Gluten Free Naan Recipe
Make the best gluten-free naan right at home with this tested recipe—pillowy soft with a light, fluffy crumb. See the blog post above for the best toppings and filling options, and the recipe card notes below for overnight Instructions and the best gluten free blend to use.
Servings 6 naan
Calories 114kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup (110ml) Warmed Water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 1 and ½ teaspoon (6 grams) White Sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon (3grams) Instant Yeast
- ¼ cup (50 grams) Plain or Greek Yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 and ½ cups (180 grams) Gluten-free Bread Flour, plus as needed
- 1 Tbsp (14 grams) Olive Oil, extra virgin
- Toppings: 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley + ¼ cup melted salted butter or ghee
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk together the warm water, sugar, salt, yeast, and yogurt in a large mixing bowl until uniform. Add the gluten-free flour and combine for 3 minutes with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until fully incorporated. The dough looks crumbly and shaggy. *If you own a stand mixer, attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and combine the ingredients on low speed for 3 minutes. It will save your arm muscles.
- Knead the dough: Transfer the dough onto a lightly gluten-free floured work surface, then add the olive oil. Knead the dough for a full 5 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be very soft and cohesive, but it shouldn't stick to your finger. If the dough seems too dry to knead by hand, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it is moist enough to hold its shape well. Do not add more water than you need because you do not want overly wet or sticky dough.
- Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Turn the dough to coat all sides in the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent the dough from drying out. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1–1.5 hours or until about double in size.
- Shape & Bake: When the dough is ready, sprinkle your work surface with a little Gf flour and place the dough on top. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (Just eyeball it—they don't need to be perfect!), or for more accuracy, use a scale to ensure each piece weighs approximately 63 grams. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. A bench scraper makes cutting and shaping gluten-free dough much easier. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap for 5-10 minutes to rest. This rest period makes the dough easier to roll out.
- Stir the chopped parsley into the melted butter in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pre-heat a square or round nonstick pan or cast iron skillet over high heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles vigorously and evaporates immediately on its surface.
- Lightly flour your work surface, hands, and rolling pin with gluten-free flour. Roll each ball out into an oval shape, about 5x6 inches (12x15 cm) and under 1/4 inch ( 5mm) thick. Immediately place the rolled gluten-free naan dough onto the hot pan or skillet. Bake for about 1 minute, or until it starts bubbling on the surface and you see dark brown spots underneath. Use a slotted turner, flip the naan over and bake for another 1 minute, or until your gluten free naan is golden brown and puffs up. Once baked, immediately brush the naan with the prepared parsley butter mixture using a pastry brush. Transfer the naan to a plate or platter lined with a clean kitchen towel to keep them soft and pliable.
- Repeat the process with the remaining gluten-free naan dough. For best results, clean your pan or skillet with a paper towel between each piece to remove any burnt butter or residue. Keep an eye on how they're baking and adjust the heat as needed. If your naan are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly. If they are taking too long to brown and not puffing up, increase the heat slightly.
Notes
The temperature when I made this recipe: 75.2 Fahrenheit (24 Celsius).
Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: Prepare the dough through step 2. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to 16 hours. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to reach room temperature before continuing with step 4.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale & Liquid Measuring Cup / Measuring Cups & Spoons | Steel or Glass Mixing Bowl with a Silicon Spatula or wooden spoon / Stand Mixer | Bench Scraper | Rolling Pin | Square Nonstick Pan / Round Nonstick Pan / Cast Iron Skillet | Pastry Brush.
Flour: For the best result, I recommend King Arthur gluten-free bread flour in this recipe. The same amount of Caputo gluten-free flour and gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour of Bob's Red Mill works too, and the naan will still be wonderfully soft and fluffy. Note that standard all-purpose gluten-free flour blends will not work for this recipe.
Yeast: You can use active dry or instant dry yeast without any change to the preparation method. Keep in mind, Active dry yeast takes slightly longer to rise.
Naan varieties: check out the blog article above to discover the different toppings and fillings possible. Note that the addition of toppings differs depending on the variety, but fillings are added in step 7.
Double Batch: To prepare a double batch, you simply need to double every ingredient listed in the recipe card. All the instructions for mixing, kneading, rising, rolling, and baking the naan will remain exactly the same. The only difference you'll notice is that the preparation time and baking time will be longer as you'll be handling twice the amount of dough.
