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    Home » Sweet & Savory Sourdough

    Published Jan 24, 2020 · Updated Apr 16, 2022 · by Tammy Spencer · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sourdough Naan Bread

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Sourdough naan in basket closeup square Pinterest banner

    With its chewy texture and nutty, lightly tangy taste, Sourdough Naan Bread is a yummy side dish and a great way to use your sourdough starter discard!

    Sourdough naan in basket closeup square this …

    Serve homemade naan bread with dinner

    I love using my slow cooker for those chilly winter days. The smell of long-simmering food fills the house with anticipation.

    Indian cuisine lends itself to those fix-and-forget crock-pot dinners with its complex blend of spices and sauces. One such dish is Butter Chicken, something I had only found in Indian restaurants and the freezer section of Trader Joes. Little did I know how easy it was to make!

    My friends over at Slow Cooker Club have a delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Butter Chicken, using ingredients I already had in my pantry. Exotic, yet homey...I planned dinner around this dish.

    But you need naan bread with Indian cuisine. It’s in the rules. And I had my ever-present sourdough starter discard dilemma facing me.

    Enter Sourdough Naan Bread!

    Jump to:
    • Serve homemade naan bread with dinner
    • What is naan bread?
    • How to make Sourdough Naan Bread
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe

    What is naan bread?

    Naan is another type of flatbread, like pita bread, that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, homemade naan is cooked in a tandoor, but it can be cooked on a hot pan on the stove. Naan can be seasoned with garlic, herbs, and spices, and can be augmented with whole wheat flour.

    And it’s very easy to make!

    How to make Sourdough Naan Bread

    Recipes for homemade naan abound, and adapting those recipes to use unfed sourdough starter is the same as with sourdough pretzels, sourdough bagels, and the like. Just replace some of the flour and liquid in a recipe with half the amount of discard you have (by weight). No big deal.

    This recipe is adapted from a whole wheat naan recipe, where half the all-purpose flour is replaced with white whole wheat flour. This gives the naan a chewier, nuttier texture and flavor, but it also makes it a little more dense. You have been warned.

    Sourdough naan ingredients

    Make the naan bread dough

    Mixing up the dough for the naan is so easy…whisk the wet ingredients together, add in the dry ingredients, and poof! You’re done. Now you just let the dough rest a while before cooking it.

    This version of sourdough naan is a quick bread, meaning we’re leavening it with baking powder rather than yeast. The unfed sourdough starter also gives a little rise, but mostly it’s there for flavor. You can use fed sourdough starter like when making real sourdough bread, or just use yeast. The rising times will be longer though.

    Sourdough naan making dough collage
    Naan dough comes together quickly, and the rising time isn't too long either.
    Sourdough naan shaping dough collage
    Shaping and rolling out the naan dough is done in a snap.

    Cook the sourdough naan bread

    I found the trickiest part of making naan is finding the correct temperature for the pan. It’s a “Goldilocks moment”…you have to find the right level for your stove so the pan isn’t too hot or too cool. 

    Be ready to adjust the heat so the dough doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked, or is slow to bubble and brown. The first naan might be like cooking a pancake (i.e. a tester).

    After you get the temperature right, cooking up the pieces is a piece of…uhm…naan. It’ll go fairly quickly, so have dinner standing by.

    Sourdough naan cooking dough
    Brown and flip...that's all there is to it.
    Sourdough naan finished collage
    Finishing up the naan with some melted butter. This will go great with my Butter Chicken!

    Eating my homemade naan with my homemade Slow Cooker Butter Chicken was so satisfying! This is a meal that’s meant to be shared. 

    Butter Chicken with sourdough naan plated

    Set up your slow cooker in the morning, use your sourdough starter discard to make up some sourdough naan, and invite over your friends for dinner. It’ll warm up those chilly winter evenings with food, friends, and fun!

    Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!

    Tammy

    Related Recipes

    When you maintain a sourdough starter, you have a dilemma. What do you do with your unfed sourdough starter discard? I've got lots of suggestions for sweet and savory ways to use your fed sourdough starter and the sourdough starter discard.

    And if you sign up to receive my weekly featured recipe email, I'll send you the recipe for Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread. Just click the subscribe button below. Enjoy!

    • Easy Sourdough Discard Crumpets
    • Sourdough Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Bread
    • Sloppy Joe Pasties (aka hand pies)
    • How to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter
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    Recipe

    Sourdough naan in basket on a red striped towel.

