Sourdough discard naan is the softest and most tender naan you can make at home. This no-yogurt naan recipe is super easy to make and needs no expertise at all. Sourdough gives the tang of yogurt to these naan bread which makes them irresistible.
If you are looking for ways to use your sourdough discard? You have reached the right place.
Naan is the easiest sourdough starter discard the flatbread recipe you will make. The Indian Flatbread Naan made with sourdough discard is chewy, yet soft and flavorful without any yogurt!
This Indian flatbread is very forgiving. There is no way you can mess it up.
You will need little skill to use the rolling pin, but the beauty of Indian naan is that it does not have to be perfectly round like roti or paratha. So, you got it!
It is a foolproof stovetop sourdough naan recipe. You do not need any Dutch oven or other special equipment for this sourdough recipe! Just make it on your regular skillet or a cast iron skillet.
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🕵️♀️History of Naan bread
Naan bread is an about 2500-year-old bread recipe that was developed accidentally, after the arrival of yeast and fermented foods in India. Naan remained out of the reach of the ordinary man for centuries, as it was initially just limited to the royal kitchens.
It was simply because the art of making fermented and risen bread was never shared at the masses' level. The Naan bread was a food of the rich and royals for centuries.
It was only in the later modern era, that naan bread became the mainstream Indian bread.
How is naan bread traditionally made?
Naan is conventionally made in clay ovens, called Tandoors that are fired with charcoal or wood. Tandoor ovens are cylindrical clay ovens used for making various kinds of tandoori bread, tandoori chicken, kebabs, etc.
In traditional naan bread recipes, dough starter or yeast is used as the leavening agent, and Dahi (Indian yogurt very similar to Greek yogurt) is used to impart distinct flavor.
A little disclaimer!
No matter how much I or anybody rave about homemade naan, they are just not the same. You cannot compare the homemade naan with the clay oven (tandoor) baked naan that you probably might have eaten at an Indian restaurant.
It is just like no homemade pizza can compete with wood-fired pizza. But this recipe is the closest we can go to oven-baked naan!
🫓Why make this sourdough discard naan recipe?
Let me give more reasons why you should give this sourdough discard recipe a try.
- Excellent recipe to put that refrigerated Sourdough Discard to use.
- It is the simplest sourdough discard-based recipe ever!
- Use any plant-based milk and it's vegan naan!
- These naans are very light, tender, and delicious.
- It is a flavorful sourdough discard naan without yogurt.
- Stand mixer-based sourdough flatbread recipe.
- Approachable. This sourdough naan recipe uses a handful of ingredients, that you already have in your pantry.
🧂Ingredients for the sourdough discard naan recipe
In this recipe, Sourdough discard does the drill otherwise done by the commercial yeast (or some modern recipes use baking powder) and yogurt in a naan recipe. Traditionally, Indian yogurt called Dahi is used as a leavening agent in Naan bread. But this recipe uses sourdough discard instead.
A sourdough starter has wild yeasts and lactobacillus working in a symbiotic relationship. So, for a simple flatbread recipe like this, a good sourdough discard is enough to replace commercial yeast and yogurt.
Now, let us see what ingredients we need to make this sourdough discard naan with no yogurt.
1. Flour
Naan is conventionally made with all-purpose flour only. But you can add a little bit of whole wheat flour also. Whole wheat flour gives a little depth of flavor and nuttiness to the naan.
2. Sourdough discard
So, you fed your starter and are left with a sourdough starter discard. This sourdough discard will be used as a leavening agent in this Naan recipe.
If you want, you can prepare a sort of levain with the discard and use it for making the naans. But I think that is an unnecessary process when you are making a simple flatbread like Naan.
My recipe is a quick sourdough discard naan that does not need any uncalled-for steps.
Just make sure that the sourdough starter discard, has the following attributes:
- Sourdough discard should not be older than 6 days.
- It should have been refrigerated for the most part.
- 1 ½ to 2 hours before making the dough, take the dough out of the fridge and let it become bubbly again. Note that it will not rise like a sourdough starter, but it will show some vital activity when brought to room temperature.
