Homemade Vegan Naan Flatbread Recipe—With Garlic Variation!
Who doesn't love bread? Crusty French baguettes, soft dinner rolls, tart sourdough, marbled rye, and Filipino pan de sal, are some of my favorite types of bread (to name a few), along with the delicious Indian naan.
I know for a vegan, bread is not always a luxury they can enjoy due to the recipe containing animal products. Indian naan is usually one such bread. It is leavened with yeast and often milk or yogurt is added in to make the dough softer, and in many Asian cultures the naan is brushed with ghee or butter when it is finished cooking. Definitely not vegan!
That's why I've been working on a delicious naan recipe that is just as good as it's non-vegan counterpart.
ingredients:
1 ½ C flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp fast-acting yeast
⅝ C warm water
1 ½ tsp maple syrup
Avocado oil, or any other neutral tasting oil
Optional: vegan butter, minced garlic
instructions:
Place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Stir maple syrup into warm water.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm water mixture. Stir until completely combined. Form into a ball.
With floured hands, place the ball on a board that has been dusted with flour. Knead the dough around 20 times. Round back into a ball.
Oil the bottom and sides of a bowl. Place the kneaded dough ball in the bowl rolling to coat it with oil. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Place dough on a floured board. Cut into six portions. Roll each portion into a thin, oval-like shape.**
Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat. When hot, add a little bit of avocado oil and swirl to coat. (The dough absorbs oil so use very little.)
Place flattened dough in pan and fry for about one minute then turn over and cook for another minute.
Enjoy! Try it with our Madras Lentils or Hummus!
** You can melt some vegan butter and brush it on the dough before frying. Add some minced garlic into the melted butter before brushing it on the dough before frying to make it deliciously garlic-y!
