I am so excited to share this gluten-free sourdough flatbread recipe with you. These flatbreads are very flexible (you can make wraps with them), soft, and taste delicious! This recipe is a part of my gluten-free sourdough recipes post.
This flatbread can be used as a gluten-free pizza crust, as naan with Indian dishes, or it can be used as a wrap with meat and veggies. If you like stuffed bread, check out my gluten-free Greek pita pockets!
I also have a great recipe for gluten-free Turkish bread and Asian lavash!
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Texture. The flatbread is incredibly flexible and soft!
- Simple. You can use gluten-free all-purpose flour!
- Less than 30 minutes. You can leave the dough to ferment and rise for 1-3 hours or you can fry the flatbreads right away!
Note: you might also like my GF sourdough dinner rolls and sourdough discard pretzels! For yeast and psyllium-free recipe, check out my gluten-free crepes recipe!
What Is A Sourdough Starter?
Sourdough starter is wild yeast that is used to make sourdough bread. I love gluten-free sourdough and I regularly bake it with my brown rice starter.
You can also make sourdough cookies, pancakes with discard, sourdough pizza crust, and other recipes with a starter. Make sure to check out my gluten-free sourdough recipe collection!
New to gluten-free sourdough? Watch my 16-minute video tutorial for beginners!
Ingredients
Gluten-free flour – I used my gluten-free flour blend without potato starch but this recipe will do well with any gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Sourdough starter – if you are planning to ferment the flatbreads, then use a mature starter. If you are making them right away, then an unfed discard will work, too!
Psyllium husk - I am using whole husks in this recipe but powder works great, too! There are two types of powder, one is finer than the other. You will need to use less fine powder vs. coarse grind. For more details on what they look like go to my article about psyllium husk types.
Substitutes
Sour cream - you can use Greek yogurt or plant-based yogurt.
Psyllium husk - there is no good substitute for psyllium husk other than psyllium husk powder! If using psyllium husk powder, use 85% of the amount called for in the recipe (17g) but do not decrease the water. Whisk psyllium into the water right away to prevent clumps. More details in my psyllium guide.
Sugar - you can use the same amount of honey or maple syrup.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Mix the ingredients
Add water, psyllium husk, oil, and sugar to a bowl and whisk to incorporate. Now, leave the mixture to form into a gel for a couple of minutes.
When psyllium gel is ready (it should take a couple of minutes), add the sourdough starter, sour cream, and psyllium gel to a mixing bowl and mix to incorporate.
Then, add the dry ingredients and mix with your hand to combine until the dough starts separating from the walls of the bowl. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes to settle. If you skip this step, the dough might be stickier and harder to work with!
Step 2 – Shape & Bake
Turn the dough over onto the working surface, shape it into a ball, and separate it into 8 equal parts using a bench scraper or a knife.
Shape each piece into a small ball. Grease your hands with oil to prevent sticking.
Flour the working surface and place one ball on it. Flatten the ball with your hands and spread a little bit of oil on the surface of it to prevent sticking as you are rolling out the dough.
Then, carefully roll out the naan bread. Each naan should be approximately 8 inches (20cm) in diameter. Don't roll out the flatbreads too thin to avoid them breaking apart as you transfer them to the frying pan.
Continue adding oil to the surface of the flatbread if it starts sticking as you roll them out!
The dough will be flexible but handle it with care to avoid the flatbreads breaking apart.
Preheat the frying pan. I prefer using cast iron but you can use a non-stick pan, too. Spread some oil onto the pan and fry each flatbread for 30-60 seconds on one side over medium heat. Keep checking to make sure the flatbreads are not burning!
Brush the flatbread with melted butter to keep them softer. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Grease the surface of the flatbread dough to prevent sticking to the rolling pin. Adding flour to the surface might make the flatbreads a bit dry. Although it is necessary to flour the working surface you are rolling the dough on!
- Grease your hands with oil when working with the dough to prevent sticking.
- These gluten-free sourdough flatbreads are high in hydration meaning they have a lot of liquids in them to ensure the best texture. If you find it hard to work with the dough decrease the water by 40g. Then flatbreads will be slightly dryer and less puffy but easier to roll out.
- Add any seasonings of choice for more flavor.
- Store your gluten-free sourdough flatbread in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Storing them in an air-tight bag or container will prevent the bread from drying out.
- If the flatbreads taste too sour to you, you can decrease the amount of sourdough starter by half.
FAQ
Yes! First, freeze them individually on parchment paper, then store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container for up to 3 months. To defrost place the flatbreads into a microwave for 30 seconds or bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 350F/175C.
If it is made with gluten-free flour, yes, it is gluten-free. Otherwise sourdough is not gluten-free.
Yes, place the dough into the refrigerator overnight and fry the flatbreads in the morning!
More recipes to try!
