Flora Plant Garlic Candle with a Dough Ball Wreath

Flora Plant Garlic Candle with a Dough Ball Wreath

Right, this one is genuinely one of the most show-stopping things we've ever put on a table. A glowing garlic butter candle surrounded by a wreath of fluffy, tear-and-share dough balls looks almost too good to eat. Almost. The roasted garlic melts into the Flora plant butter to create this deep, sweet, savoury situation that you just keep dunking into. It's the kind of centrepiece that makes everyone go quiet for a second when you bring it out, and then immediately reach in.

Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C fan
  • Large baking tray
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Small saucepan
  • Ramekin
  • Potato masher
  • Candle jar or cup (for the butter candle)
  • 12cm untreated cotton candle wick
  • Teaspoon or chopstick (to support wick)
  • Tin foil square
  • Roast garlic bulb for 45 minutes at oven temperature, then cool until handable
  • Freezer to set butter candle for about 60 minutes
  • Dough proved until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes
  • Second rise of dough balls for about 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 block of Salted Flora Plant B+tter
  • 12cm untreated cotton candle wick
  • 500g white bread flour
  • 3 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 160ml unsweetened plant-based milk
  • 60g pesto

Method

1

Prepare the roasted garlic

  • Cut off the sprouting end of the garlic bulb, revealing the cloves inside. Put the bulb in the middle of the tin foil square, drizzle over a little olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper, wrap the bulb in the tin foil, pop the bulb on a tray and roast in the oven for 45 minutes until the cloves are tender 
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool until handable
2

For the garlic butter candle

  • Mash the roasted garlic with a fork
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, stir through a the mashed garlic and a pinch of salt
  • Cut about 12 cm of candle wick. Wrap the top of the candle wick around a teaspoon or chopstick and place it  across the top of the candle so that the bottom of the wick dangles into the centre of the cup 
  • Pour the melted butter into the candle, reserving 2 tbsp of butter and making sure that at least 1 cm of wick is visible at the top of the candle. Transfer to the freezer to set, about 60 minutes
3

For the dough-balls

  • Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt and sugar on the other side. It is important to keep the yeast and the salt separated, so that the salt doesn’t stop the yeast from activating. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the milk and 160ml of room temperature water and mix to form a rough dough. 
  • Turn the dough onto a flour surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and soft 
  • Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes
4

Return to the dough

  • Knock back the dough by gently punching it 
  • Divide the dough into 30g pieces, you will get about 26 dough balls 
  • Flatten a piece of dough and spoon ½ tbsp pesto into it then pinch up the sides, sealing the pesto inside and roll into a ball. Repeat with each other dough pieces
  • Place a ramekin in the centre of the baking sheet. Arrange the dough balls around the ramekin in two circles then remove the ramekin. Drape over a clean tea towel and set aside to rise, about 20 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen 
  • Preheat the oven to 180*C fan setting 
  • Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes until golden. After 10 minutes brush the bread with reserved melted butter, and return to the oven  
5

Light the candle are serve!

  • Unwrap the wick from the spoon and carefully cut the cup from the set butter and place in the middle of the wreath. Light the candle and wait a few moments for the wick to burn and melt the butter. Once beginning to melt, rip the dough-balls from the wreath and dip into the melted butter

Tips & Variations

  • Make it ahead: You can roast the garlic a day in advance and keep it in the fridge. The butter can also be made the night before, which makes the whole thing much more relaxed on the day.
  • Nail the dough: We find the dough balls work best when they've had a proper second prove before going in the oven. Don't rush it. That extra time gives you that soft, pillowy pull-apart texture that makes them so good.
  • Extra flavour: Henry always brushes the dough balls with a little extra garlic butter straight out of the oven while they're still hot. It makes them glossy and even more irresistible, trust us on this one.

Why This Works

The trick is in the roasted garlic. Roasting the whole bulb low and slow transforms those sharp raw cloves into something almost caramel-sweet and completely jammy, and when you mash that into the plant butter it becomes this incredible, mellow, deeply garlicky spread that tastes way more complex than the effort involved. The candle presentation isn't just for show either, the warmth actually keeps the butter soft and perfect for dipping the whole time.