Quick and Easy Gluten Free Naan Bread

Hooray, gluten free naan are here! No more will you need to miss out on curry night, or have to make do with a rubbish shop bought ones (let's face it, none of them are very good).

These homemade gluten free naan are the perfect mix of soft bread and a bit of chewiness. They are also freezer-friendly, so can be made ahead of time.

My recipe uses gluten free plain flour, dried active yeast, caster sugar, water, olive oil, plain yoghurt and tapioca starch (sometimes called tapioca flour). If you do not have tapioca you can buy it on Amazon or find it in health food shops, and even Ocado sell it.

However, if you want a simple flour-yoghurt recipe instead then try my gluten free flatbread recipe. The naans in this dedicated recipe are waaaay better (yeast makes all the difference to the lightness and the tapioca gives them some stretch), but the flatbread are a very quick alternative.

As for my gluten free naan bread, I really am loving this recipe! The dough is lovely and soft to work with, meaning you can get the naan really thin (ideal for curry scooping) or keep them thick and fluffy if you prefer to dip.

They take an hour to rise, but only a few minutes to cook, hence not too time consuming to make either.

If you prefer a sweet naan, then you will love my Peshwari Naan recipe too – it's based on this same dough, but features a sweet almond/coconut/sultana filling.

Or for an epic brunch, try my Dishoom-Style Bacon Naan. Sooooo gooooood!

How to Freeze and Reheat These Gluten Free Naan

As I mentioned in the intro, my gluten free naan are freezer-friendly. Simply place in an airtight container or wrap up in cling film, then freeze. When you want to use them, 1-2 minutes in the microwave will defrost and refresh them perfectly.

Can I Make a Dairy Free Version?

Yes easily. Instead of the plain yoghurt use coconut yoghurt or another plain dairy free yoghurt in its place. I used the Alpro Greek Style yoghurt – I simply found I had to add an extra tbsp or so of flour, to ensure the dough wasn't sticky. Then flour the surface well during nann shaping.

Then for the final gloss of butter at the end either skip this or use a dairy free spread.

Serving Suggestions

Naan bread are the perfect partner for Indian-style curries. Try my Indian-style chicken curry or my paneer and green lentil curry – both are delicious with these naan.

Gluten Free Naan Bread Recipe (Makes 4 Naan Bread)

Time for the recipe! If you enjoy making my naan bread, I would be really grateful if you could review the recipe on the card below.

You'll find a full method below along with lots of pictures to help you as you work through the recipe. Feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have –laura@mygfguide.com – or DM me on social media@myglutenfreeguide. Ooh, also send photos of your creations please!

Enjoy! Laura xxx

Yield: Makes 4 Naan bread

Brilliant Gluten Free Naan Bread

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp caster sugar
120ml warm water
8g dry active yeast
240g gluten free plain flour (I use FREEE by Doves Farm)
60g tapioca starch/flour
1 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp olive oil
100ml plain yoghurt (Greek or natural)
20g salted butter

Instructions

Combine the warm water, caster sugar and dried active yeast together in a measuring jug, give everything a good stir and then leave the yeast to activate for 10-15 minutes (no stirring during this time). When a thick layer of foam has formed on top of the liquid (see image below), the yeast has been activated and you can move onto the next stage.
Add the tapioca starch, plain gluten free flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir really well to fully combine the flours. Now add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and stir through.
Next add the yoghurt to the flour mixture and then pour the contents of the jug (foam and liquid) into the bowl. Mix everything with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to knead the dough for a minute to get it nice and smooth. It should form into a ball of soft dough, slightly sticky but that comes away from your hands.
Place a clean tea towel or cloth over the top of the bowl and set aside to allow it to rise. This will take about an hour, depending on how warm the room is, so pop it in a nice warm place if you want to get a quick rise. Once the dough has doubled in size it is ready to use.
Use a knife to divide the dough (still in the bowl) into four sections. It is a soft dough so will not cut perfectly and will be a bit sticky, but this is how it should be.
Take a silicone baking mat or large piece of greaseproof baking paper and place on your worktop. Flour the mat/baking paper well with extra gluten free flour and keep a little excess flour to the side. Set a frying pan over a medium-high heat (no oil) and allow to heat while you are shaping the first naan.
Flour your hands, then use a spatula to scoop out a quarter of the dough into your hands. Form into a soft ball, flouring it well, then place onto the floured mat. Using enough flour to ensure it does not stick to the mat, gently pat it into a tear drop or circular shape, still quick thick (about 2cm) so you can handle it without it breaking.
Transfer the dough to the hot pan and use your hands (take off the heat momentarily if needed) to quickly press the dough thinner into a large naan shape (1cm-0.5cm thick depending how you like your naan).
Keep the heat medium-high and cook for 2-3 minutes, during which time you will see the bubbles forming in the dough. Flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side. It should be nicely browned and cooked through, but give it an extra minute on each side to brown it if needed. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Melt the butter in the microwave (20 seconds) and then use a pastry brush to brush a little butter all over the top of the hot naan. Doesn't it look yummy!
Repeat steps 7-10 with the remaining portions of dough, then either serve immediately or allow to cool and freeze for later use.