Baking Archives » I LOVE VEGAN

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Brittany — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 21:02:09 +0000

This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is sweet, rich, and decadent with a fine, moist crumb. Once it's baked, cooled, and given some time to settle in an air-right container, the "crust" is soft, delicate, and almost sticky - like a muffin top or a Starbucks loaf.

There is an entire zucchini hiding in this loaf, but upping your vegetable intake is not this recipe’s purpose.

The zucchini’s role? Moisture. (And using up zucchinis after you’ve already eaten them grilled, baked, roasted, sautéed, spiralized, and you can’t bring yourself to eat anymore of them.) Zucchinis are cheap and plentiful in the summer. Where I live, it’s an affordable vegetable year round. Making zucchini bread is the ideal way to make use of any of those monstrous, late-harvested zucchinis that aren’t ideal for other cooking methods.

Vegan zucchini bread is incredibly easy to make. Preparation takes 15 minutes and then you’re ready to pop it in the oven. It freezes beautifully so you can make extra and freeze a few loaves for later.

Best tips for making this vegan chocolate zucchini bread

Don’t squeeze the liquid from the zucchini, that's the key to the bread's moisture! If your zucchini is very dry, give it a quick soak in water before shaking out any excess moisture using a strainer. (Don’t squeeze it though, just shake out as much as you can.)
Use natural cocoa powder. You can not substitute Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa in this recipe. (More on that below if you're interested ↓)
Once you’ve mixed up your batter, immediately transfer it to a loaf pan and put it in the oven to bake. Don’t mix the wet ingredients into the dry until you've preheated your oven and prepared your loaf pan (and your toppings - if using). Once you've mixed the wet with the dry, baking soda's chemical reaction is immediate. You want that reaction to happen as the loaf bakes, not while it sits on your countertop!

“Natural” cocoa powder vs. Dutch-processed (or alkalized cocoa powder)

It’s essential that you use natural cocoa powder in this recipe. Baking soda (the leavener in this zucchini bread recipe) is alkaline and requires acidity to do its job. By nature, cocoa powder/chocolate is acidic. Dutch-processed cocoa is treated to be alkaline (you may also see it labeled as “alkalized cocoa powder”). Without natural cocoa powder’s acidity, your chocolate zucchini bread won’t rise properly!

Natural cocoa powder is lighter in colour and its flavour is rich, chocolatey, and bitter. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is deeper and darker in colour and has a milder flavour.

From big brands, Hershey's and Fry's are good examples of each type of cocoa powder. Hershey’s is a natural cocoa powder, Fry’s is an alkalized cocoa powder. For this recipe I used Camino’s natural cocoa powder (they sell both types). They're a Canadian brand that makes organic, fair trade chocolate products and other baking ingredients.

Notes and Substitutions:

Before baking, give your zucchini bread a tempting, "Instagram-y" look by sprinkling roughly chopped chocolate chunks down the center of the loaf.
Or top with chopped pecans or walnuts instead!
Any non-dairy milk will work. I tested the recipe with both oat milk and cashew milk.
Gluten free baking is not my forte so I can’t guarantee that using gluten free flour will work. But if you want to experiment with making this zucchini bread gluten free, I’d love to hear how it goes! (If I were to give it a shot, I’d start with a gluten free all-purpose flour blend (rather than using a single ingredient flour.)

More vegan recipes like this:

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
Category: Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan
Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is moist, sweet, and decadent. Preparation takes 15 minutes and then you’re ready to pop it in the oven! Freezer-friendly.

Ingredients

½ cup (125 ml) non-dairy milk
2 tbsp (15 grams) ground flax seed
1 cup packed (155 grams) grated zucchini (approximately 1 medium zucchini)
1 cup (225 grams) sugar
⅓ cup (80 ml) canola oil
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (30 grams) natural cocoa powder (do not substitute with Dutch processed/alkalized cocoa)
¾ tsp (3.75 ml) baking soda
½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
Dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips, to taste (Optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine non-dairy milk and flax. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix and set aside.
Once the milk and flax seed mixture has thickened slightly, add the grated zucchini, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla to the bowl.
Once the oven is preheated, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Immediately transfer the batter into the parchment lined loaf pan. If desired, top with chocolate chunks. Immediately put the loaf in the oven and bake for 70 minutes (or until the loaf is cracked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.)
Transfer zucchini loaf to a cooling rack. Wait until cool to slice the loaf. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes

If your zucchini is very dry, give it a quick soak in water before shaking out any excess moisture using a strainer. (Don’t squeeze it though, just shake out as much as you can.)

