Almond flatbread

More closely resembling naan than a true flatbread, this has a pillowy, soft texture, thanks to the beaten egg white and baking powder. It’s great for mopping up juices from curries and stews. Let your imagination run free with the flavourings – stirring chopped chives, coriander, parsley, garlic or caramelised onion into the mix – or serve them simply adorned with black nigella (or other) seeds.

Credit: Bloomsbury

• makes

  1

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• butter for greasing (optional)
• sesame seeds or poppy seeds for sprinkling on the baking sheet (optional)
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 20 g ground linseed
• 100 g potato starch
• 150 g ground almonds, coconut flour or ground cashews
• 250 g full fat Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• nigella, poppy, cumin, fennel or sesame seeds for sprinkling 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. At the same time, put a roasting tray on the bottom shelf and boil a kettle of water. Generously butter a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with sesame or poppy seeds, or line with a sheet of baking parchment. 

Put the egg yolks, linseed, potato starch, ground nuts or coconut flour, yoghurt and baking powder into a large bowl and beat with a balloon whisk or electric whisk until the mixture is smooth, pale and creamy.

In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt, using a balloon whisk, electric whisk or stand mixer, until stiff peaks form. 

Stir a spoonful of the beaten egg white into the almond mixture to loosen it, then carefully fold in the rest using a spatula, without knocking out too much air.

Spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet and gently spread into an oval or teardrop shape, about 2 cm thick. Sprinkle with your chosen seeds. 

Put the baking sheet into the oven and pour boiling water into the roasting tin to half fill it. Bake the flatbread for about 12–15 minutes, depending on thickness, until risen, golden and springy to the touch. This flatbread is best eaten within a few hours of baking.

Recipe and image from River Cottage Gluten Free by Naomi Devlin (Bloomsbury, hbk, $45). For more gluten-free recipes and an extract from the book, head here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.