Softest deliciously plant-based garlic naans

Oh I am an absolute fan of naans! Who isn’t? They are one of those local foods that everyone knows and enjoys wherever they are, like a pizza, a croissant or a donut (to name but a few). My favourite kind – garlic naans! I picked up this recipe long time ago in Paris from an Indian girl I once knew. She had a little secret ingredient to make her naans irresistible, she told me. She used honey instead of sugar. I found out later that it was not that uncommon. Truth is, her naans were irresistible and you definitively couldn’t stop at one.

I have finetuned her recipe over time and now made it plant-based too. Hope you’ll like it and you’ll drop me a comment if you do 🙂

Serves: 8 naans (20-25cm x 15cm). Total time: 1h 15 minutes (preparation 30 minutes, dough proving 30 minutes, cooking 15 minutes).

INGREDIENTS (organic and in order of use)

To brush the naans:

PREPARATION

1. Start by activating the yeast. Dilute it in 50ml of lukewarm water with a tablespoon of honey and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Small bubbles will appear on the surface.
2. Mix the 400g of flour, 1 teaspoon of unrefined salt, 200ml of lukewarm milk, 100ml of yoghurt, 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the yeast mixture. Start combining everything together with a wooden spoon/spatule to make a dough. Then knead  manually for about 2-3 minutes to make a nice soft ball of dough, still a bit sticky. Sprinkle with some flour all over so it does not stick to the bowl, cover with a table cloth and let prove for about 30 minutes.

   

3. While the dough proves, mix together in a cup 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme and 2-3 pressed garlic cloves. You will brush the naans with it while baking them.
4. When the dough is ready, take it out on a floured surface and knead just few times more. Form a ball and then divide it in half then 4 and finally 8 small buns. Spread the buns one after the other, with a rolling pin, into (more or less) 25 x 15 cm and 1 cm thick (not more) naans.

   

5. I bake the naans in a large cast iron skillet on a stove. It diffuses heat perfectly. Grease it lightly and make sure it is hot before you start the baking.
6. Bake the naans on one side for about 1-2 minutes until big bubbles start to form. Brush them with the mixture of olive oil and garlic and turn to the other to bake for about the same time. Brush lightly the other side too while still baking.

   

7. Serve immediately! They are good hot, warm, cold… always 🙂