Keywords: vegan chocolate zucchini bread, vegan zucchini bread

The post Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Bread appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Focaccia (Jalapeño Cheese and Tomato Herb)

Brittany — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 20:42:37 +0000

This simple and rustic sheet pan focaccia has two topping options: jalapeños & (vegan) cheese or tomatoes, herbs & garlic.

Flatbreads like focaccia are great for beginners! They use simple ingredients and tools, they don't require much active cooking time, they’re highly customizable, and it's easy to tell when they're cooked through.

Toppings

Spread your choice of toppings (minus olive oil and sea salt) over the surface of the dough. Then, work the toppings into the dough by dimpling it quickly and thoroughly using all your fingers (like you’re a very passionate but absolutely awful pianist). Top the surface with a generous drizzle olive oil and a dusting of sea salt before baking it until it’s golden-brown.

Jalapeño & Cheese

Pickled jalapeños, vegan cheese, cashew Parmesan (optional), garlic, sea salt, and olive oil.

I use “tamed” pickled jalapeños. They're flavourful but mild so you can use a lot of them without their heat becoming overwhelming. If you use hot pickled jalapeños (and you’re sensitive to spicy food) you can chop them up and use less of them.

Use your favourite vegan cheese shreds. I like Daiya’s Cheddar Style Shreds (the Original kind) because they melt quickly and they're widely available.

Tomato, Herb & Garlic

Cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced garlic, fresh or dried herbs, sea salt, and olive oil.

You can use fresh or dried herbs, depending on what you have. I used a dry Italian herb blend of rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram, and thyme. Bruise hardy herbs like rosemary to release their flavourful oils before adding them.

Other topping ideas and variations

We also have a lovely potato & rosemary focaccia recipe on the blog. It’s a tidier looking version made in an 8” cast iron skillet.

You can make focaccia as simple or elaborate as you like. Other topping ideas are: olives, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, shallots, sliced potato, roasted garlic, vegan pesto, and caramelized onions. Feel free to be creative or try multiple flavour combinations on divided sections.

Pizza dough

This focaccia dough is perfect for homemade pizzas, we used it in our Mediterranean pesto pizza recipe. For a thick pizza crust that's eerily similar to Pizza Hut's pan crust, liberally oil your pan/parchment paper before assembling and baking.

Using up leftovers (if you have any!)

Garlic toast

Cut leftover focaccia into slices, spread with garlic butter, and cook it butter side down in a hot skillet until it’s golden brown. Serve with spaghetti or other pasta dishes.

Croutons

Cube leftover (preferably slightly stale) focaccia. Add vegan butter or olive oil to a hot skillet. If desired, add some Italian herbs, minced garlic and/or garlic and onion powder. Add the cubed focaccia and cook, stirring often, until the croutons are golden brown and crisp. Use the croutons in a salad like our vegan crispy chick’n Caesar.

Using a stand-mixer vs. kneading by hand

You can knead focaccia by hand or in a stand-mixer. I prefer using a stand-mixer for bread because it’s much easier to keep the dough moist. When you knead by hand you use more flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and countertop. Start by adding ¾ the amount of flour and then add more, using the minimum amount required to keep the dough workable.

Proofing yeast

Bread recipes often start with a proofing step (adding yeast and sugar to warm water and waiting for the yeast to froth and rise to the surface). It tests yeast to make sure it's active. Proof your yeast if you’re not sure how fresh it is to make sure your dough will rise. If you’re using fresh yeast you can skip this step.

Focaccia (Jalapeño Cheese and Tomato Herb)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 1 sheet pan (12-18 servings)
Category: Breads
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Easy sheet pan focaccia with two different topping combinations: Jalapeño & (Vegan) Cheese and Tomato, Herb & Garlic.

Ingredients

Focaccia

1½ cups (375 ml) warm water
1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) active dry yeast
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
4½ cups (540 grams) all-purpose flour
Olive oil, as needed

Toppings

Jalapeño & Cheese Option (1 full sheet pan)

1 cup (140 grams) pickled (tamed) jalapeños
½ cup (45 grams) vegan cheese shreds (I used Daiya)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Optional: vegan Parmesan, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Tomato & Herb Option (1 full sheet pan)

1 cup (160 grams) halved grape or cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Fresh or dried Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.), to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, salt, and ¾ of the all-purpose flour. Mix to combine. Knead (by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook) until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), add remaining flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Coat the dough ball with olive oil and place it in a large bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the parchment paper with olive oil.
After the dough doubles in size, punch it down. Flatten and stretch the dough to fit your sheet pan. Cover lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size (about 40 minutes).
While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and prepare toppings.
After the dough has risen, add your choice of toppings. Use your fingers to thoroughly dimple the dough, pressing the toppings into the bread. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt.
Bake focaccia until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Notes

Ingredient amounts for toppings options are for 1 full sheet pan. If you want to make ½ and ½, half the ingredient amounts.

