Sourdough Naan Bread

Lemonkerdz was once a baker by profession. Now she enjoys baking at home for family and friends.

The Naan Bread of Family Memories

Our family has lots of fond memories, and many special ones were made when we got together and headed to Bradford in England to an Indian restaurant called Akbar's. There we would sit a long family table piled with steaming dishes of curry, pakoras, poppadoms cold beers and . . . naan bread.

The arrival of the naan bread was the long-awaited moment. It almost deserved a drum roll, cries of "the naan bread is here!!" Why? Because it was so big you could mistake it for a queen-size duvet. As gorgeous as it was we could never finish it—no matter how hungry we all were.

This recipe does not recreate that duvet cover, nobody ever should, but it does make the most beautiful light fluffy naan bread that is so moreish you can't just eat one. Even if you don't like curry, these breads can be used as a nice starter or snack to dip into mint yogurt or a zingy mango chutney.

Please enjoy.

Ingredients

• 350 grams plain flour
• 150 grams plain yogurt
• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 100 grams tepid water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lovage seeds

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine with a spatula. Don’t knead it like a normal bread so as not to overwork the dough. Leave to rest for 3 hours at room temperature, covered loosely with a cloth. The dough will show signs of rising and should be pillowy soft if you prod it with your finger. (At this point you can go to step 2. But I recommend transferring your covered dough into the refrigerator overnight for a long slow fermentation. This way you get all the benefits of a sourdough process, easier to digest and even more delicious.)
2. Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If you have taken it straight from the refrigerator, cover and leave to come up to room temperature (this will take 30-60 minutes).
3. Using a dough scraper divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each segment into a ball and leave to rest for 15 minutes (resting time between steps allows you to shape the breads more easily).
4. To form the naan bread: Use your palm to flatten each ball. With your fingers gently stretch out the dough into an oval shape. Alternatively use a rolling pin to gently roll out to the desired shape. Don’t press too hard as you will lose that pillowy light texture of the dough.
5. To bake: I use a cast iron chapati pan. Most people don't have one of these, so choose a frying pan with a heavy base. To stop the first bread from sticking, lightly oil your pan on a medium to low heat with butter. (After the first one the other breads should not stick so there is no need to add more butter.) Place your first bread on until it puffs up. If you lift it, the underneath should have a light brown toasted colour (not black and charred). Flip the bread over on the other side for about 2 minutes until it has a couple of charred points. Repeat the above with each bread.
6. When ready to serve, brush the top side of each bread with a little melted butter.

Photo Guide

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• Sourdough Crumpet Recipe
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