3. Oil
Any cooking oil or even butter can be added to the dough. It enriches the dough and helps to keep the Naans soft. Try to use neutral flavored oil and avoid olive oil.
4. Whole Milk
Choose whole milk for kneading the dough. Also, ensure that the milk is not cold, straight out of the fridge. To make this recipe vegan, you can add plant-based milk soy milk, oat milk, or even coconut milk.
5. Garnishing for the Sourdough discard the naan recipe
Traditional Naan garnishes include:
- Butter Naan: These naan flatbreads only have salted melted butter smeared on them.
- Garlic Naan: Garlic Naan is the most common naan bread that has crushed, or minced garlic butter smeared on them as they come out of the oven. Also, some people choose to apply minced garlic to the dough and push the garlic into the dough with the rolling actions of the rolling pin.
- Cilantro Garlic Naan: As the name suggests this kind of naan bread has garlic, melted butter, and chopped cilantro as garnishes.
- Mint naan: In mint naan, fresh or dry mint is used to flavor the naan with some salted butter.
- Nigella Naan: Nigella seeds or Kalonji seeds along with some melted butter and cilantro can also be used to garnish these sourdough discard naans.
Another fun fusion garnish idea is a combination of basil and oregano with some fresh parsley.
🔪Process of making sourdough discard naan bread
Step 1 Making the dough
First, bring the sourdough discard to room temperature. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 ½ to 2 hours before making the dough. Let it get bubbly on the countertop before using it.
The ideal ambient room temperature for sourdough discard fermentation should be around 65-75 0F.
The recipe is a stand mixer-based recipe, where you practically dump in everything and knead till a smooth dough is obtained.
How I like to do is as follows:
First, combine salt and flour in the bowl of the stand mixer and whisk it combine nicely. Now add sourdough discard to the water. Mix well and then add oil to it. Whisk well and add to the dry ingredients.
Put the bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook attachment. Start kneading in a stand mixer at speed 2 (KitchenAid). Knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough comes together. Now bump up the speed to 6 on KitchenAid. Keep kneading until the dough leaves the sides of the stand mixer bowl and becomes smooth.
The dough will not be sticky at all and separate itself from the sides of the bowl. Now remove the dough into a greased bowl. And cover with a cling wrap.
Making the sourdough discard the flatbread dough with your hands:
Naan dough is very simple. It is not a high-hydration dough. So, you can easily knead it with your hands.
Start by mixing sourdough starter in the water and set aside. Then take a large bowl and combine flour and salt. Then add any kind of fat. I am using cooking oil. Combine it with the flour by rubbing it between the hands. Then start kneading by adding the milk, followed by the sourdough-water mix. When it forms into a dough mass, transfer it to the lightly floured work surface. And start kneading the dough by stretching it forward and then folding it on itself while bringing it back. Keep repeating till the dough becomes smooth and elastic. It should take about 7-8 minutes.
Step 2 Bulk Fermentation/ First Rise
In winter I like to keep the dough for bulk rising inside my oven with the light switched on. Alternately in summer, I would rather keep it on the kitchen counter as sometimes it can get very warm here in LA.
This can take 2-5 hours depending on your ambient temperature.
Step 3 Divide the dough and make dough balls
Once the dough has doubled in size and volume, we want to take it out of the bowl and transfer it onto a flour-dusted working surface.
This recipe will make about 8 sourdough discard naans, so we want to divide the dough into 8 equal parts. You can use a weighing scale to divide the dough or just eyeball it.
Then take one piece and gather all the edges to form a round. Flip and rotate under the hand to form a small round ball with a smooth top. Repeat with the remaining pieces of the dough. Keep them covered to prevent the surface from drying.
Step 4 Resting the dough and Prepare the garnishes:
Dust some flour on the rounds and let them rest covered with a clean kitchen towel for about 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile, you can work on the garnishes. I like to add butter and minced garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it.
Optionally, you can have chopped garlic ready by the side to garnish on the naan when they are ready.
