Vegan Biscuits

Vegan Biscuits

Using the recipe from Minimalist Baker, Lance Editor Emily Reed and I made vegan biscuits, using vegan butter and almond milk. All you need is…

• 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened PLAIN almond milk
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (272 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp (7 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 Tbsp (56 g) non-dairy, unsalted butter (we used Earth Balance)
  • Be warned! Vegan butter is dryer than dairy butter.
• Xanthan Gum
  • If your dough feels too watery, add in a ½ cup of xanthan gum to tighten things up!

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C)
• Add lemon juice to almond milk to make “vegan buttermilk.” Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
• Add cold butter and use fingers to combine the two until only small pieces remain and it looks like sand. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients, and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently while pouring in the almond milk mixture 1/4 cup at a time. You may not need all of it. Stir until just slightly combined – it will be sticky.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself 5-6 times – hardly kneading.
• Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible.
• Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter or a similar-shape object with sharp edges (we used an ice cream scooper) and form the biscuits. Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in rows, making sure they just touch – this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits– in the end you should have around 14!
• Next brush the tops with a bit more of melted non-dairy butter (melt butter first) and gently press a small divot in the center using two fingers. This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won’t form a dome.
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown. Serve immediately.

The biscuits turned out amazing. Make sure not to leave them in the oven for too long: they begin burning quickly. Reed and I agreed that the biscuits may have even been better than traditional dairy-based biscuits.