Sourdough Naan Bread Recipe [with discard options]
This delicious sourdough Naan Bread recipe uses sourdough starter and yoghurt to give this griddle flat bread a soft and tender texture. Perfect to pair with your fave curry!
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 120 g Milk warm
- 125 g Greek Yogurt
- 150 g Sourdough Starter or sourdough discard (see notes)
- 20 g Olive Oil
- 400 g All Purpose Flour
- 12 g Baking Powder
- 10 g Salt
Instructions
- Add milk, yogurt, olive oil and sourdough starter to a bowl and gently whisk to combine.
- Then add flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and pull together into a shaggy (dry) dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow this dough to rest for around 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has rested, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it becomes a smoother, more elastic dough. Cover and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes.
- Now scrape the dough out of the bowl onto your kitchen counter and knead vigorously until the dough becomes soft and elastic. You shouldn't need additional flour (you really want to avoid adding any as it will toughen the dough).The dough will be slightly sticky, but you should be able to handle it without having dough stuck to your fingers.
- Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest and ferment until it's doubled. Placing it somewhere warm is ideal (see notes).
- Once the dough has fermented, it's time to shape the naan breads. To do this you need to divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (you can make bigger or smaller naan - just adjust your pieces to suit). I find using a scale means they are all the same and cook uniformly.The naan in my photos have been shaped into 68g dough balls.Allow the dough balls to rest for up to 30 minutes before you roll them out.
- Now shape each dough ball into either a round or an oval - it's really up to you!You can use a rolling pin if you like or you could just use your finger tips to shape. I find the easiest way is to shape each piece into a ball and then use your finger tips to flatten the ball out into a rough oval shape. You can then use a rolling pin to stretch the dough further or just stretch it with your hands.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or fry pan on the stove top. You want it to be searing hot. Do NOT add any oil to the pan.
- Spray each naan with water before placing onto the hot skillet. Cook until you see bubbles form on the top and then flip to cook on the other side. This will only take 30 seconds if your skillet is super hot.
- Take the naan out of the skillet and brush with melted butter.
- Repeat until all the naan are cooked.
Notes
Notes on Sourdough Starter -
Using an active, bubbly starter is recommended. It will ensure that your dough develops nicely and in a timely manner. It will also ensure that you get the best flavor for your sourdough naan.
If you use sourdough discard, the naan dough will take a lot longer during bulk fermentation. This will mean that you'll get a more sour flavor - remembering that the dough will also get some sourness from the yoghurt.
Because this naan bread contains no additional yeast, I do not recommend using your discard until your starter is doubling consistently (generally around two weeks to one month of age).
Notes on Kneading -
You can easily knead this dough by hand. If you'd prefer, kneading can also be done in a stand mixer or Thermomix. It will take around 3 to 6 minutes for the dough to become smooth and elastic.
Notes on Bulk Fermentation -
You can use either active starter or discard for this recipe, however active, bubbly starter is recommended. Ideally, place your dough somewhere warm to ferment (you can find some ideas here).
Notes on Cooking -
Ideally Sourdough Naan should be cooked on a cast iron skillet. I have successfully cooked them in a stainless steel frying pan with no issues, but you'll get the best results on cast iron. They also cook really well on a searing hot bbq or grill plate. This is the cast iron skillet I recommend.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 438mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 22IUCalcium: 88mgIron: 2mg
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