Step 5 Rolling the dough and shaping sourdough discard naan:
For rolling a naan, take one dough ball, dust it with flour and start to roll using a rolling pin. Turn and lightly flour again with all-purpose flour and keep rolling till a thin (about 1 cm thick) oval shape is achieved. Set aside and cover.
Repeat the process with all the dough balls. Once you have rolled all the naans, cover, them and let them rest for 15 minutes.
This resting allows the gluten to relax so that we can roll it thinner right before putting it on a skillet without much resistance from the dough.
Step 6 Cooking the naan bread on a cast iron skillet
Now heat a skillet. Use a cast iron skillet if possible. Heat it at a high flame such that it is radiating heat. The skillet needs to be hot to cook the naan, but not burn it.
Take one of the rolled ovals and roll it again using a rolling pin to thin down the edges. Now lift it in the left hand and apply water on the side facing upward. Use a pastry brush or water spray to apply water.
Now with the watered side facing down place the naan on the skillet. Doing this will give us one flat side and the bubbles will appear on the other side. Exactly as an ideal naan should be.
Cook at medium heat for half a minute or till the bottom side becomes golden. (Observe naan forming little bubbles). Flip and cook the other side for another minute or till evenly cooked.
Step 7 Garnishing/ flavoring the sourdough naan bread:
Remove from heat and immediately brush with the melted garlic butter and sprinkle chopped cilantro. Cover the sourdough Discard naan immediately with the kitchen towel to keep them soft for longer.
Another way of adding garlic to the naans is by spreading the minced garlic on the rolled naan and pressing it into the dough with a rolling pin. Now we want to cook them similarly. When they're done, we just brush them with some salted butter and garnish them with some chopped cilantro.
This sourdough discard naan will even please the naan purists in terms of flavor and texture.
🫙Storage of homemade naan bread
If you made all the naans at a time and you have some leftover naans, I recommend storing them covered in a cotton cloth, or a clean towel. Then, place them in a closed container. They should remain fresh for 1-2 days.
Refrigerating naan is not a good idea. Instead, if you wish to store them for longer, freeze them. Simply put them in a freezer-safe bag and they should freeze well for weeks.
If you know that you are going to consume only a few of the naans, then I suggest you retain the rest of the dough balls in an airtight container and refrigerate them. The dough balls will keep well for 3-4 days. Whenever you are ready to make naan, take them out of the refrigerator at least an hour or two before making it. And make fresh naan just as usual and enjoy!
❓Frequently asked questions
Let us try to answer a few frequently asked questions related to naan and sourdough discard
Sourdough discard naan is a very versatile flatbread.
* It can be served with curries or dry sabzis.
*Make them into rolls and wraps and fill with your favorite stuffing.
*Enjoy as such with your favorite dips.
*Cut it into wedges and bake to make chips.
*Use it as a base for a quick flatbread pizza.
Well, the traditionally naan is not vegan. As it is pretty evident from the post. As traditionally, yogurt, milk, and butter are a key ingredient. But Naan can be easily made vegan by substituting all these with vegan alternatives.
I once made vegan naans for a vegan friend. It was okay, but not the best. I am yet to perfect the vegan sourdough naan recipe. So, stay tuned!
You can use the sourdough discard right away. Especially for recipes like this one. I suggest using the sourdough discard within a few hours. But if you have no plans to bake or prepare the dough right away, you can safely refrigerate the sourdough discard for about 5-6 days.
When you want to use it, take it out of the fridge about 2 hours in advance and let it come to room temperature and restore some activity.
You can also start by feeding it first like a starter. Do it as if you are preparing a levain from the sourdough discard. Then, you can use it to make any kind of sourdough bread.
Indian Naan bread is my favorite sourdough starter discard recipe ever! Though I make all kinds of bread with sourdough discard. But the simples to make are the two vegan sourdough discard recipes, i.e. discard Focaccia, discard pizza dough, etc. This sourdough discard flatbread is the simplest and most versatile! Hence, I like it the most.
