Description
This gluten-free vegan sourdough naan bread recipe is great to make when you want fresh bread and don’t want to wait. As an alternative, you can leave out the GF baking powder and let the dough rest for a few hours or overnight.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fed (active) GF sourdough starter (265g)*
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour (60g)
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch (30g)
- 1/4 cup potato starch (36g)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (36g)
- 1 tablespoon GF baking powder**
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup homemade GF oat milk***(58g)
Instructions
Step 1:
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Then you have 3 options to choose from, the first option is the quick method. **NOTE: You can omit the GF baking powder if you choose to continue with option 2 or 3.
- Option 1: Cover your bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then proceed to Step 2.
- Option 2: Cover your bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2-6 hours (until it fluffs up and ferments a bit). Then proceed to Step 2.
- Option 3: Cover your bowl and rest/ferment the dough in the refrigerator overnight. Then proceed to Step 2.
Step 2:
Preheat a large cast-iron skillet on medium heat. You can grease the skillet with a little olive or coconut oil if it’s too dry, it needs to be well seasoned. Or if you decide to bake the naan in the oven you can preheat your oven to 450° F along with a baking stone or steel.
Step 3:
Divide the dough into four. Depending on the ingredients you used and the brands you worked with, the texture of your dough could vary. If you can roll each quarter with you your hands do so. If your mixture is too soft/wet, that’s ok. Transfer one-quarter of the dough onto a piece of unbleached parchment paper. You can use your fingers or a soft spatula to help flatten and shape your dough to an ovalish naan shape.
Step 4:
To bake the dough in the skillet, you will flip a piece of dough with the parchment paper onto the hot skillet. Leave the parchment paper until it’s easy to peel off (see process photos in post). Bake each side for a few minutes, until golden spots appear.
If baking the naan in the oven you can simply leave the dough on top of the parchment paper and bake for 5 minutes, then remove the parchment paper and place the naan directly onto the baking stone or steel for an additional 5 minutes or until baked to your preference.
Step 5:
Once ready, place each naan on a wire rack until all four are ready. Or wrap them in a clean tea towel to keep them warm until ready to serve. These are best fresh and warm. Enjoy!
Notes
If you don’t eat all the naan fresh, you can store the bread in a sealed bag on the counter at room temperature for a day or two. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing them is a great option. Leftover naan bread makes fantastic pizza crust(s). You can also make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a couple of days until ready to bake. I’ve actually never tried to freeze fresh GF dough so I have no clue if it works well.
*GF brown rice or sorghum flour starter. Feed your starter and once it gets active and bubbly, use it in this naan bread recipe.
**GF baking powder ingredients: Cream of tartar, baking soda, tapioca starch.
***You can use any other type of homemade plant milk (rice, oat, almond, soy). Homemade plant milk is best because it’s basically the seed, grain or nut with water. No fillers, preservatives or gums.
SUBSTITUTIONS (Please note I haven’t tried all these alternatives)
Sub GF brown rice flour with sorghum flour.
Sub arrowroot starch with tapioca starch.
Sub potato starch with arrowroot, tapioca starch, cassava flour, or GF oat flour.
You can omit the GF baking powder if you rest your dough for longer. See recipe for details.
Sub GF oat milk with hemp, rice, soy, or nut milk if not allergic.
Sub olive oil with vegan butter. You could also experiment with vegan yogurt.