Sourdough Naan Bread Recipe

This 100% Sourdough Naan Bread recipe is soft and chewy with a nice tang from the starter. Toss all of the ingredients in a stand mixer, knead until smooth and leave the dough to rise. The best part, absolutely no oven needed for this recipe!

We use it for soup, sandwiches, flatbread pizza, or to wrap up grilled chicken or steak, and nothing feels more homemade.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Soft, chewy, and super delicious: 

Sourdough naan cooks up soft and chewy with golden, bubbly spots from the hot cast iron skillet. The Greek yogurt and milk keep it tender, and the active starter adds enough tang to make it a worthy plain flatbread upgrade. Brush it with melted butter or garlic ghee while it’s still warm. You won’t be able to resist the rich, savory naan, and the fully fermented dough is great for your gut. 

Easiest sourdough bread you’ll ever make:

If you’re new to sourdough, this easy recipe is the perfect place to start. No oven needed, just your starter, a rolling pin, a skillet, and simple ingredients. Things get even easier and faster if you have a stand mixer. It cooks on the stovetop, so you can make it any time without turning your kitchen into an oven, even on the hottest summer days. It’s quick, low-effort, and always turns out right.

Ingredients & Substitutions 

• Active Sourdough Starter – For the fastest rise, use bubbly active sourdough starter. You can use sourdough discard, but the bulk fermentation will take longer to complete. 
• Honey -Adding a little sugar to the dough helps it brown up nicely as it cooks. You can swap in white sugar.
• Milk-I used whole milk for this recipe, but you could use non-dairy milk like soy, almond, or oat. Make sure it’s unsweetened and plain so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the dough.
• Plain Greek Yogurt – Use plain Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. Greek yogurt contains more fat and makes for the perfect hydration. Plain yogurt is too thin and will make a wet dough. 
• Bread Flour – I use bread flour for its chewier naan, but you can swap it with all-purpose flour.

Baking Time For Sourdough Naan

Time	Process
10:30 AM	Mix dough
10:40 AM	Bulk Fermentation at 70°F
4:30 PM	Shape and Cook

How to Make Homemade Sourdough Naan

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the dough ingredients and mix on medium low speed for 2-3 minutes to get a shaggy dough. 

2. Remove the dough and knead by hand 10-15 times to form a round smooth dough ball. 

3. Place in a greased bowl and leave it to bulk ferment.  

4. Once it has doubled in size, divide the dough into 8 roughly equal pieces. Roll these pieces into dough balls.

5. Cover and leave the sourdough naan dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.

6. Just before shaping, preheat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. 
7. With a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball on a clean work surface to a 6-inch oval. 

8. Just before cooking, lightly grease the skillet, then place on shaped dough in the hot pan. 

9. Cook for 1 ½ – 2 minutes on the preheated skillet until it begins to bubble, then flip to the other side. Cook for 1-2 minutes more.
   

10. Place the cooked naan on a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining dough. 

11. Brush them with garlic ghee/butter, sprinkle chopped parsley or cilantro on top and enjoy them warm!

How to Store:

After the naan cools, stack it up and wrap it in foil, drop it in a zip-top bag, or tuck it into an airtight container. It stores at room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge for up to five. If I’m freezing it, I slide a little parchment between each flatbread so they don’t stick. To reheat naan, warm it in a hot skillet or low oven. It always comes back soft and chewy. 

Sourdough Naan Recipe

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Bulk Fermentation Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 12 minutes

This 100% Sourdough Naan Bread recipe is soft and chewy with a nice tang from the starter. Toss all of the ingredients in a stand mixer, knead until smooth and leave the dough to rise. The best part, absolutely no oven needed for this recipe!We use it for soup, sandwiches, flatbread pizza, or to wrap up grilled chicken or steak, and nothing feels more homemade. Just like my Sourdough Flatbread or Sourdough Tortilla recipe, it’s the perfect non-stress way to add delicious homemade bread to any meal.

Equipment

• stand mixer
• cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Sourdough Naan

• 120 grams active sourdough starter 2/3 cup
• 315 grams bread flour 2 1/4 cup
• 120 grams milk, warm 1/2 cup
• 60 grams Greek Yogurt, room temperature 1/4 cup
• 24 grams honey 1 Tablespoon
• 15 grams olive oil 1 Tablespoon
• 6 grams salt 1 teaspoon

Garlic Ghee Dipping Sauce

• 45 grams ghee or butter, melted 3 Tablespoons
• 1 clove of garlic
• parsley or cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, add all of the dough ingredients and mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. After kneading, the dough should pull away from the sides of a bowl, look smooth and elastic. You can also knead the dough by hand on a clean surface.120 grams active sourdough starter,315 grams bread flour,120 grams milk, warm,60 grams Greek Yogurt, room temperature,24 grams honey,15 grams olive oil,6 grams salt
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean work surface. Knead the dough by hand by folding the top of the dough towards the center and pressing down with the palm of your hand. Do this about 10-15 times or until you create a round and smooth dough ball.
3. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, cover and leave it to bulk ferment. In my 70 degree F kitchen this took about 6 hours. If your kitchen is warmer, it will take less time, if your kitchen is cooler, it will take longer.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 8 even pieces (about 82 grams each) and roll each piece into dough balls. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave the dough balls to rest for at least 30 minutes. This helps the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out later.
5. Just before shaping, preheat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
6. With a floured rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to a 6-inch oval. Does not need to be perfect.
7. Just before cooking, brush one side of the dough with melted butter and place the buttered side down in the hot pan.
8. Lightly grease the hot pan with oil, then cook one naan for 1 ½ – 2 minutes. It will begin to bubble, then flip. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more or until each side is covered with golden brown spots.
9. Once cooked, place the sourdough naan on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough.
10. Brush the hot sourdough naan with garlic ghee/butter, sprinkle chopped parsley or cilantro on top and enjoy them warm!45 grams ghee or butter, melted,1 clove of garlic,parsley or cilantro

Notes

Ingredients & Substitutions 

• Active Sourdough Starter – For the fastest rise, use bubbly active sourdough starter. You can use sourdough discard, but the bulk fermentation will take longer to complete. 
• Honey -Adding a little sugar to the dough helps it brown up nicely as it cooks. You can swap in white sugar.
• Milk-I used whole milk for this recipe, but you could use non-dairy milk like soy, almond, or oat. Make sure it’s unsweetened and plain so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the dough.
• Plain Greek Yogurt – Use plain Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. Greek yogurt contains more fat and makes for the perfect hydration. Plain yogurt is too thin and will make a wet dough. 
• Bread Flour – I used bread flour for its chewier naan, but you can swap it with all-purpose flour.

For a sample baking schedule, refer to the example above.

Tips

• You can mix this dough by hand. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl, mix until shaggy and then knead by hand until smooth. You might need to extend the kneading time by 2-3 extra minutes. 
• If the dough is retracting and tough to roll out, extend the resting time. The gluten might need a longer time to rest.
• This Sourdough Naan is fantastic on its own and an incredible side, but it also makes for delicious personal pizzas! We love to top these or my Sourdough Flatbreads with sauce, cheese and our favorite cooked topping. Place them in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and serve! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.4mg