Sourdough Naan
Somewhere between Roti and Naan comes this delicious flatbread with complex flavour, gorgeous air bubbles, and the perfect tear-apart, chewy texture. I would highly recommend doubling the recipe so you can have a stash for later in the freezer (I always do!). * recipe edited April 21, 2020
Ingredients
Naan dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt sub coconut yogurt for dairy free, or full fat coconut milk with a squeeze of lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1-2 tbsp water as needed
For cooking:
- 2-4 tbsp coconut oil or any high smoke point oil
Herb Butter (optional):
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cloves garlic finely minced/grated
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (any mixture of parsley, cilantro, chives, and/or basil will work)
- sea salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
For the dough:
- Combine all the ingredients except the water in a bowl. Add water, a tbsp at a time, as needed to get the dough to a moist dough consistency (will vary depending on how wet your starter is). It should be slightly wetter and softer than a typical bread dough, and fully hydrated.
- Press and fold by pressing down the middle of the dough while pulling the dough on the sides up and folding over. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and continue this process until the dough is homogenous (it will not be perfectly smooth, that is fine!).
- Drizzle the sides of the bowl with olive oil to prevent sticking (this is optional but I always do it). Cover loosely and set in a warm place to rise (I use the top of my fridge), at least 6 hours, up to 24 hours. Optional press and folds. You can leave the dough completely untouched, or if you like, perform some press and folds. The press and folds with strengthen the dough and incorporate air which helps the final texture of the naan. It is not a necessary step; because of the long rise time you will still get a great naan bread even with no press and folds. Do whatever works best for you!If making an overnight dough, you could perform one press and fold 30 minutes after mixing up the dough. Let it sit overnight and do another set of press and folds in the morning. If making the dough in the morning. Perform press and folds every 30 minutes (or even once or twice would help) in the first 3 hours of rising. Then leave the dough to proof untouched for the remainder of the day.
- Separate dough into 6-8 pieces by cutting the dough in half, then dividing each half into 3-4 balls. I find when I let the dough rise overnight I'm more likely to make 8 balls because my dough has risen much more in volume, whereas if I've done a same day dough I tend to make 6 balls. If you like thicker, chewier naan bread, go with 6 balls. If you like thinner, roti style naan, go with 8 balls. Cover with a tea towel to keep moist.
- Keep a small bowl of flour beside you for keeping everything well dusted with flour. On a well floured, flat surface, use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough out into a rough oval shape, until 1/4" thick (thinner than you think - the naan will spring back into itself as it sits and will also puff up alot in the pan). Set aside and cover with a kitchen towel (parchment paper or saran wrap would also work) to keep moist. You can use the kitchen towel as a dividing layer between the next group of naans and repeat until all of your naans are formed and covered. Be sure not to let any naan doughs touch or they will stick to each other.
To cook:
- Meanwhile, preheat a large cast iron skillet (or any thick bottomed skillet with a lid will do) for several minutes until very hot. Have a dutch oven, casserole dish, or heavy bowl with a lid (something that keeps heat in well) lined with a kitchen towel nearby.
- Melt a tsp or so of oil, tip around to cover the bottom of the pan. Toss in a naan dough (if you have a large pan you may be able to cook 2 at once) and cover with a lid. Let cook for 1 minute until air pockets begin to bubble up. Turn on your hood fan and/or open your windows, this will be a smokey process!
- Flip the naan and replace the lid. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the bottom side has nicely browned air bubbles. You may need to turn down the heat of your burner at this point, and watch the naan very closely so it doesn't burn/char (though dark spots are all part of it's charm, don't fret!).
- Remove the naan to the kitchen towel lined dutch oven with lid (this will keep the naan moist and warm while you cook the rest). Add another tsp or so of oil to the cast iron pan and repeat with the remaining naan doughs until all are cooked, added oil to the pan before each naan.
Herb butter:
- When ready to serve, melt butter and garlic in a saucepan over low heat. Once butter is melted and garlic lightly browned, remove from the heat and mix in the fresh chopped herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Brush each naan with herb butter and serve warm.
- Alternatively, you could drizzle each naan with olive oil or brush with melted butter and season with salt and pepper to serve.
- Any naans you aren't serving immediately can be wrapped in an airtight container or bag and frozen. To warm straight from the freezer, put on a sheet tray covered with foil at 350F for 3-5 minutes or until just warmed through. Because the naan is very thin it will dry out and become like hard pita bread if warmed too long in the oven so be careful not to leave in too long.
- Brush with herb butter or drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, serve warm.
Notes
*if you don't have sourdough starter, I would suggest trying this recipe from Half Baked Harvest. Leave the dough on the counter overnight, just as we do here, for a sourdough effect.