    Sourdough Naan Bread

    Tammy Spencer
    With its chewy texture and nutty, lightly tangy taste, Sourdough Naan Bread is a yummy side dish. It's also a great way to use your sourdough starter discard!
    Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction and The Gingered Whisk
    3.75 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Resting Time 3 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 8 pieces
    Calories 161 kcal

    Equipment

    • dough whisk
    • bench scraper
    • 10-inch cast iron skillet
    • pastry brush
    Prevent your screen from going dark while cooking

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 cup sourdough starter discard, unfed
    • ½ cup milk, warmed to 100 to 110°F
    • ¼ cup Greek yogurt, plain, see Recipe Notes
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

    Instructions
     

    • In a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, milk and yogurt until smooth using a dough whisk.
    • Add the baking powder, salt, and flours. Whisk to combine to a shaggy dough. It will be a bit sticky.
    • Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours.
    • Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two, until the dough is smooth. Just add in enough extra flour so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
    • Divide the dough into 8 pieces, then shape into a disc and roll into a flat circle, about ⅛-inch thickness. Don't worry if it's not a perfect circle...naan can be irregular.
    • Preheat a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Be ready to adjust the heat of your pan so the dough doesn't burn before the inside is cooked, or is too slow to brown.
    • Brush one side of the naan with water; place water-side down on the skillet. Cover the skillet.
    • Cook for about a minute, or until the dough starts to bubble and release from the skillet.
    • Brush the other side with water before flipping over. Allow to cook another minute or so, until the dough releases from the pan.
    • Remove the naan to a cooling rack, or wrap in a dish towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining dough.
    • Brush the naan with the melted butter, and serve. Enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    You can substitute sour cream if you don’t have Greek yogurt.
    I used half whole wheat flour, half all-purpose flour in the dough. You can leave out the whole wheat and use just all-purpose flour, or vice versa, as you wish. Just know that the more whole wheat flour you use, the more dense the dough will become.
    Heating the pan becomes a “Goldilocks moment”…you have to find the right level for your stove so the pan isn’t too hot or too cool. The first naan might be like cooking a pancake (i.e. a tester).

    Your Notes

    Click here to add your own private notes

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 pieceCalories: 161 kcalCarbohydrates: 30 gProtein: 6 gFat: 2 gSaturated Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 6 mgSodium: 143 mgPotassium: 62 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 1 gVitamin A: 69 IUCalcium: 70 mgIron: 1 mg
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    Hi, I'm Tammy! My fascination with baking comes from my love of science and the magic of bringing together ingredients to produce something yummy. Coupling that with my appreciation of scotches and bourbons, I love to bake stuff, jot down my whisky tasting notes, and share my experiences with you!

    More about Tammy →

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    Profile picture - Tammy, July 2019 square

    Hi, I'm Tammy! My fascination with baking comes from my love of science and the magic of bringing together ingredients to produce something yummy. Coupling that with my appreciation of scotches and bourbons, I love to bake stuff, jot down my whisky tasting notes, and share my experiences with you!

    More about Tammy →

    July is ice cream time!

    Skip the store and make your own yummy ice creams, gelatos, sherbets, and sorbets! Homemade frozen treats are fun and can be customized to suit your tastes. Add homemade dessert toppings for a fun sundae. All you need to add is the cherry on top!

    • French Vanilla Ice Cream (Frozen Custard)
    • Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Ice Cream
    • Salted Caramel Swirl Gelato Ice Cream
    • Double Chocolate Mint Chip Gelato Ice Cream
    • Whole Lemon Sherbet, a refreshing treat
    • Silky Smooth Strawberry Mint Sorbet (Dairy-Free)
    • Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce
    • Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce with Cream

    See more recipes for frozen treats & toppings ➡️

    What's Popular with Readers

    Here's what my readers' are viewing...

    • Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake (Eggless & Dairy-Free)
    • How to make Scottish Bannocks from Outlander
    • Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse (no coconut & pareve)
    • Italian Meringue Macarons step by step
    • Homemade Marshmallow Creme (Marshmallow Fluff)
    • Easy Sourdough Discard Crumpets
    • Creamy Homemade Vanilla Pudding (no eggs)
    • Rich & Chewy Cake Brownies from scratch

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