Making sourdough naan bread at home has never been easier! Fluffy, soft, and golden, it’s the perfect side to any curry or stew.
This post first appeared May 12, 2020, and was last updated January 23, 2021.
Naan is one of the easiest breads to make at home, and definitely one of the easiest sourdough breads! Making it doesn’t require a Dutch oven, banneton, or even an oven — all you need is a mixing bowl and a frying pan.
This isn’t traditional naan, and it’s not what you would be served in a good Indian restaurant, because (probably) like you, none of us have a tandoor oven at home. That being said, this version of sourdough naan is really good, and as close as we have gotten to restaurant-style bread!
The recipe is based on Indian-style naan bread, though there are different variations os flatbread called “naan” around the world — the word naan simply means bread. Even if you’ve never made naan, or any other flatbread before, be confident you can make sourdough naan! It’s an easy recipe, and we’ve got loads of tips and notes below on how to make it perfect the first time.
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Ingredients
- water
- active sourdough starter
- ghee or olive oil
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- salt
Method
Mix The Dough
Add the water and sourdough starter to a large bowl. Mix with a whisk or fork until well combined.
Add the ghee or oil, flour, sugar, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Do a couple of stretches and folds to help create structure in the dough, once every ten minutes, 2 to 3 times (if you are unfamiliar with stretch and folds we’ve got a post called how to stretch and fold sourdough). After a few stretches the dough should feel more taut, and harder to form into a loose ball.
Cover the bowl with a plate or lid and set aside to rise for four hours and up to overnight. The dough should double in size like the picture below.
Shape the Dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s ready to be shaped and cooked.
Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 even-sized pieces.
Take one piece of dough, lightly flour both sides of it, then flatten it gently with your hand.
Roll the dough towards you into a log like a jelly roll, pressing it with your hand as you go to make sure the dough is sticking to itself. Pinch the seam together to seal.
Turn the log so that the short end faces you. Flatten it again slightly with your hand. Roll it again into a log, pressing it as you roll so the dough sticks to itself. Again, pinch together the seam to seal it.
Flip the rolled dough over, seam side down, and use the outer edges of your hands to rotate the piece of dough into a smooth ball.
Set the shaped ball aside and repeat the process with the rest of the dough pieces.
Cooking the Sourdough Naan
Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, use a rolling pin to roll a couple pieces of sourdough naan on a lightly floured surface. It’s key to roll the dough as thin as possible before frying.
Once the pan is hot, add enough ghee or olive oil to coat the bottom, probably a tablespoon or two. Carefully place one rolled out piece of sourdough naan into the pan. Cook it for 45 to 60 seconds, or until the bottom is golden and the top is covered in bubbles.
Flip the naan over and cook the second side for another 45 to 60 seconds (add more oil to the pan if you need). Sprinkle the cooked naan with a touch of salt, then place into a just warm oven, or stack it on a plate. Repeat with each piece of remaining dough.
Serve sourdough naan warm if you can. It’s best eaten the first day, however, can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Tips & Notes
If your starter is very strong and active, you could potentially feed your starter early in the morning, mix the dough once the starter is ready, and fry the naan in the evening.
If you want to add garlic, herbs, or spices, knead them during the stretch and folds.
Your pan must be very hot before you begin to cook the sourdough naan. You may have to play around with the temperature a bit — the goal is dark and golden, but not burned, flatbread. The pan must be hot enough to cook the bread quickly or else you will miss out on the puffy bubbles.
If you find it difficult to roll the dough and fry at the same time, and you have the space, roll all of the dough out ahead of time.
You can keep the finished naan in a slightly warm oven before serving, but they’re just as good stacked on a plate while you cook the remaining dough.
Substitutions
If you’re wary of frying with olive oil at a high temperature, and/or looking for a dairy-free option, you can use avocado or coconut oil. Olive oil tends to give the best browning.
Ghee is more traditional for naan, and a bit safer as it can withstand higher temperatures than butter, however, you can use butter if you’re careful of splatters.
We haven’t tested this recipe with alternative flours. Spelt should be fine — we have an easy grilled spelt flatbread recipe, and Alex has a spelt naan recipe on her website. Whole grain can be trickier, but up to 40% whole wheat flour could work.
More Sourdough Recipes
New York Style Sourdough Bagels
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
And check out our sourdough recipes page, as we add more all the time!
