The secret ingredient in these vegan flatbreads is vegan plain, unsweetened yogurt which helps gives these flatbreads a sourdough flavor without using a traditional sourdough starter or long proof time – you can make these end to end, including the rise, in less than two hours (even faster if you cook them all at once on a grill instead of one at a time on a stove-top grill pan like I did). With so many great brands of vegan yogurt these days, you hopefully have a few options! I used the Forager Project plain unsweetened vegan yogurt which is made primarily from cashews.
Feel free to experiment with the toppings – swap garlic and olive oil for cinnamon and sugar for a dessert flatbread, or add spices like chili flakes, za’atar, or fennel for spiced flatbreads too! Great as a side for soups and salads, or to wrap up the “perfect vegan gyro” to make it even more perfect!
Vegan Grilled Garlicky Flatbreads
These vegan flatbreads have a lovely sourdough flavor from the vegan yogurt, plus a buttery, garlicky richness from the topping. Ideally grilled on either an outdoor grill or grill pan, you can also make these on a flat frying pan if that's all you have.
Servings: 6 pieces
Ingredients
Flatbreads
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast you can use active dry yeast, but note alternative instructions in steps 1 and 2
- 1/3 cup vegan plain, unsweetened yogurt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour optionally you can replace 1/2 cup of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour for a slightly nuttier, whole wheat flavor
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup warm water
Garlic Topping
- 1 tbsp unsalted vegan butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
- flakey sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the yeast, yogurt, sugar, oil, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and use a dough hook to combine. Note, if using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, add the yeast to the warm water and don't add to the remaining ingredients yet.
- Once everything is well combined, with the mixer still running, pour in the warm water (or, if using active dry yeast, the warm water and yeast mixture after the yeast has started to foam).
- Mix on high speed for about a minute, or until everything has fully combined to make a stiff dough. If there are still a lot of dry clumps or if the dough is breaking apart, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time. If it's very wet and sticky you can add more flour 1 tbsp at a time. When fully combined, and before fully kneaded, it shouldn't stick to your hands or the side of the bowl.
- Mix on high speed for another 6-8 minutes or until the dough is slightly sticky and elastic.
- Place in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel to rise. You'll want the dough to approximately double in size. This took about 35 minutes in my very warm kitchen, but could take up to an hour depending on the room temperature.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on to a lightly floured surface, knock the air out, and divide into six equal size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a towel to rise for 10 more minutes.
- After 10 minutes, shape each ball into a flatbread, using a rolling pin or your hands to flatten and stretch it to approximately a 6"x4" oval. Once all the rounds have been rolled out, cover and let rest again for 5 more minutes.
- While the flatbreads are doing their final rest, prepare the topping and preheat your grill. Melt the vegan butter in a small bowl the microwave, then add the olive oil, and crushed garlic. Stir to combine. Meanwhile start your grill or the heat under your grill pan, and lightly brush with some olive oil.
- After the 5 minute rest, brush the tops of the flatbread with about 2/3 of the garlic mixture. Cook the bread by placing them, garlic butter side down, on the hot grill for about 2 minutes per side, checking after 90 seconds. You want a good char on the bread, so don't be afraid to let it get a bit dark along the grill grate. While one side is cooking, brush the tops with the remaining garlic mixture.
- Flip the bread and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the other side. Then remove from the heat and sprinkle with a bit of the flakey sea salt. Place on a cooling rack to cool.
- You can serve immediately while still warm, topped with chopped herbs (chives or parsley work well), or after they've cooled, slice and freeze for later use. Feel free to experiment with the toppings – swap garlic and olive oil for cinnamon and sugar for a dessert flatbread, or add spices like chili flakes, za'atar, or fennel for spiced flatbreads too!