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Sourdough Discard Naan

Soft, blistered sourdough discard naan cooked on a dry griddle and brushed with garlic-cumin butter.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising & Proofing 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 naan
Course: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 110 g warm water a scant ½ cup, 100°F (38°C)
  • 6 g instant yeast about 2 tsp
  • 150 g sourdough discard about ½ cup + 2 tbsp — unfed, straight from the fridge is fine
  • 150 g plain Greek yogurt about ⅔ cup — full-fat if you have it
  • 35 g olive oil about 2½ Tbsp
  • 12 g fine salt about 2 tsp
  • 500 g bread flour about 4 cups + 2 tbsp, spooned and leveled
Garlic-Cumin Butter
  • 60 g butter 4 Tbsp
  • 3 garlic cloves finely grated
  • 1 tsp ground cumin or 1½ tsp whole cumin seeds, lightly crushed

Equipment

  • Stand mixer The dough is kneaded 5–7 minutes — a mixer does it hands-free.
  • Digital kitchen scale We bake by weight; 80 g dough balls give evenly sized naan.
  • Rolling Pin Needed to get the ovals down to 2–3 mm.
  • Cast iron griddle or heavy skillet Cooked dry, no oil — you need a surface that holds high heat. We use a Norwegian takke; a heavy skillet does the same job.
  • Bench scraper Divides the dough cleanly into 12.
  • Pastry brush For the garlic-cumin butter, brushed on while the naan is still hot.

Method
 

  1. Wake the yeast. Add the warm water (100°F / 38°C) and instant yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for a minute or two, until the yeast starts to bubble and clump up slightly.
  2. Add the wet ingredients. Add the sourdough discard, Greek yogurt, olive oil and salt
  3. Add the flour and knead. With the dough hook on low, add the flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should feel tacky but not overly sticky. Knead for 5–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and cohesive.
  4. First rise. Transfer the dough to a container, cover, and set it somewhere warm to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled.
  5. Divide and proof. Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into 12 equal pieces, about 80 g each. Roll each piece into a tight ball, set them on a baking sheet, cover with a kitchen towel and proof for 20–30 minutes.
  6. Make the garlic-cumin butter. Melt the butter in a small pan with the grated garlic and cumin. Warm it gently for a minute — you want the garlic softened, not browned. Set aside.
  7. Roll out. Roll each ball into an oval, 2–3 mm thick. The dough is enriched enough that you shouldn't need any flour on the counter. Keep the rolled ovals covered while you work through the rest.
  8. Cook dry. Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. No oil. Cook one naan at a time for 1–2 minutes, until it puffs, bubbles across the surface and the underside is spotted deep brown. Flip and cook 1 minute more.
  9. Butter and keep warm. Stack the cooked naan on a sheet of foil and brush generously with the garlic-cumin butter while still hot. Fold the foil over to keep them soft and steamy until serving.

Notes

Chef's tip: cook them dry and cook them hot. A dry, properly heated surface is what gives you those big blistered spots — oil just fries the surface before the dough has a chance to puff.
  • Discard straight from the fridge. The yeast does the lifting, so unfed, sluggish discard is fine. If it smells sour and pleasant, use it.
  • Storing: stack them, wrap in foil and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat for 20 seconds in a dry pan. They also freeze well — layer with parchment and freeze flat.