Sourdough Naan

Greek yogurt is what sets this dough apart from my pita, it makes for a softer, richer bite that’s built for scooping up curries or just eating warm off the pan with a swipe of garlic butter. Everything mixes in a stand mixer, so there’s very little hands-on shaping until it’s time to roll and cook. Like most of my doughs, this one is flexible on timing, cook it the same day or let it sit in the fridge overnight and pick up the next morning.

Why You’ll Love It

• Greek yogurt makes for a soft, rich, pillowy naan
• Mostly mixed in a stand mixer, minimal hand-kneading
• Flexible timing – cook the same day or hold it overnight in the fridge
• An easy garlic butter topping while they’re still warm
• Freezes well for later

Ingredients & Equipment

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Volume measurements are included for convenience, but they’re approximate – a kitchen scale will always get you a more consistent dough, especially for the flour.

Dough

• Warm water (180 g): combined with the other dough ingredients in the mixer
• Active sourdough starter (180 g): needs to be bubbly and active before mixing
• Olive oil (30 g): for richness and a tender crumb
• Fine sea salt (10 g): part of the dough
• Greek yogurt (80 g): what gives this dough its soft, rich texture compared to a plainer flatbread
• High-protein bread flour, 12-14% protein (540 g): Caputo Chef 00 works well, though any high-protein bread flour will get you there – every flour takes up water a little differently, so keep an eye on how the dough feels if you switch
• Granulated sugar (15 g): a small amount, mixed in with the dough

Garlic Butter Topping (Optional)

• Unsalted butter (60 g): melted and brushed onto the warm, cooked naan
• Minced garlic (2 tsp): mixed into the melted butter
• Chopped cilantro or parsley (2 tsp): stirred into the garlic butter
• Fine salt (¼ tsp): finishes the garlic butter mixture

Equipment

• Stand mixer: mixes the dough for 5 to 7 minutes – a whisk and a wooden spoon can stand in if you don’t have one, the dough gets thick fast
• Mixing bowl: for the dough and for the bulk ferment
• Kitchen scale: for accurate measurements throughout
• Bench scraper or a sharp knife: for dividing the dough into 10 pieces
• Plastic wrap or a reusable cover: keeps the dough balls from drying out as they rest
• Rolling pin: for flattening each portion into a round
• Cast iron pan: for cooking the naan on the stovetop
• Kitchen towel: for stacking the cooked naan so they stay soft

Sample Schedule

Shape & Cook (both paths): roll the 10 pieces into balls, cover, and rest 1 hour. Roll each ball into a ¼-inch-thick round and let it rest 10 minutes. Heat a lightly oiled cast iron pan to medium heat until the oil just starts to lightly smoke, then cook each naan 1.5-2 minutes per side. Stack cooked naan in a kitchen towel and brush with garlic butter while still warm, if using.

Sourdough Naan

Soft, pillowy sourdough naan made rich with Greek yogurt, cooked in a hot cast iron pan and finished with garlic butter.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

Rest / Ferment Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 4 minutes mins

Servings: 10 naan

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Calories: 270

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 180 g warm water
• 180 g active sourdough starter, bubbly and active
• 30 g olive oil
• 10 g fine sea salt
• 80 g Greek yogurt
• 540 g high-protein bread flour, 12-14% protein
• 15 g granulated sugar

Garlic Butter Topping (optional)

• 60 g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp chopped cilantro or parsley
• ¼ tsp fine salt

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen scale
• Bench scraper or a sharp knife
• Plastic wrap or a reusable cover
• Rolling Pin
• Cast iron pan
• Kitchen towel

Method

 

1. Mix the dough. Add the warm water, starter, olive oil, salt, Greek yogurt, flour, and sugar to a stand mixer. Mix for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should start pulling away from the sides of the bowl by around the 5-minute mark – if it doesn’t, work in a little extra flour or finish it by hand.
2. Shape and first rise. Turn the dough out and quickly work it on the bench into a smooth round. Place it in a bowl to ferment for about an hour.
3. Reshape and continue fermenting. Take the dough out, reshape it on the bench for a couple of minutes, then return it to the bowl. Let it continue fermenting at room temperature until it’s risen about 50%.
4. Choose your timing. From here you can cook the naan the same day, or refrigerate the dough overnight. If you refrigerate it, take the dough out of the fridge the next day and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to an hour to warm up before continuing – don’t divide it straight out of the fridge.
5. Divide. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.
6. Shape into balls and rest. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Cover them so they don’t dry out and let them rest for about an hour.
7. Roll into rounds. Flour your bench and roll each ball into a round about ¼ inch thick. Let the rolled rounds rest for about 10 minutes so they can relax. If the dough keeps pulling back in as you roll, let it rest longer before trying again.
8. Heat the pan. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat with a very light coating of oil. It’s ready when the oil just starts to lightly smoke.
9. Cook. Transfer a naan to the hot pan and cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook the other side.
10. Stack and top. As each naan finishes, move it into a kitchen towel to keep it soft. While they’re still warm, brush on the garlic butter topping if you’re using it – melted butter mixed with the minced garlic, chopped cilantro or parsley, and salt.

Notes

Watch the dough at the 5-minute mark in the mixer. It should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl by then, if it isn’t, work in a touch more flour or finish the last bit by hand.

The garlic butter topping is optional, but I brush it on while the naan is still warm from the pan, that’s when it soaks in best.

If the rolled rounds keep contracting back in on themselves, that’s the dough telling you it needs more rest. Don’t fight it, just give it more time before rolling again.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Dough not pulling away from the bowl at 5 minutes: add a little extra flour, or take it out and finish kneading by hand.
• Rolled dough keeps contracting: let it rest longer before rolling again, it just needs more time to relax.
• Judging the pan: a light smoke rising off the oil is your cue that the cast iron is ready.
• Topping timing: brush the garlic butter on while the naan is still warm, it soaks in far better than once they’ve cooled.

How to Store

To store: keep warm naan wrapped in a kitchen towel and eat what you’ll finish that day.

To freeze: let any extras cool completely, then freeze. Thaw on the counter when you’re ready for them.

Nutrition

Per naan, dough only, based on a 10-naan batch (does not include the optional garlic butter topping). Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.