Keywords: focaccia, vegan focaccia, jalapeño cheese focaccia, tomato herb focaccia

The post Focaccia (Jalapeño Cheese and Tomato Herb) appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Butter Cookies

Brittany — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 04:52:53 +0000

Butter cookies are a classic Christmas cookie that you can enjoy at any time of year. These vegan butter cookies are rich and not too sweet. The texture is crisp, a little crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery.

You can shape these butter cookies any way you like. Pipe the dough into pretty spirals using a piping bag with a large star tip (like I did), or use a cookie press for perfect, uniform cookies. If necessary, you can shape them by hand or wrap and chill the dough in a log for sliced cookies. Enjoy them plain, or decorate them as desired!

Ingredients for Making Vegan Butter Cookies

Butter cookies have a high ratio of butter to flour, and a relatively low sugar content. The non-vegan version contains eggs but no chemical leaveners.

You only need 6 simple ingredients to make a batch of vegan butter cookies. Flour, vegan butter, sugar, aquafaba, vanilla, and salt.

Vegan butter is essential. I used Earth Balance, but any vegan butter that’s hard when chilled should work. This isn’t a cookie recipe where you can substitute the vegan butter with coconut oil or vegetable shortening (or apple sauce!)

Aquafaba, the liquid leftover from canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans, takes the place of eggs. It’s high in protein with an egg white-like consistency. Choose canned chickpeas with no added salt for best results. 3 tablespoons of unwhipped aquafaba is equal to 1 egg.

How to Make Vegan Butter Cookies

If you have a stand mixer or hand mixer, use it to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the aquafaba, vanilla, and salt, and beat very well for about 5 minutes. By hand, gradually mix in the flour until just combined. Avoid overmixing the dough for the best texture.

Piping or Pressing the Cookies

Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a large star tip (or a cookie press.) Pipe or press the cookies on a cool cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies won't spread much but leave some room between them.

If you're piping your cookies, use a strong piping bag. I used *Wilton’s disposable 12-inch piping bags (affiliate links marked with *). They're nothing special but they’re widely available and strong enough to get the job done. If you wash them they can easily be used multiple times. These Wilton bags aren't very large so I loaded half of the dough at a time. A reusable piping bag will be the strongest and most environmentally friendly option.

Choose a large star piping tip. I used a *Wilton 1M star tip, which is the smallest size that will work. I widened the tines to make it a little larger. A *Wilton 6B or *Ateco #826 or *#827 would probably work better if you have them available.

To pipe rounds like the cookies shown, start piping from the center and spiral outwards. Decorative piping isn't my strong suit. If you're not happy with how you've piped a cookie, just scrape it off your baking sheet and reload it into your bag or press.

Measuring Tips for Baking Perfect Vegan Butter Cookies

For best results, measure ingredients by weight, especially the flour. It’s incredibly easy to add too much flour if you measure by volume. If you add too much flour the dough will be very stiff and difficult to pipe/press. The cookies will be denser and drier with dull flavour.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale: Use a whisk to fluff up the top few inches of flour in its container. Use a spoon to gently spoon the fluffed flour into your measuring cup, taking care not to compact the flour. Gently level the measuring cup with a flat edge. When it’s time to add the flour, assess the consistency of the dough as you go. You might not need to add all the flour you’ve measured out. The dough should be slightly firm but not stiff.

If the dough ends up too stiff, skip the piping or pressing. You can roll the dough into balls and press them into rounds, or form it into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, chill, and slice into rounds.

Decorating Vegan Butter Cookies

Sprinkle the unbaked cookies with coloured sanding sugar before baking.
Top each unbaked cookie with a single glacé cherry.
Dip or drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles if desired.

I dipped my cookies into melted chocolate before sprinkling them with chopped pistachios and freeze-dried strawberries.

Reader Favourite Vegan Holiday Cookies

This post contains affiliate links for piping bags and tips. If you purchase a product through one of the links marked with an asterisk (*), we will receive a small commission from your purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Vegan Butter Cookies

★★★★★ 4.8 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 30 medium cookies
Category: Cookies
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

These vegan butter cookies are rich and not too sweet. The texture is crisp, a little crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery.

