This gluten free naan is soft and flexible, perfect for soaking up sauce or dhal or wrapped around your favorite sandwich filling. To learn more about the different styles of Indian breads and about the diverse cuisines of India, we encourage you to seek out Indian and Indian-American chefs and food writers like Madhur Jaffrey, Sanjeev Kapoor, Priya Krishna and Padma Lakshmi.
Dissolve honey or sugar with 1 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for 5 minutes while the yeast activates.
Add yogurt, flour, salt and baking powder to the yeast mixture and mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. This is a soft and somewhat sticky dough, but add more water or flour as needed if dough is not the right consistency.
If you are using an electric mixer, knead for about 4 minutes on medium speed with the dough hook attachment.
Place dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, 1–1 ½ hours.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces, or use a large cookie scoop to scoop out about ½ cup dough. Gently shape each piece into a ball, then lightly press with your hands into a circle about ¼ inch thick, you can also use a rolling pin to roll the dough, but we find this works best using your hands. Heat a skillet over medium heat and oil lightly.
Gently place the flattened dough into the heated skillet. Cook about 1 minute until the dough easily comes loose from the pan and is lightly browned. Flip and cook an additional 30–60 seconds, or until the second side begins to brown.
Remove from heat immediately and brush with melted dairy free butter or oil, if desired.
Garlic Naan Variation
For garlic naan, rough chop 2 Tbsp garlic and sauté until soft in ¼ melted dairy free butter or oil over low heat, about 10 minutes. Brush over the top of the cooked naan after removing from heat. A sprinkle of minced herbs like parsley and cilantro are nice additions.
