolproof ways to make a soft naan.
Don't worry, this recipe makes the most delicious, soft and pillowy naan! There are three main factors that make this happen:
- A wet dough. Wet doughs produce the softest breads. This dough is ever so slightly sticky, making the softest naan.
- Melted butter. Once your naan is cooked and removed from the skillet or griddle, brush both sides with melted butter.
- Steam. After they're brushed with butter, place the naans on a plate and cover with foil. This will keep them warm AND soften them with steam from the heat they're putting off. They'll stay warm for about an hour if you keep them wrapped tightly!
The Dough
The key to getting the consistency just right is getting just the right amount of water into the dough. Even if you're using weight measurements, the amount you will need may vary based on how liquidy your yogurt is.
You want this dough to be slightly sticky, but not so much that it's hard to handle.
See how in this picture when the dough is lifted from the glass bowl, it pulls slightly but leaves no residue behind? That's exactly what you want.
This dough doesn't need to rise (it uses baking powder + soda for that), but I do like to let it rest for about 10 minutes after dividing. Giving it just 10-15 minutes will make rolling it out much easier!
Sourdough Discard Naan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (215 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (5 grams) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
- ½ cup (113 grams) sourdough starter discard
- ¼ cup (68 grams) whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) water
- 2 tablespoons (26 grams) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the discard, yogurt, water, and olive oil. Switch to mixing with your hands when it becomes too difficult to stir. Knead for 2-3 minutes until well combined, adding more flour or water as needed - this dough should be on the wetter side, but not overly sticky. Divide into 8 pieces and shape into discs. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.Heat a skillet or griddle over high heat. Roll each disc into a roughly ¼-inch thick round. Add them to the hot skillet or griddle. Once bubbles have appeared on the top (1-2 minutes), flip and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes more, until browned and puffed up. Remove to a plate and brush all sides with melted butter. Cover with foil. Repeat until all the naans are cooked, brushing each with butter and stacking them up on the plate covered with foil.
If you want a slow-rise recipe, try this sourdough pita bread - it makes the perfect pita pockets!
Doreen says
I’ve tried several different sourdough naan recipes and have to say this one is the best! The dough is lovely! Smooth and so easy to work with. Rolled out nicely and did not stick or tear when transferring to pan to cook. They were nicely crisped on the outside and soft/chewy on the inside. I brushed with garlic/parsley butter instead of plain butter…so good!
mandyjackson says
The garlic/parsley butter sounds amazing! Thank you for your nice comment! 🙂
Jennifer D Long says
Could you use nonfat greek yogurt?
mandyjackson says
I’ve only ever used whole milk yogurt, but I imagine nonfat would work just fine!
E says
I love the flavor and ease of this recipe! I however, dont get the nice naan bubbles when cooking. Mine kind of stays flat but fluffy and crisps on both sides over the whole surface area. Any tips to get the bubbles? Is it because I’m rolling it out with a rolling pin between two oiled wax paper sheets? Do you roll it out with your hands or add extra flour to your rolling surface?
Thank you!
mandyjackson says
If you’re not getting any bubbles and the entire surface is crispy, my guess is your heat is too low + it’s cooking for too long. You want high heat and you want them to cook FAST (no more than 2 minutes per side). Try cranking the heat up and see if that helps!
Gabby says
I had better luck getting bubbles when I rolled the dough really thin. It still puffs up.
Hailey says
Fantastic recipe. So easy and very delicious. This will be a repeat recipe for me for sure. Thank you so much for sharing.
Kristina S says
SOOO good! Used nonfat Greek yogurt by mistake but tastes great!
Erica says
Have you tried freezing them?
mandyjackson says
I haven’t frozen these, but I think it would work really well! I’d let them cool completely, wrap well, then freeze. When ready to reheat, lay flat on a baking sheet, sprinkle with water, and bake just until warm. Hope this helps!