Ingredients

1 cup (240 grams) vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
½ cup (120 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
3 tablespoons (45 ml) aquafaba
2 ½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour *see notes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together vegan butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, salt, and aquafaba to the creamed butter mixture and beat for 5 minutes.
Mixing by hand, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough is just blended. Avoid overmixing. The dough should be just firm but not stiff.
Fill a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip (or a cookie press), with the cookie dough. Pipe or press the cookies onto a cool cookie sheet, leaving a little space for the cookies to spread.
If desired, sprinkle cookies with coloured sanding sugar or top with a glacé cherry.
Bake until the cookies are just golden-brown around the edges, about 10-13 minutes.
Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
For best texture, store vegan butter cookies lightly wrapped for 1 day before transferring to an airtight container. Freezer-friendly.

Notes

For best results, measure ingredients by weight, especially the flour.

Keywords: vegan butter cookies

The post Vegan Butter Cookies appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

Brittany — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 06:07:36 +0000

This vegan pie crust is flavourful, flaky, and easier to make than you might think. It's perfect for making sweet and savoury pies. I've used it to make pumpkin pie, peach galette, tofu pot pies, and tofu quiche.

Making pie crust, vegan or not, can be a little daunting. But pie dough is more forgiving than you think! If your pie dough is cracking while you roll it out or it sticks to your counter when you try to transfer it to your pie plate, stay calm! A little patience goes a long way. Pie crust folklore suggests that the best pie crusts are always difficult to roll out. True or not, it’s a comforting notion if you’re struggling with a crumbling pie dough.

Something that makes pie crust seem challenging is that you’re relying on look and feel throughout the process. How small or large you cut the butter into the flour will change the amount of water you need to add. I've included pictures to help you gauge how fine to cut the butter and how much liquid is just right.

In this post, I included my best vegan pie crust tips, pros and cons of different fats, and step-by-step photos to walk you through the process.

Essentials for Making Vegan Pie Crust:

Digital scale
Mixing bowl
Pastry blender (or a fork)
Fork
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Off-set metal spatula
Pie plate

What makes pie crust flaky?

Pie dough is made up of both pockets of fat coated in flour and hydrated flour (water + flour). By cutting tiny pieces of fat into the dough and then rolling it out, you create super thin layers of fat and hydrated flour. While you bake the crust, the fat melts, the dough gets crisp, and those flaky separated layers become obvious. This is why it’s important to keep everything cold, it keeps the fat in a solid state so it can create those flaky layers when baked.

Best Vegan Pie Crust Tips:

Measure flour and vegan butter by weight. A cheap, digital kitchen scale is one of the best tools your can have in your kitchen. It ensures consistent results just as the recipe developer intended. Why does it matter so much? The density of 1 cup of flour can vary greatly from person to person. One person's 1 cup can weigh as little as 120 grams, while another's can weigh as much as 180 grams. In a recipe calling for 2 cups of flour, a "dense measurer" could be using 1 whole extra cup of flour to the recipe! If that's not enough, measuring by weight is faster, easier, and uses fewer dishes.
All ingredients and equipment should be as cold as possible. Place your measured butter and flour (plus extra for rolling), mixing bowl, pastry blender, fork, rolling pin, and spatula, in the freezer before getting started. If you have a large marble cutting board that you can roll your dough out on, chill that too!
Add the (ice cold) water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and use as little as possible. Too much moisture = too much steam = a tough pie crust. (Adding too little water will make your pie dough harder to work with and prone to cracking. With a little patience your crust will still turn out flaky and tender.)
Tightly wrap and chill your pie dough for at least 2 hours before rolling it out. This chills the dough and hydrates the flour making it easier to work with.

Vegan Butter vs. Vegetable Shortening vs. Coconut Oil

Vegan butter, vegetable shortening, and coconut oil are all solid fats which is exactly what you need for making vegan pie crust. But there are pros and cons to each.

Vegan Butter (Recommended for best flavour)

Choose a “vegan butter” that’s solid and hard to spread when cold. I always use Earth Balance for vegan pie crust. Do not use vegan margarine (like Becel Vegan) or any other products that are easy to spread straight from the refrigerator.

