Easy Homemade Naan Bread

I find it very hard to enjoy an Indian dinner without Naan bread to accompany my meal! I'm quite a fan of curries and make these quite often (recipe to follow soon).


When I was first diagnosed as a coeliac, I was very disappointed about not being able to have Naan bread anymore, so much so that I stopped making curry for a while. As much as I love curry, I don't seem to enjoy it just as much without a side of naan bread for dipping. 


After some research and a few experiments I found the easiest possible recipe for naan bread. At first, I read through the recipe and stared blankly at the page for a few minutes. The recipe involved so little ingredients, one of which really surprised me... Lemonade?

Using fizzy lemonade in a bread recipes might sound bizarre, it definitely did to me!! But believe you me - it really does work wonders! The naan puff up to give a wonderful soft-texture to the bread and you don't taste the lemonade at all! Impressive, to say the least!

Now that I've found this recipe I very much doubt I will ever be buying shop bought packet naan bread again, not because I'm a coeliac but because my family and friends absolutely love my home made naan and whenever I make it, it disappears almost instantly! 

                                                  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Ingredients: 

- 250 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 
- 2 tsp xanthan gum 
- 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tsp salt 
- 175 ml sparkling lemonade 
- 30g butter, melted
- herbs for flavouring (as desired) 

Method: 

Sift together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Pour the lemonade into the mixture and mix to a slightly sticky, soft dough. 

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 10 minutes. Divide the mixture into 4 pieces. Roll out each ball into a flat tear-shaped oval. 

Heat a heavy based frying pan and melt the butter. Add any flavourings you wish such as garlic, rosemary, or any other herbs. Add the dough to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the base is golden. Brush the top with melted butter and turn over to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes or until puffed and golden. 

Transfer to a tea towel while you cook the remainder in the same way. Serve warm. 

Recommendations: There are many variations of naan bread such as garlic and coriander or onion. It's quite fun to experiment with different flavours. You can add these to the butter before cooking the naan bread.