This easy recipe for Sourdough Discard Naan is light and fluffy with a sourdough tang, and it's perfect for snacking with hummus or serving as a side dish! It's brushed with melted butter and garlic, and topped with fresh parsley, and full of flavor.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe is designed to be made with dairy-free yogurt (it will work with regular dairy yogurt as well), so it can easily be vegan or dairy-free.
- If you're looking for dairy-free recipes, you might also like my Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse and Dairy-Free Panna Cotta.
- You can easily modify this recipe to be made with active sourdough starter and no commercial yeast if you prefer.
- Sourdough Discard Naan is delicious to serve as an appetizer with hummus, dipped into a bowl of soup, or as a side dish with any meal.
- This naan smells absolutely amazing after it's brushed with melted butter and garlic!
- In a garlic bread mood? Try these Sourdough Discard Garlic Rolls, too!
Ingredients
You only need a few things to pull together this Sourdough Discard Naan.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature. This recipe is designed for a 1:1 sourdough discard (when you feed your starter it's with 1 part water and 1 part flour). If your starter has a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Non-dairy yogurt: Make sure to use a plain, unflavored yogurt. I use a non-dairy yogurt, but you could also use a regular dairy yogurt here.
See full recipe below for detailed instructions.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Naan
Once the dough is ready to cook, this process goes quickly, so make sure you're ready! The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Mix your dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Step 2: Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. This will be a fairly soft and sticky dough.
- Step 3: On a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 8-12 inch circle. It doesn't need to be perfect - the uneven edges are part of the charm!
- Step 4: Heat your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until searing. Drizzle with olive oil, and add your dough until puffy, bubbled and browning. Flip to brown the other side.
- Step 5: Transfer to a cooling rack or plate and brush with garlic butter, then sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve immediately while warm.
Expert Baking Tips
- Make sure to knead the dough long enough. The dough should be completely smooth and soft before the first rise.
- This will be a bit messy, so be ready for it! Cooking the naan in the cast iron will go quickly. You want to make sure the pan is piping hot, so it may even get a little smoky (mostly from excess flour on the naan). Turn down the heat if it seems to be burning your dough.
- This is also a great recipe to cook with a helper, so one person can handle the dough going into the pan, while the second person brushes the cooked naan with the garlic butter.
- You might also like these Sourdough Discard Tortillas!
- Embrace the irregularity! You don't need to try to shape or size the naan perfectly. The irregularity in shape is part of the charm!
- If you like a charmingly irregular bake, try this Sourdough Discard Garlic Pull Apart Bread.
- Brush the naan generously with the garlic butter. It's delicious!
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Sourdough Discard Naan is best eaten fresh and warm. With any leftovers, let them cool fully, then store them in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can heat them in the microwave, or eat them at room temperature.
Freezer Storage: Once the naan has fully cooled, place the naan in an airtight bag or container. You may want to put a piece of parchment paper between each piece so they don't get frozen together (if you intend to heat up one piece at a time). Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the naan thaw to room temperature, then reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make warm and soft again.
Recipe FAQs
You will be cooking this naan at a fairly high heat. Excess flour from the dough is likely to get in your pan and start to brown and burn a little bit, but that's ok! As long as your dough isn't burning, you're doing it correctly. If it does feel too hot or if you feel out of control at all, turn the heat down to medium. You can also add more olive oil to the pan if needed.
I wouldn't recommend it. The fresh parsley is an important element here. If you don't have any on hand, I'd omit the herbs all together.
Yes. To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active sourdough starter (200g). You will also need to increase the rise times for the recipe.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
If you tried this Sourdough Discard Naan or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Naan
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- ¼ cup non-dairy or regular dairy plain yogurt at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For topping
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- olive oil for the pan
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle with the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If your yeast does not foam, it is dead, and you will need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Add flour, sourdough discard, yogurt and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium and knead until a loose but smooth dough forms, about 4-5 minutes. Add more water or flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
- Grease a large bowl, then transfer the dough to this bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the garlic and sautée 2-3 minutes until fragrant and just starting to brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a roughly 8-12 inch circle.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle with 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add a rolled piece of dough and cook until fluffy, bubbly, and browning. Flip to brown the other side, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, adding more olive oil to the pan if necessary.
- While warm, brush each piece of naan with melted garlic butter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Kc says
My favorite discard recipe so far - great with takeout or homemade Indian food, hot and super buttery without anything else, or with Brie/ cheeses. I want to try making little pizzas with this base, too!
Jessica Vogl says
I love hearing that! Thank you so much!
Jessica Vogl says
So soft and delicious and honestly easy to make! We love these!