Gluten Free Naan Recipe

gluten free naan in striped towel with pastry brush

4.98 from 321 votes

This gluten free naan is made extra soft and tender with yogurt and butter or ghee. Make the dough ahead, fry it in minutes!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Rising time45

Total Time1 25

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: butter, ghee, gluten free flour, gluten free naan, gluten free naan bread, yeast, yogurt

Servings: pieces

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Rolling Pin traditional, or small pastry roller

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes), plus more for sprinkling
2 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
⅓ cup plain yogurt at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter or ghee melted and cooled
1 egg at room temperature, beaten
1 egg white at room temperature
¾ cup warm water about (95°F)
Ghee or virgin coconut oil for frying

Customary - Metric

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, salt, cream of tartar, and sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the yeast and whisk again to combine.
Add the yogurt, butter or ghee, egg with egg white, and the water, and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until just combined. Once the water has been absorbed, turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for about 3 minutes.
The dough will most likely be quite fluffy but will come together and thicken, but it will not turn into a fully integrated ball of dough on its own.
Turn off the mixer, scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and gently press it into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bucket with a lid (or a bowl with a lid or one you can cover very tightly), and cover tightly.
If you plan to make naan the same day, place the dough in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until it is nearly doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes to make the dough easier to handle.
Alternatively, place the well-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and work with the dough straight from the refrigerator.
Once the dough has finished rising, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle lightly with more flour.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces. You can also just scoop out or pull off a few pieces, each a bit less than 100 grams in weight.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, flour it generously and shape it into a smooth round on a floured surface by moving your palm in a circular motion on a floured surface.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an elongated oval about 3-inches by 5-inches (and about 3/8-inch thick). If the dough tears easily and seems fragile, gather it together again, work in some more flour, and roll it again.
While you’re shaping the dough, place about 1 tablespoon of ghee or virgin coconut oil in a cast iron skillet, and melt over medium heat. You can also use a nonstick skillet, but heat to medium-low.
Lift the first piece of shaped dough up and place in the center of the heated skillet. Fry on one side until large blisters begin to form (about 30 seconds).
Flip and fry until the underside is golden brown and beginning to blister. Flip the bread again and cook until browned all over, about another 45 seconds.
Remove to a paper towel or tea towel, and cover the dough to retain the heat and moisture.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, adding more fat to the skillet as necessary. Stack the pieces of naan one on top of another, keeping them covered with a tea towel to maintain freshness. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Flour blends.

My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend (with added xanthan gum). Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour should also work, but add an additional 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients or the dough won't hold together properly.

Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn't seem to work as well as it has in the past, so I don't recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.

You may also be able to make this bread using Caputo Fioreglut flour or King Arthur Flour gluten free bread flour, but both will absorb a lot more moisture and will make bread that is less tender. The dough should be quite easy to handle.

Nutrition