Get my new gluten-free sourdough recipes eBook
The top 22 recipes of 2024!
Gluten-Free Sourdough Flatbread
Equipment
- 1 medium-sized bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 Frying pan (cast iron is the best option)
Ingredients
- 20 grams psyllium husk whole husks, 15 grams if using coarse powder, more details in my psyllium husk guide
- 310 grams water room temperature
- 25 grams oil I used olive oil but other oils work well, too
- 18 grams sugar can use maple syrup or honey
- 260 grams sourdough starter discard
- 100 grams sour cream or Greek yogurt, use plant-based for dairy-free
- 260 grams gluten-free flour I used my homemade potato-free flour blend which for this recipe would be: 25% brown rice flour, 25% white rice flour, and 50% starch of choice (cornstarch/tapioca/arrowroot/potato)
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 10 grams salt
SAVE THIS RECIPE!💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Add water, psyllium husk, oil, and sugar to a bowl and whisk to incorporate. Now, leave the mixture to form into a gel for a couple of minutes.
- When psyllium gel is ready (it should take a couple of minutes), add the sourdough starter, sour cream, and psyllium gel to a mixing bowl and mix to incorporate.
- Then, add the dry ingredients and mix with your hand to combine until the dough starts separating from the walls of the bowl. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes to settle. If you skip this step, the dough might be stickier and harder to work with!
- Turn the dough over onto the working surface, shape it into a ball, and separate it into 8 equal parts using a bench scraper or a knife.
- Shape each piece into a small ball. Grease your hands with oil to prevent sticking.
- Flour the working surface and place one ball on it. Flatten the ball with your hands and spread a little bit of oil on the surface of it to prevent sticking as you are rolling out the dough. Then, carefully roll out the naan bread. Each naan should be approximately 8 inches (20cm) in diameter. Don’t roll out the flatbreads too thin to avoid them breaking apart as you transfer them to the frying pan. Continue adding oil to the surface of the flatbread if it starts sticking as you roll them out!
- The dough will be flexible but handle it with care to avoid the flatbreads breaking apart.
- Preheat the frying pan. I prefer using cast iron but you can use a non-stick pan, too. Spread some oil onto the pan and fry each flatbread for 30-60 seconds on one side over medium heat. Keep checking to make sure the flatbreads are not burning!
- Brush the flatbread with melted butter to keep them softer. Enjoy!
Abby says
Hello!
If I were to not use the sour cream, what should I sub it with? It will have to be dairy free.
Thank you!
Natasha Levai says
Hi Abby! You can use some plant-based yogurt or milk or skip the sour cream all together. Keep an eye on the doughconsistency, while it will be sticky, it should be workable. If it is not workable, add a little bit more flour. Let me know how it goes!
Heidi says
Very successful! Did 50% cassava flour (which is very elastic), 25% each brown and white rice. No sugar or cream - dairy free - and subbed amazake (Japanese rice drink, home made). Starter/discard was brown rice/amazake. Added a splash of oil to the mix which turned out springy and easy to work with. Used a tortilla press with the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Finally, cooked on a cast-iron griddle which had to be well oiled first. Thanks so much for posting this!
Grace says
The recipe seems great, and I'm excited to keep playing with it! I think my execution of it needs to be improved. 😛
I rolled them as thin as I could without breaking them, and they still didn't cook through and stayed doughy in the middle! Medium heat for only a minute per side didn't brown them; longer toughened the outside a bit and still didn't cook them through. (I've never yet been able to do the stovetop flatbread thing correctly with any recipe, so it's probably something I'm doing.)
Recipe adaptations I used, for those interested (or in case Natasha spots a problem):
- I used the 15g psyllium husk powder because my grocery store was out of the unpowdered flakes.
- I subbed coconut cream for sour cream because I'm going to need to make this for dairy-free people eventually.
- For the GF flour blend, I used 50% tapioca, 25% sorghum, 25% millet because my starter is mostly sorghum-millet.
- I omitted the baking powder and let the dough ferment overnight instead.
All of the above seemed to work well. The psyllium husk powder mix gelled beautifully, the dough ended up a great-seeming texture (high hydration, but workable), it rose perfectly overnight, and the recipe's methods for rolling it out worked like a charm.
And then I just couldn't get the flatbreads to cook properly!
Any advice? I want to try again!
Natasha Levai says
Hi Grace! I think using a lot of tapioca starch could make the flatbreads more chewy which might feel like as if they didn't cook through. Try 25% tapioca and 25% of either potato starch or cornstarch.
Then maybe try frying on medium-high heat and see if that helps.
The last thing is the baking powder. The recipe is designed to work with starter discard and relies on baking powder for rising. If the flatbreads don't rise during cooking, they will be gummy and feel uncooked. I would recommend using baking powder instead of fermentation!