Appetizer Navettes (or soft little Breads)

Hey friends!

The cocktail dinner fever has hit again at my place! And I’m sure you’ll love it (taste-wise)!

Here are my appetizer navettes (or soft little breads).

An undisputed verdict

Before I go into detail about this recipe, I have to tell you what my son said when he grabbed a little navette from my cooling rack… “Mom, this is crazy! I’ve never had anything this good!”

If my son says so… 😉

The little history of these perfect bites

At aperitif time, they have become a must-have on our tables: appetizer navettes, these little soft and generously filled bites, are loved not only for their convenient size but also for the variety of flavors. But where do they actually come from? Are they part of an ancient culinary tradition, or are they a more recent invention, born from the evolution of our lifestyles?

A Provençal origin… reimagined

The term “navette” comes from Provence, where it originally referred to a dry pastry in the shape of a small boat, especially well-known in Marseille. These traditional navettes, often flavored with orange blossom, are linked to Candlemas and symbolize the Virgin Mary’s journey. However, the appetizer navettes we know today have little in common with these Provençal sweets, except for their elongated shape, which vaguely resembles a little boat…

What connects the two is mostly the visual and the name. Appetizer navettes are much more a part of a festive baking tradition than a religious or pastry heritage.

A modern bakery invention

It was actually in the 1990s-2000s that appetizer navettes (or soft little breads) began to appear in the windows of French bakeries and patisseries, especially around the holiday season or during buffets. Their mini size, both chic and convivial, perfectly matches the evolution of eating habits, increasingly focused on “finger food,” shared meals, and nomadic consumption.

Easy to make, easy to fill, and easy to eat: navettes have become the stars of cocktail dinners, wedding receptions, company parties, or simply apéritifs with friends. And soon, they’ll be the star at your place too! Their soft dough, somewhere between milk bread and savory brioche, lends itself to endless variations.

Some pairing ideas

You can make “simple” mini sandwiches with salmon or prosciutto, of course. But I recommend trying these spreads instead:

• labneh,
• tuna rillettes,
• hummus,
• salmon rillettes,
• tapenade,
• sweet potato hummus,
• pepper cream,
• or even smoked salmon and red roe spread (that’s what I did here).

Between tradition and modernity

Although they are undoubtedly modern in use, appetizer navettes still fit well into a well-established French culinary tradition: that of individual breads, savory bites served at banquets, and refined baking. They can even be seen as a natural evolution of classic canapés or mini sandwiches, reimagined with a softer, richer, and more original dough than plain sandwich bread.

Back to our recipe for appetizer navettes (or soft little breads)…

If you’re familiar with my recipes, you know I love working with yeast dough: brioche, pita bread, Turkish simit, or even a good homemade sandwich bread. Here, we’re sticking with that. You can knead the dough with a mixer (the easiest option) or by hand. The key to a light, airy dough is long kneading.

After that, all you need to do is cut the dough into equal portions (for uniform-sized navettes) and shape them into small balls, then into ovals.

Necessary equipment:

A stand mixer with a dough hook (or a large bowl and some elbow grease!),

Two baking trays lined with parchment paper,

And (ideally) a kitchen scale to make sure your dough portions are even.

There you go, now you know everything! Let’s get started!

The recipe, Chef!

Print Recipe

Appetizer Navettes (or soft little Breads)

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appetizer – French

Serves: 35 pces Difficulty: Easy Price: $

Prep Time: 20 min + 2 hours 30 min – Cooking Time: 13 min

Ingredients

• 100 g of lukewarm water
• 5 g of baker's yeast or 10 g of fresh yeast
• 200 g of milk
• 20 g of sugar
• 75 g of soft butter
• 10 g of salt
• 500 g of T45 flour (50 g more if needed, depending on the consistency of your dough)
• 1/2 tablespoon of cream
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• Seeds (poppy, sesame, cumin,...) according to your preferences

Instructions

1

Pour the water and yeast into the bowl of your mixer. Mix until the yeast is completely dissolved.

2

Add the warmed milk and sugar. Mix.

3

Pour in the flour, the butter cut into pieces, and the salt.

4

Knead the dough with the hook for at least 5 minutes. Add a little flour if your dough is too sticky. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl.

5

Cover with a towel and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place until it doubles in size.

6

Then, make dough balls of about 25 grams. Shape them into nice round balls and place them on your mat or baking paper.

7

Let them rest for 30 minutes.

8

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees.

9

Brush the navettes with the milk, cream, and a pinch of salt mixture. Sprinkle with seeds.

10

Bake for about 13 minutes.

11

Take the navettes out of the oven and let them cool on a rack.