Sourdough Discard Naan - letsmakesourdough.com (2024)

Published: Jul 31, 2023 by mandyjackson · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

Use your sourdough discard to make the most delicious, soft and pillowy naan bread. Since this uses no yeast (only baking powder + baking soda), it can be ready in under half an hour!

Naan is a type of flatbread that originates from Central and South Asia. It is made with wheat flour and traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven, which gives naan its soft, puffy texture. It is so good with curries, kebabs, chicken tikka masala, and more. And it's so easy to make in your own kitchen!

Why Make Na'an With Sourdough

Na'an is probably not the first thing you think of making when you think of your sourdough starter, but it is so good!

• Sourdough starter adds so much good, slightly sour flavor. Na'an already has a bit of a sour punch from the yogurt, but the sourdough starter kicks it up a notch.
• It's quick. This na'an uses NO YEAST and can be ready in 25 minutes! It's a perfect addition to so many meals, and you can whip it up in a flash.
• It's a perfect way to use up your sourdough starter discard. I love using sourdough discard in all sorts of recipes, and this is one of my favorites! Don't throw your discard away - make this instead!

Making Good Na'an at Home

Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor oven. A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven that gets extremely hot, often over 900°F. The dough is slapped onto the interior walls of the super-hot tandoor, where it cooks rapidly and develops that signature puffy, charred texture. The intense dry heat helps create a nice char on the outside of the naan while the inside stays soft and moist.

Probably (maybe even hopefully!) there's nothing in your kitchen that gets to 900°F, but a skillet or griddle heated as HOT as you can get it will still give the naan a place to char and puff up nicely.

I love to use my electric griddle for this since it's easy to make a few at the same time rather than making them one at a time. Anything to minimize time over a super hot skillet!

Once they puff up and large bubbles appear all over the tops, they're ready to flip. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side.

Once they're off the griddle, brush both sides with melted butter, stack on a plate, and cover with foil.

Continue cooking, brushing with butter, and adding to the foil-covered stack until they're all cooked. Leave them covered until ready to eat.

How to Make Soft Naan

If ever you've had homemade naan that's been dry or - dare I say it - crispy, you know how important it is to have some foolproof ways to make a soft naan.

Don't worry, this recipe makes the most delicious, soft and pillowy naan! There are three main factors that make this happen:

• A wet dough. Wet doughs produce the softest breads. This dough is ever so slightly sticky, making the softest naan.
• Melted butter. Once your naan is cooked and removed from the skillet or griddle, brush both sides with melted butter.
• Steam. After they're brushed with butter, place the naans on a plate and cover with foil. This will keep them warm AND soften them with steam from the heat they're putting off. They'll stay warm for about an hour if you keep them wrapped tightly!

The Dough

The key to getting the consistency just right is getting just the right amount of water into the dough. Even if you're using weight measurements, the amount you will need may vary based on how liquidy your yogurt is.

You want this dough to be slightly sticky, but not so much that it's hard to handle.

See how in this picture when the dough is lifted from the glass bowl, it pulls slightly but leaves no residue behind? That's exactly what you want.

This dough doesn't need to rise (it uses baking powder + soda for that), but I do like to let it rest for about 10 minutes after dividing. Giving it just 10-15 minutes will make rolling it out much easier!