Emily says
How would you recommend storing these and for how long?
mandyjackson says
I keep leftovers on the plate covered with foil or in a ziplock bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can either wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave, or reheat one at a time in a skillet.
Leeann says
Great recipe! Turned really good , used non fat yogurt, will make again
mandyjackson says
Great! Glad you liked this one 🙂
PJ says
How old can the discard be for this recipe? I last fed it 8 or 9 days ago. Is that too old?
mandyjackson says
If it smells like something you’d want to eat, go for it! I’ve used discard that old, but it will depend on whether it was in the fridge or counter, how much it was fed last, etc.
NannylouG says
WOW, this recipe is so good! It’s also very easy to make. Ten stars from me!
I’ve been playing with my sourdough starter and have accumulated a bit of unfed starter in my fridge. I was looking for a good recipe to use it up besides pancakes and waffles.
My last employer was Indian so I often got to eat some good Indian food when I traveled to the office. I fell in love with naan.
My husband is a straight meat and potato guy so when I told him I was going to make naan it went in one ear and out the other.
But when he tried these, he told me it was good. Then he ate more. Then he told me again it was REAL GOOD. A half hour later he told me AGAIN how good it was.
I MAY have to keep generating excess unfed starter because this will become a staple in our house.
My only comment is, high heat is excessive. I use a vintage cast iron skillet on a gas stove and medium heat is more than sufficient.
mandyjackson says
Haha! I feel the same way about needing a constant supply of discard so I can make these. Glad you both enjoyed them!!
And thanks for your tip about the heat - I can see how a cast iron or similar pan that retains heat well (aka, not my electric griddle 😉 ) would do fine with medium heat. I’ll add this to the post!
Moon says
Can these be frozen after cooking them? I think I made too many.
mandyjackson says
Yes! I wrap stacks in foil then seal in ziplock bags to freeze 🙂
Tammy says
Hi Mandy! This looks amazing, can't wait to try. If I use stainless steel pans, do I need to use oil or butte? Or will the dough just lift as it cooks and be flippable? Thanks!
mandyjackson says
Hi Tammy! No oil/butter needed - just make sure your pan is hot enough and wait for the naan to fully cook on one side before flipping 🙂
Tammy says
Awesome! Thanks very much! Going to try this today. 🙂
Brenda says
I made this but sprinkled Everything Bagel seasoning in the butter and sprinkled garlic powder on top of each one after I buttered them absolutely delicious. I had to lower the heat from high because they were burning before 1 minute was up. Once I got the heat right they came out perfect. Thank you for the recipe, God bless
Sharon Walker says
Thank you for this recipe! Is it possible to freeze the dough balls?
mandyjackson says
I don’t know how well it would work to freeze the dough balls, but you can definitely freeze the cooked na’an!
Ana C Wilson says
Very easy to make and great flavor. Loved this recipe
Debbie says
These were so easy, and came out absolutely lovely! Thank you so much for the recipe
mary Condon says
Would I be able to substitute sour cream for the Greek yogurt if that is all I have on hand?
mandyjackson says
Hi Mary - I haven’t tried sour cream in this recipe, but I think it would be a great substitute!
Ellie says
Hello! This recipe is amazing, thank you for sharing!! Have you ever made the dough earlier in the day, shaped the dough balls and then kept in the fridge until you are ready to cook them? Just wondering if I can get ahead of the game a bit?
mandyjackson says
Hi Ellie - so glad you like these! I've never tried doing the dough balls ahead of time, but I can't think of a reason it wouldn't work! I might actually try rolling the dough first before refrigerating since cold dough doesn't stretch very well and could be hard to roll.
When I want these made ahead of time, I make them all the way through and keep them wrapped in foil + in a covered baking dish until ready to eat. I find they stay warm for a couple hours this way, and put them in a warm oven if I need to stretch it even farther.
I'd love to hear how cooking from the fridge goes if you end up trying it!