I recently shared a recipe for gluten-free flatbreads, an accompaniment which I make quite often.
One of the things about wheat flour doughs is that the gluten makes them quite easy to work with and roll out - even to being quite thin. One of the things about gluten-free doughs is that they are not that easy to work with. They are often sticky and difficult to roll. When making the flatbreads I won't try and roll them, instead I put them on a sheet of floured parchment and use my hands to pat them out flat-ish.
It started me thinking about how I might make it quicker and easier for me, and I like what I have come up with. The idea is heavily informed by the Scottish-style drop-scones (not dissimilar to American-style pancakes) from my youth.
Drop-scones are a thick batter which is literally dropped onto a hot griddle. Unlike the thinner crêpe-type batter, which will spread easily across the hot surface, this thicker batter will spread itself a little, but then stop as the base starts to cook and harden.
After the base has cooked for 3 or 4 minutes, you will see bubbles forming on the top surface and know it is time to flip them. Cook both sides until golden brown.
For this recipe I just adapted the same recipe as for the gluten-free flatbreads but just upped the amount of milk (use soy or dairy as you prefer) from 95g to 175g to get the consistency I wanted. As an optional step, I also changed up the flour from 120g to 100g and added in 20g of buckwheat flour, just for a different flavour. I also added a half teaspoon of baking powder to help lighten things.
Now, these don't have any gluten, so they don't have that support to help them puff up like a pancake, but they will have some lightness and good texture. They are flatbreads after all, not a loaf!
I like the size of these, but it is feasible that you could pour the whole load of batter out on your griddle and make one large naan-like flatbread. I haven't tried it, but why not!
Adding in cheese shreds to the mix adds additional structure which enables a thicker bread. Lots of additional flavour too!