The VERY BEST Gluten & Dairy Free Naan
I have been recipe developing trying to push the limits of gluten free baking for 12 years now. In that period of time I have attempted naan SO MANY TIMES. Prior to this batch the best version was a grain free recipe that I created for my cookbook Every Last Crumb. This recipe however is on a completely different level of its own. This is naan..point blank. I would feed it to ANY gluten eater and they would have no clue I handed them a gluten free version. It’s truly unbelievable!!! You will lose your minds when you taste it, I PROMISE!
Once you try this recipe you will never make it any other way….and you may find yourself making it often. This is as good as it gets!
It is SOFT and so fluffy. It nearly triples in size when you cook it in the skillet. Watching the air bubbles show up while cooking it is so exciting and that flip after you cook the second side is SO SATISFYING.
But the best part?? I think that’s when you try it an hour later and even though its cooled down its still really soft. I cant believe I pulled this off to be honest with you. This recipe is what my dreams are made of!
If you would like to made it as a garlic naan as I did here for the pictures. Just cook some butter (regular or dairy free) with fresh minced garlic and take it off the heat and pour it into a small bowl just as it starts to turn golden brown. Brush the butter and garlic on hot naan!
IF you need to make the naan Egg Free- My guess is that this recipe should be pretty forgiving of egg replacers as it doesn’t need to rise of ton and it only requires 2 egg whites. Feel Free to experiment- I think the results will be good!
Ingredients (Some of these are affiliate links that earn me a few cents if you shop using them! :)
Better Batter Gluten Free Orginal Blend
This flour blend continues to amaze me. It can do so many things better than most other blends that I have tried. As a result its extremely popular. Around the holidays it tends to sell out everywhere and so they are in the process of restocking right now. Usually its available on Amazon and at Walmart. Lately I have been ordering it from the Better Batter website directly. When they sell out- they tend to restock pretty quickly. Check back within a day or two if they are sold out when you look. I buy it in bulk now (20 lbs at a time) as I cant risk running out. I use it in too many recipes that we love.
What if you cant get your hands on it? This may be the case if you live outside the US. My friend Nichole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring has figured out a mock recipe for better batter. Her version should work great in this recipe! The owner (Naomi) of better batter has confirmed that the mix is similar to the official version.
Expandex
This bread is truly only possible because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.
Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.
Superfine Rice Flour (Brown or White) Do not make the assumption that a flour is superfine unless it is labeled as so. The grind of a flour makes a HUGE difference in how a recipe turns out and how much moisture is absorbed My favorite brand of superfine flour is and has always been from authentic foods. You can order that here: https://amzn.to/3r4zQA4 . While bobs red mill flours are better ground than they used to be- I still do not put them in the superfine category.
Yeast: Any brand will do. Just make sure that its fast acting or listed as instant.This is the brand I typically use.
Xanthan gum: I recently read somewhere that all brands of xanthan don’t work the same. I didn’t know this as I have always just purchased bobs. So- I would stick with bobs for this recipe and all of my recipes.
Oil- Any mild flavored oil will work great. Avocado oil. Vegetable oil or even olive oil.
Milk - While I think that most dairy free unsweetened milks will work just fine, the only thing I tested was oat milk so far.
Sugar- REAL Sugar is important. Its what feeds the yeast and makes this bread possible. I do not recommend swapping in a liquid sweetener as that could throw off the recipe. Please don’t use any keto sugars or even coconut palm sugar. It may not work as well.
Dairy Free Yogurt: For this recipe I opted for forager unsweetened yogurt. I picked this one as texture wise I think its really close to regular yogurt. Im guessing other brands will work ok too- kite hill may need to be thinned out/watered down a tiny bit. You can of course use regular plain yogurt as well if dairy is not an issue.
I am SO excited for you guys to try this recipe!!! Please leave a comment letting me know what you think.