Also, you can use this recipe with little alterations to make sourdough discard pita as well.
Try our sourdough discard cinnamon rolls, sourdough discard pizza dough, vegan sourdough discard Focaccia, and sourdough discard bread.
Yes, you can add 15-20 percent whole wheat flour to the naan recipe. Also, adding a little bit of whole wheat flour will make the rolling process easier. The dough made from 100 percent all-purpose flour is very stretchy due to a stronger gluten structure. So, when you roll such sourdough naan flatbread, it will shrink back very frequently. This makes rolling a little tedious.
💭 Pro Tips
- You can make this Naan using a sourdough starter instead of a discard. The naan will be equally good.
- Instead of microwaving, you can melt butter in a pan and add the minced garlic. Cook for half a minute and remove from heat.
- Always keep the dough covered or grease the surface with oil to prevent drying from the outside. Also, cover the dough balls quickly, so that the balls do not dry from the outside.
- Brush the naan with garlic butter just as they come off the heat. It keeps the naans soft. Also, cover the naan immediately with a kitchen towel.
- If going to consume only a few naans, then retain the rest of the balls in an airtight container and refrigerate. Remove them the next day, an hour ahead for making them fresh.
- If making all naans in a day, store the leftover naans at room temperature covered in a towel, and then place them in a box.
- Instead of a stovetop, you can easily make the sourdough naan bread recipe in the oven also.
More sourdough discard recipes
Check out a few of our favorite sourdough and sourdough discard recipes
This sourdough discard naan will even please the naan purists in terms of flavor and texture. So, do give it a try. And, if you make this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment below and rate the recipe!
Let’s connect!
It gives me immense joy to see your creations. So, do not forget to share it. You can do that by tagging me on Instagram, @theflavorbells, or use #theflavorbells.
Happy baking!
Sourdough Discard Naan
Ingredients
Ingredients for the naan dough
- 300 g All-purpose flour 2 ½ cups
- 112 g Whole milk ½ cup
- 70 g Sourdough discard
- 6 g salt 1 tsp
- 11 g Vegetable oil 1tbsp
- 80 g water ⅓ cup
Ingredients for garnishing
- 6 clove Garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup Butter
- Cilantro Chopped optional
Instructions
Step 1 Making the naan dough
- First, bring the sourdough discard to room temperature. Take it out of the fridge at least 1 ½ to 2 hours before making the dough. Let it get bubbly on the countertop before using it.
- Now, combine salt and flour in the bowl of the stand mixer and whisk to combine nicely.
- Now add sourdough discard to the water. Mix well and then add oil to it. Whisk well and add to the dry ingredients.
- Put the bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook attachment. Start kneading in a stand mixer at speed 2 (KitchenAid). Knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough comes together. Now bump up the speed to 6 on KitchenAid. Keep kneading until the dough leaves the sides of the stand mixer bowl and becomes smooth.
- The dough will not be sticky at all and separate itself from the sides of the bowl.
- Now remove the sourdough naan dough into a greased bowl. And cover with a cling wrap. (Read recipe notes for kneading with hands)
Step 2 Bulk Fermentation/ First Rise
- Now keep the dough to proof in a warm corner of your kitchen until it doubles up in volume. This step will take longer than a standard sourdough recipe as we have used sourdough discard. This can take 5-8 hours depending on your ambient temperature and how old is your discard. In winter I like to keep the dough for bulk rising inside my oven with the light switched on.
Step 3 Divide the dough and make dough balls
- Once the flour has doubled in size and volume, take it out of the bowl and transfer it onto a flour-dusted working surface.
- This recipe will make about 8 sourdough discard naans, so divide the dough into 8 equal parts. You can use a weighing scale to divide the dough or just eyeball it.
- Then take one piece and gather all the edges to form a round. Flip and rotate under the hand to form a small round ball with a smooth top.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of the dough.
- Keep them covered to prevent the surface from drying.
Step 4 Rest the dough and Prepare the garnishes:
- Dust some flour on the rounds and let them rest covered with a clean kitchen towel for about 30 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, you can work on the garnishes. I like to add butter and minced garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it.
