Vegan Gluten-Free Naan

[unspeakablehorror]

I made this without the tapioca flour and while I think the texture might have turned out better with that ingredient, the flavor was excellent and the texture was still enjoyable for me.

I also pressed chopped garlic and cilantro leaves into one side of the naan dough  before cooking it, which I definitely enjoyed as an addition.

There are recipes without yeast but I used this one with yeast because I love the scent and flavor it adds to food.

​Vegan Gluten-Free Naan​​​

Ingredients US Customary - Metric

▢ 2 teaspoon active dry yeast (see recipe notes for yeast-free version)
▢ 1  cup water (lukewarm. You might no need all of it)
▢ 1 teaspoon sugar
▢ 2 ½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour
▢ 2 tablespoon tapioca flour
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ ½ cup vegan yogurt (you can use any kind, I used my homemade cultured cashew yogurt)
▢ ½ cup nondairy milk (lukewarm)
▢ 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (olive oil is fine)

Instructions

1. Place the yeast in a bowl with ½ cup warm water and sugar. Wait five minutes for it to become frothy and bloom.

2. Add the glutenfree flour and tapioca flour along with salt, vegan yogurt and nondairy milk.

3. Gently drizzle in the water (you might not need the whole cup) and knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook. You might not need all of the water or you might need a little more depending on where you are and the weather. You want the dough to be smooth-ish and pliable but not wet nor too dry.

4. Place the ball of dough in a large bowl and drizzle on the oil. Coat lightly, cover the bowl and place in a warm spot for 1 ½ hours or until it's visibly risen.

5. Remove the dough to a clean surface and knead lightly and briefly. Divide it into 12 portions. Roll each into a smooth ball. Keep the dough balls covered while you work.

6. Cover the rolling surface with a long stretch of cling wrap. Flour it lightly, then place the dough ball on it, fold over the cling wrap to cover the top, and then gently roll it into a small naan, about six inches by four inches and a quarter of an inch thick. If you find it difficult to transfer tha naans to the griddle you can make them even smaller.

7. Heat the griddle over high heat until it's screaming hot.

8. Carefully, using a thin, wide spatula, prise the naan off the surface and quickly transfer it to the griddle. Alternatively, you can gently flip the naan on your palm and then flip it on the griddle, but you need to be careful and not burn yourself. I wouldn't recommend you do this unless you are an experienced cook and used to hot griddles.

9. Let the gluten free naan bake until the top becomes opaque and bubbly, about 2 minutes. While it's baking, brush on some water on the top. Gluten-free doughs tend to be thirsty and this step, although optional, helps keep the naan from drying out.

    

   Check to see if the bottom has brown spots, then flip and let the other side cook another minute.

10. As soon as the naan comes off the grill, brush on some vegan butter or a mixture of melted butter or olive oil, garlic and herbs. To do this, place 4 tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a small skillet with a tablespoon of minced garlic and two tablespoons of cilantro. Heat on a low flame for 4-5 minutes until the garlic has infused the fat and is turning lightly golden.

11. Naan is best eaten hot. If you have leftovers, reheat them on a hot griddle.

       

Recipe notes

• To make the gluten free naan without yeast, mix 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda with the flours while making the dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then proceed with rolling and baking the naan.
• Make sure you roll the gf naan within the folds of cling wrap or parchment paper (I find cling wrap easier to work with). You don't have to flour the cling wrap, but if you find it easier to roll on a floured surface, flour it lightly. This will also make transferring the naan to the griddle easier.
• Adding xanthan gum will make your dough a little easier to work with. The flour I used already had some added to it, and I didn't add more, but if you're new to this you could add up to two teaspoons. Knead it in with the other flours.
• Gluten-free flours tend to be thirsty and dry out easily. To make sure your naan doesn't dry out, brush some water on the surface of the naan after placing it on the griddle.
• Brush on vegan butter or EVOO on the naan as soon as it comes off the griddle for best flavor.