If you joined me for my Indian Cooking class a few years ago, you would remember my failed nann bread recipe. I’ve been trying for years, with no success, to make the perfect naan. I’d say I have thrown away more than I have eaten. This last month, I decided to search the net for interesting gluten-free recipes and test them out. One of my favorite Bloggers, Necole, inspired me on her site, Gluten-Free On A Shoestring. Nicole has the best website for finding the right recipe for the perfect moment. Her bread recipes are amazing.
I decided to experiment with her recipe for naan, and boy, I was not disappointed. I made a few changes due to my diet needs, and they came out amazing. Nicole was very adamant in her comments to those who tried to make the naan with other flours and indicated this recipe needed flour that contained rice flour. I didn’t have any one-to-one gluten-free flour, but I did have a bag of Caputo Pizza Flour (you can get this on Amazon). So I used this instead, and according to the label, it had xanthan gum, which is also necessary in this recipe. Here is my slightly altered version and how the recipe came out!
Here are a few pointers: Make sure you…
- Be sure to prep. Lay out everything you will need on the counter. It will make this go fast!
- Check to see if the gluten-free flour has rice flour in it.
- Use the xanthan gum ONLY if it’s not in the flour.
- Cool the butter or the eggs will scramble.
- If using Lemon juice rather than cream of tartar, add it to the wet ingredients.
- For proofing, use a tub with a secure lid. The tub should be twice the size of the dough.
- Place a dish under the tub as it rises like crazy.
- Be sure to roll each piece to half an inch or slightly less. I made my first 3 too thick, but no worries. I sliced them in half and made a gluten-free egg breakfast sandwich the next morning, which was amazing.
- Make sure you heat the skillet before dropping in your naan to cook.
- To keep the cooked naan pieces warm and soft, wrap them in a tea towel or place them in a thermal tortilla warmer with a lid.
- I made them all and froze them. They heat up nicely in the toaster or a quick zap in the microwave.
- This dough is great for pizza as well!
Naan bread
Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup full-fat plain yogurt
- 3 Tbs of melted butter or ghee, cooled
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup warm water
- Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups of Caputo Pizza Flour or one-to-one gluten-free flour
- 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (only if your flour does not contain it)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1/2 lemon juice
- 4 tsp monk fruit sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- Ghee or Avocado oil (for frying)
- Topping:
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 1 tsp of fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1/2 tsp of fresh diced garlic
Directions
- Step 1 Wet Ingredients:
- Step 2 In a standing mixer, add the yogurt, cooled butter or ghee, egg, egg white, and water, and mix on low while you mix the dry ingredients.
- Step 3 Dry Ingredients:
- Step 4 In a medium bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum (if your flour doesn’t have it), salt, cream of tartar or lemon juice, monk fruit sugar, and yeast. Mix with a fork until combined.
- Step 5 Turn your mixer to medium speed and mix for 2 or 3 more minutes. Then, slowly add the dry mixture to the bowl. It will become fluffy and sticky, but hold on—it will all work out, I promise. Turn the mixer off, use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, and give it another mix for a minute or so.
- Step 6 Use the spatula to scoop the dough into a tub greased with avocado, olive, or ghee. Make sure the lid snaps closed. I used a large plastic yogurt container.
- Step 7 Leave the tub in a draft-free location with the lid secured for an hour or until the lid pops off, which mine did and went everywhere. If you plan to make them the next day, you can put the dough in the fridge with the lid securely closed. It will rise in the refrigerator and can be used directly.
- Step 8 Once the dough has risen to twice its size, sprinkle a surface with some flour and tip the tub over the floured surface. The dough will slide out. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball with floured hands and then cover with baking paper. Use a rolling pin and roll them out one at a time to about 1/2 inch thick or slightly less.
- Step 9 Add 2 tablespoons of ghee or avocado oil to a cast iron or heavy skillet and heat on medium. Once warmed, place the portions in the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles appear. Flip and cook on the other side. You might have to flip them a few times to brown them. Repeat with each portion. Be sure to wrap them in a tea towel when you remove them from the skillet.
- Step 10 Topping:
- Step 11 Mix the melted ghee or butter and the parsley/cilantro and garlic. Before serving, use a baking brush to spread the topping over the warm naan. I like to store leftovers without the topping.
I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.