Step 5 Rolling the dough, shaping, and making sourdough discard naan:
- For rolling a naan, take one dough ball, dust it with flour and start to roll using a rolling pin.
- Turn and lightly flour again with all-purpose flour and keep rolling till a thin (about 1 cm thick) oval shape is achieved. Set aside and cover.
- Repeat the process with all the dough balls.
- Once you have rolled all the naans, cover, them and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- This resting allows the gluten to relax so that we can roll it thinner right before putting it on a skillet without much resistance from the dough.
Step 6 Cooking the naan bread on a cast iron skillet
- Now heat a cast iron skillet. Heat it at a high flame such that it is radiating heat. The skillet needs to be hot to cook the naan, but not burn it.
- Take one of the rolled ovals and roll it again using a rolling pin to thin down the edges.
- Now lift it in the left hand and apply water on the side facing upward. Use a pastry brush or water spray to apply water.
- Now with the watered side facing down place the naan on the skillet. Doing this will give us one flat side and the bubbles will appear on the other side. Exactly as an ideal naan should be.
- Cook at medium heat for half a minute or till the bottom side becomes golden. (Observe naan forming little bubbles in images).
- Flip and cook the other side for another minute or till evenly cooked.
Step 7 Garnishing/ flavoring the sourdough naan bread:
- Remove from heat and immediately brush with the melted garlic butter and sprinkle chopped cilantro.
- Cover the sourdough Discard naan immediately with the kitchen towel to keep them soft for longer.
- Similarly, cook all the naan bread and brush them with garlic butter.
- Serve warm alongside your favorite curry.
Notes
- You can make this Naan using a 20 percent sourdough starter instead of a discard. The naan will be equally good.
- Making the sourdough discard the flatbread dough with your hands: Start by combining flour and salt. Then add any kind of fat. I am using cooking oil. Combine it with the flour by rubbing it between the hands. Then start kneading by adding the milk, followed by the sourdough-water mix. When it forms into a dough mass, transfer it to the lightly floured surface. And start kneading the dough by stretching it forward and then folding it on itself while bringing it back. Keep repeating till the dough becomes smooth and elastic. It should take about 7-8 minutes.
- Instead of microwaving, you can melt butter in a pan and add the minced garlic. Cook for half a minute and remove from heat.
- Always keep the dough covered or grease the surface with oil to prevent drying from the outside. Also, cover the dough balls quickly, so that the balls do not dry from the outside.
- Brush the naan with garlic butter just as they come off the heat. It keeps the naans soft. Also, cover the naan immediately with a kitchen towel.
- Another way of adding garlic to the naans is by spreading the minced garlic on the rolled naan and pressing it into the dough with a rolling pin.
- If going to consume only a few naans, then retain the rest of the balls in an airtight container and refrigerate. Remove them the next day, an hour ahead for making them fresh.
- If making all naans in a day, store the leftover naans at room temperature covered in a towel, and then place them in a box.
- Instead of a stovetop, you can easily make these sourdough discard naans in the oven also.
📋Nutrition Facts
Stephanie
This made the best tasting naan I've ever had. Thank you so much!
Lisa le
So easy to make! I love that you put the cup measurements. Weighing is not my thing. Thanks for the recipe.
Meenakshi
I am glad you found the post useful!
Sandra
I like how this recipe does not use yogurt and still, the naans have a deep flavor. I made them with my fed starter this time. Next time I will make with the discard.
Sandra
I like how this recipe does not use yogurt and still, the naans have a deep flavor. I made them with my fed starter this time. Next time I will make with the discard.
Meenakshi
Isn't it! the sourdough gives such great flavor to naan. Do update me how about the results of your next bake.
Lidiya
This recipe has become my go-to discard recipe. I had no idea how easy it was to make naan. Naan bread was so light and soft yet very filling. Thanks, Meena, for introducing this recipe to me.
Meenakshi
Anytime, darling. glad you found it helpful.