Sourdough Naan

Name: Sourdough Naan
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 7-9 hours
Yield: 8 naan
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 350g bread flour; 70g active sourdough starter; 120g plain yogurt (full-fat); 80g warm water; 20g olive oil; 15g sugar; 7g salt; 60g butter + 3 cloves minced garlic + chopped cilantro garlic butter

BeginnerPrep: 30 minutesTotal: 7-9 hoursYield: 8 naan

Sourdough naan gets you surprisingly close to tandoor-baked bread using nothing but a cast iron skillet. The yogurt keeps the crumb tender, the sourdough adds flavor depth, and the garlic butter on top is what makes it disappear before dinner is even served.

Ingredients

350gbread flour(100%)
70gactive sourdough starter(20%)-- fed 4-8 hours prior, at peak activity
120gplain yogurt (full-fat)(34%)
80gwarm water(23%)
20golive oil(5.7%)
15gsugar(4.3%)
7gsalt(2%)
60g butter + 3 cloves minced garlic + chopped cilantrogarlic butter-- for brushing after cooking

Instructions

1
Combine the flour, starter, yogurt, warm water, olive oil, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and soft. The yogurt makes this dough wetter than you'd expect -- that's normal.
2
Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours. The dough should roughly double in size and feel puffy and airy.
3
Make the garlic butter: melt the butter in a small pan, add minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro. Set aside.
4
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 80g each). Roll each into a ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
5
On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an oval or teardrop shape about 5mm thick and 20cm long. Don't worry about perfection -- irregular shapes are traditional.
6
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until it's screaming hot. You want it as hot as it'll go.
7
Place one naan on the dry skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is charred in spots and large bubbles form on top. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. The second side should also have char spots.
If your naan isn't puffing or charring, the pan isn't hot enough. Crank it up. The goal is to mimic a tandoor -- that means serious heat.
8
Brush each naan with garlic butter immediately off the skillet. Stack in a towel to keep warm and soft. Serve alongside curry, dal, or use it to scoop up anything you'd eat with bread.

Tips

Cast iron is non-negotiable. A thin pan won't hold enough heat, and the naan will steam instead of char. You want intense, direct contact heat.
For extra puff, lightly wet one side of the naan with water before placing it wet-side down on the skillet. The steam from the water helps the bread puff up dramatically.
Skip the yogurt if you need a dairy-free version. Replace it with an equal weight of coconut cream and add an extra 20g of water. The texture will be slightly different but still good.
Make these while your curry simmers. The timing usually works out perfectly -- the naan is hot and fresh right when the curry is done.

Sourdough Naan

BeginnerPrep: 30 minutesTotal: 7-9 hoursYield: 8 naan

Ingredients

350gbread flour(100%)
70gactive sourdough starter(20%)-- fed 4-8 hours prior, at peak activity
120gplain yogurt (full-fat)(34%)
80gwarm water(23%)
20golive oil(5.7%)
15gsugar(4.3%)
7gsalt(2%)
60g butter + 3 cloves minced garlic + chopped cilantrogarlic butter-- for brushing after cooking

Instructions

1
Combine the flour, starter, yogurt, warm water, olive oil, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and soft. The yogurt makes this dough wetter than you'd expect -- that's normal.
2
Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours. The dough should roughly double in size and feel puffy and airy.
3
Make the garlic butter: melt the butter in a small pan, add minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro. Set aside.
4
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 80g each). Roll each into a ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
5
On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an oval or teardrop shape about 5mm thick and 20cm long. Don't worry about perfection -- irregular shapes are traditional.
6
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until it's screaming hot. You want it as hot as it'll go.
7
Place one naan on the dry skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is charred in spots and large bubbles form on top. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. The second side should also have char spots.
If your naan isn't puffing or charring, the pan isn't hot enough. Crank it up. The goal is to mimic a tandoor -- that means serious heat.
8
Brush each naan with garlic butter immediately off the skillet. Stack in a towel to keep warm and soft. Serve alongside curry, dal, or use it to scoop up anything you'd eat with bread.

Tips

Cast iron is non-negotiable. A thin pan won't hold enough heat, and the naan will steam instead of char. You want intense, direct contact heat.
For extra puff, lightly wet one side of the naan with water before placing it wet-side down on the skillet. The steam from the water helps the bread puff up dramatically.
Skip the yogurt if you need a dairy-free version. Replace it with an equal weight of coconut cream and add an extra 20g of water. The texture will be slightly different but still good.
Make these while your curry simmers. The timing usually works out perfectly -- the naan is hot and fresh right when the curry is done.