Based on your interests, info that some of you have sent me and my quest to come up with a gluten-free Naan recipe that is close to the original, I tried quite a few combinations of gluten-free flours. My goal was to come up with a gluten-free naan recipe that was soft, fluffy, chewy and of course, tasty. Since there was lot of experimentation in store for me, I had to find a gluten-free store in Seattle that sold the flours in bulk. For people who live in Seattle, the store is located in Mountlake and is called Manna Mills. It is a fascinating store as it has al kinds of gluten-free flours available in bulk and also they have ready made gluten-free products. Few weeks ago, got all kinds of gluten-free flours that I didn’t know existed – Quinoa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Oat, Rice, Brown Rice, Garfava, Potato Starch Flour (different from Potato Flour), Tapioca flour and numerous others.
After researching and reading about the flours and their properties, over the last weeks, countless pounds of various flour combinations were used and thrown out. It totally humbled me to know that this was an area I had very little knowledge of and is not as easy to just make things out of them. Especially, if trying to make the gluten-free version of gluten-based product like naan. But since lot of you were interested in my results and also my own daughter telling me to come up with a gluten-free naan, helped me keep going and was determined to come up with the naan recipe.
Finally, made a couple of combinations this weekend and made two types of naans and am happy to say that it worked since the kids (my daughter and my friend’s kids) loved them! That was surprising to me. I can never understand what kids might or might not like. Both the flour combinations came out quite good as after an hour, it rose and it was soft and pliable to handle. The only mistake I did was to roll it out too thin between two parchment papers and so when it did come out of the oven, it was a bit too thin and not fluffy. I tried it again by patting it between my hands and this time it came out soft and chewy. The key thing is not to press too hard. Be gentle when handling the flour otherwise it breaks easily.
The picture below shows how the Naans looked when I rolled the dough between parchment paper. They came out too thin. Instead of rolling them, make sure to pat them with your hands.
Please make the naans and let me know how it comes out for you. I would be interested in knowing about it.
Gluten-Free Naan
Make sure to liberally use rice flour to shape the naan either on the wooden board or kitchen counter or in between your hands. Eat it with Dum Aloo or any other curry or just as is after spreading some butter on the naan.
If you are looking for the regular Naan recipe, please see here
Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole milk
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup garfava flour (OR buckwheat flour)
(garbanzo bean/fava bean flour)
1/2 cup potato starch
(make sure to get potato starch and not potato flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xantham gum
2 tablespoon oil or butter
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Directions:
Warm the milk to 110°F (approximately 30 seconds in a microwave). Add the yeast and sugar and stir well and let sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast rises.
In a bowl, combine all the flours, xantham gum and salt. Then add the butter or oil and yogurt and knead the dough well. Once the yeast has risen, stir well and add it to the dough and knead lightly. The dough will be a little sticky. In a separate bowl, oil the bowl and then add the dough to the bowl. Let it sit in a warm place for an hour.
Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 400°F.
When ready, knead the dough lightly and divide it into 4 balls. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hands lightly on a wooden board or kitchen counter. Make sure to sprinkle with rice flour while flattening the balls. Keep adding more rice flour to avoid the flour sticking. Once flattened, it should be on the thicker side. On an overturned baking pan, add all the four naans adjacent to each other. Place in oven and cook for approximately 18 minutes. Check the naan after 15 minutes or so.
Take out of the oven, spread some butter or ghee on the naan. Eat it warm with potato curry or with spicy indian pickles or just as is.
Makes about 4 naans.
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WOW! I hope to try these!
Testing comment
I do intend to make these with some substitutions when I get some money again and time. IF I remember, I’ll come back here and post my results, and a link to my version of the recipe. I’m going to attempt a corn free alternative because I know there is some Corn Free people with Celiac. And, I’m technically suppose to be dairy free and gluten free.
Many thanks for posting this!
Please do post a variation of your recipe. Also, I met the owner (I think she was the owner) of a gluten-free bakery in Fremont called Flying Apron and she has gluten allergy. While talking to her, she said she had visited India a few years ago and ate wheat products and she did not get an allergic reaction. She and I found that interesting and again it could be genetic modifications done to wheat several years ago in the US that could be causing an explosion of gluten allergies in the US.
I have Celiac which is different from Gluten Allergy. Gluten Allergy causes the same reactions as one would get from eating Dairy, Nuts, or other food allergies. Celiac, on the other hand, is where the gluten attacks the intestine and drills holes in it. Epi-pen won’t stop this. With a allergy to gluten, the Epi-pen does help. I’m assuming that the Indian Wheat doesn’t contain the same Protein DNA as American Wheat (which doesn’t surprise me at all!)
I am well aware of what USA did to food, in the name of ‘science’. We are told we have non-gmo foods except where labeled. However, when we made varieties of the basic natural form of a particular food, is that GMO then? I’d say so, which means that many, if not most of the vegetables are GMO. But, you can buy Heritage seeds, which are non-GMO versions of the foods. I’d be interested to find out if I react to heritage celery like I do non-heritage celery, using Organic of course. (celery isn’t anaphylactic yet, but I’d try Carrot too, to see if I still get the gut ache.) Some day.
By the way, I used to get my Cinnamon from Indian Grocery stores, and still reacted. I also react to Peacock/Fenugreek from Indian stores. But love Curry leaves.
And yes, I starred the email so I remember to post the recipe here when I make it. I’m aiming for Feb. 15th as I’ll have the time then too.
Finally, a link to my versions of the Naan. These are all Yogurt free.
Free of: Corn, Dairy, Gluten, Garlic, Nightshades, Onion, Peanuts and Tree nuts, and is Vegetarian. Egg free option.
http://www.allergicvegetarian.com/recipe/vegetarian/bakery/breads/indian/gf-spiced-naan.html
Additionally, free of Legume and Cereal.
http://www.allergicvegetarian.com/recipe/vegetarian/bakery/breads/indian/lf-spiced-naan.html
Vegan versions of the above:
http://www.allergicvegetarian.com/recipe/vegan/bakery/breads/indian/vgf-spiced-naan.html
and, the Legume/Cereal free version.
http://www.allergicvegetarian.com/recipe/vegan/bakery/breads/indian/vlf-spiced-naan.html
Sorry it took so long, but I really wasn’t going to post anything until I got it where I like the results.
Thanks for the links. I have to try them out sometime.
Sanjay
This is great, Sanjay! You’re the best!