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Sourdough Naan

Sourdough Naan

Soft, pillowy sourdough naan made rich with Greek yogurt, cooked in a hot cast iron pan and finished with garlic butter.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Rest / Ferment Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 4 minutes
Servings: 10 naan
Course: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 270

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

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.