Recipe
Sourdough Naan
Making sourdough naan at home has never been easier — fluffy, soft, and golden, it's the perfect side to any curry or stew.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (200 g) water
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 2 tbsp melted ghee or olive oil, plus extra for frying
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt, plus extra for sprinkling on cooked naan
Instructions
Mix The Dough
Add the water and sourdough starter to a large bowl. Mix with a whisk or fork until well combined.
Add the ghee or oil, flour, sugar, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Do a couple of stretches and folds to help create structure in the dough, once every ten minutes, 2 to 3 times (if you are unfamiliar with stretch and folds we've got a post called how to stretch and fold sourdough). After a few stretches the dough should feel more taut, and harder to form into a loose ball.
Cover the bowl with a plate or lid and set aside to rise for four hours and up to overnight.
Shaping The Dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, it's ready to be shaped and cooked.
Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 even-sized pieces.
Take one piece of dough, lightly flour both sides of it, then flatten it gently with your hand.
Roll the dough towards you into a log like a jelly roll, pressing it with your hand as you go to make sure the dough is sticking to itself. Pinch the seam together to seal.
Turn the log so that the short end faces you. Flatten it again slightly with your hand. Roll it again into a log, pressing it as you roll so the dough sticks to itself. Again, pinch together the seam to seal it.
Flip the rolled dough over, seam side down, and use the outer edges of your hands to rotate the piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set the shaped ball aside and repeat the process with the rest of the dough pieces.
Cooking The Sourdough Naan
Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, use a rolling pin to roll a couple pieces of sourdough naan on a lightly floured surface. It's key to roll the dough as thin as possible before frying.
Once the pan is hot, add enough ghee or olive oil to coat the bottom, probably a tablespoon or two. Carefully place one rolled out piece of sourdough naan into the pan. Cook it for 45 to 60 seconds, or until the bottom is golden and the top is covered in bubbles.
Flip the naan over and cook the second side for another 45 to 60 seconds (add more oil to the pan if you need). Sprinkle the cooked naan with a touch of salt, then place into a just warm oven, or stacked on a plate. Repeat with each piece of remaining dough.
Serve sourdough naan warm if you can. It's best eaten the first day, however, can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tips & Notes
If your starter is very strong and active, you could potentially feed your starter early in the morning, mix the dough once the starter is ready, and fry the naan in the evening.
If you want to add garlic, herbs, or spices, knead them during the stretch and folds.
Your pan must be very hot before you begin to cook the sourdough naan. You may have to play around with the temperature a bit, however, the goal is dark and golden, but not burned flatbread. The pan must be hot enough to cook the bread quickly or else you will miss out on the puffy bubbles.
If you find it difficult to roll the dough and fry at the same time, and you have the space, roll all of the dough out ahead of time.
You can keep the finished naan in a slightly warm oven before serving, but they're just as good stacked on a plate while you cook the remaining dough.
Substitutions
If you're wary of frying with olive oil at a high temperature, and/or looking for a dairy-free option, you can use avocado or coconut oil. Olive oil tends to give the best browning.
Ghee is more traditional for naan, and a bit safer as it can withstand higher temperatures than butter, however, you can use butter if you're careful of splatters.
We haven't tested this recipe with alternative flours. Spelt should be fine — we have an easy grilled spelt flatbread recipe, and Alex has a spelt naan recipe on her website. Whole grain can be trickier, but up to 40% whole wheat flour could work.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 275mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
Scarlet says
Hello, I was wondering if this would be possible to make with whole meal spelt flour?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Scarlet, it’s definitely possible if you’re familiar with sourdough as it’s a bit trickier to work with. I have a spelt naan recipe on my site and have made the sourdough version with spelt flour – it’s just a little more delicate.
Milly says
Hi can it be made without salt and sugar?
Alexandra Daum says
I wouldn’t recommend it. You can leave the sugar out and it’ll mostly just alter the flavour – try subbing something like honey. Salt is necessary both in terms of the flavour of the bread (salt should always be included in any bread) but also for the gluten structure.
Mario says
Hi. Thanks a ton for this recipe. I have been making sourdough everything over the last year or so and this is by far the best naan recipe I’ve found. I love the flavor and the texture and have almost stopped making sourdough loaves because of my newfound love of the flat bread. Cheers!
Alexandra Daum says
So happy to hear that, thanks Mario!