KHALIFA BAKERY STYLE GLUTEN FREE NAAN KHATAI

November 3, 2022

Those who are familiar with real naan khatai would know that originally and traditionally they are white-ish with a ball like shape. This ball like shape is slightly pressed with a thumb and that spot is brushed with egg yolk. After baking the top appears slightly tan. On the other hand, this famous Khalifa Bakery in interior Lahore changed the whole scene with their innovative and out-of-the box creation and I am pretty sure most of us are now convinced that this is THE naan khatai. Their naan khatai is flat and has this beautiful deep tan on the upper surface. They didn’t stop here. The added big chunks of almonds too, in fact, sometimes one may find a whole almond inside a naan khatai. Their naan khatai has certainly raised the bar in terms of true taste and aroma. There is no egg in the naan khatai dough and it is like a cross between a cookie and a biscotti. It looks like a cookie but it has this crunch to every bite which simply turns into a melt-in-the-mouth experience.

Most of us in Pakistan do not bake biscuits or cookies at home and rely on local bakeries and factory made products for this sweet dose in our lives and now imagine poor gluten restricted souls!! Since there isn’t much awareness about this dietary restriction, there aren’t much options available for them. I am not saying that this one recipe would solve all their sugar cravings but come on, baby steps matter, right?

Naan khatai is a very desi biscuit and the main ingredient in it’s preparation is desi ghee. The aroma and flavor of naan khatai is all desi ghee and even this trademark texture is dependent on desi ghee. I have never tried it with butter or any other ghee so can not say if butter would be good substitute of desi ghee. You see at room temperature desi ghee is like semi solid with granulated appearance. For naan khatai prep, desi ghee is first melted and then refrigerated to get solidify again. Melting the ghee first and then cooling is important for even texture of naan khatai as it gets lighter once beaten. One thing to keep in mind is the temperature of the kitchen while making naan khatai since desi ghee melts quickly.

Cold desi ghee is whipped and then sifted powdered sugar is incorporated while beating till the mixture gets fluffy. Why powdered sugar? There isn’t any moisture in the naan khatai ingredient list which means there is no medium for granulated or caster sugar to get dissolved in so make sure to grind sugar into fine powder and swift before adding to the desi ghee so there are no sugar chunks in the naan khatai. All the other dry ingredients are then combined and sifted to get uniform consistency with no lumps. Please make sure not to over measure otherwise the dough will get too dense and dry. Traditionally there is semolina in naan khatai but for this gluten free version there is gram flour which gives a contrasting texture and this pale yellow color that Khalifa’s naan khatai has. I have used gluten free baking flour by Asmr for this recipe.

Other ingredients have their own significance in the recipe and can not be interchanged. Baking soda and baking powder are both used for this special naan khatai to keep them moist and tender and to maintain the chemical balance. Green cardamom has it’s special place in almost all desi desserts and sweets and naan khatai is no exception. Pure and natural fragrance that green cardamom gives to it is quite essential. Egg yolk is brushed on the top surface which turns into deep tan during baking. Another point to keep in mind is NOT to overbake. There is no water or egg in the dough so it won’t turn brown at the bottom but it will get thoroughly baked within 20-25 minutes and excessive baking would turn them dry and hard.

Once baked, let them cool completely before storing in a cookie jar or any airtight container. Do not refrigerate. Naan khatai would stay fresh in a container at the room temperature for 7-10 days.