Flavourful (classic butter taste)
Easy to work with, roll out, etc.
Not a pure fat. Depending on the brand you use, they’ll have varying moisture levels. (Use Earth Balance for best results.)
More expensive than shortening

Vegetable shortening (Affordable and easy to work with)

Bland flavour
Very easy to work with, roll out, etc.
Pure fat - no need to worry about varying moisture levels
Less expensive than vegan butter

Coconut oil (Most difficult to work with)

Coconut flavour (regular coconut oil) or bland flavour (refined coconut oil)
Difficult to work with
- Requires strict temperature control. Coconut oil quickly moves between a solid and liquid state with minor temperature fluctuations.
- More time consuming (requires time to chill and warm while working).
Pure fat - no need to work about varying moisture levels
Price varies depending on brand

How to Make Vegan Pie Crust

Before you get started, chill all ingredients and tools.

1. Mix the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Left: How the vegan pie dough should look after cutting in the vegan butter. Right: Crumbly vegan pie dough that's just starting to clump together with enough added water.

2. Cut the chilled vegan butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork until the fat is in small pieces. The image above (left) shows the ideal texture.

Note: If you don’t cut the butter small enough, you’ll need to add more water to make the dough workable. Too much water = a tougher crust. If the butter is cut too small, the crust won't be as flaky.

3. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while gently mixing with a fork. Keep adding the water and stirring until the vegan pie dough starts to clump together on it’s own. The image above (right) shows how the dough should look, crumbly, but starting to hold together. The dough shouldn’t be wet or sticky.

4. On your countertop, lay out a piece of plastic wrap (I use 2, laid out in a cross shape.) Dump the crumbly vegan pie dough in the center of the plastic wrap. Very tightly wrap the dough into a flat disk so that the dough doesn’t appear crumbly at all. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

Tip: After wrapping the dough into a disk, squish it down, applying enough pressure to make the dough expand within the plastic wrap. This will make the dough compact and will help prevent cracked edges when you roll out the dough.

5. After chilling the dough, unwrap it and place it on a liberally floured surface. Start rolling from the center of the dough, out to the edges. Roll out the pie dough in different directions to achieve a roughly circular shape.

Tip: After every few passes with your rolling pin, use your metal spatula to release the dough from your work surface. Add more flour as needed.

Tip: If you’re concerned about the pie dough sticking, roll it out on a floured piece of parchment paper!

6. Roll out the dough until the dough is at least 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Gently lift the pie dough from your work surface using your metal spatula, and transfer it to your pie plate.

Tip: You can roll the dough onto your rolling pin to help transfer the dough to your pie plate.

Tip: If you have a ton of excess pie dough, you can cut away some of the excess to make it easier to transfer to your pie plate.

7. Making sure the dough lays flush with your pie plate, all the way into the corners. Leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) of excess for folding and fluting the edges, and cut away the rest.

8. Use your fingers to gently mend any cracks by lightly pinching and massaging them to smooth them out.

9. Slowly and gently fold the excess dough under itself to make a smooth, clean edge, folded on the lip of your pie plate.

10. Use the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand and the thumb of your non-dominant hand to pinch/flute the edge of your pie crust. Use a fork to pierce holes in the bottom of the crust.

Tip: For an easier alternative to fluting the edges, use a fork to press into the edges for a decorative effect.

11. Chill or freeze your pie crust until ready to use.

In most cases you do not need to pre-bake or “blind bake” your crust. Only pre-bake the crust if the recipe calls for it.

Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

★★★★★ 4.7 from 3 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 1 pie crust
Category: Pastry, Baking
Method: Pastry
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This vegan pie crust is flavourful, flaky, and made with vegan butter. It's perfect for making sweet and savoury pies.

Ingredients

2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
¾ cup (170 grams) vegan butter (Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
4-8 tablespoon (60-120 ml) ice water

Instructions

Before you get started, chill all ingredients and tools.

Mix the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Cut the chilled vegan butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork until the fat is in small pieces.
Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while gently mixing with a fork. Keep adding the water and stirring until the vegan pie dough starts to clump together on it’s own. The dough should look crumbly, but hold together. The dough shouldn’t be wet or sticky.
On your countertop, lay out a piece of plastic wrap (I use 2, laid out in a cross shape.) Dump the crumbly vegan pie dough in the center of the plastic wrap. Very tightly wrap the dough into a flat disk so that the dough doesn’t appear crumbly at all. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.
After chilling the dough, unwrap it and place it on a liberally floured surface. Start rolling from the center of the dough, out to the edges. Roll out the pie dough in different directions to achieve a roughly circular shape.
Roll out the dough until the dough is at least 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Gently lift the pie dough from your work surface using your metal spatula, and transfer it to your pie plate.
Making sure the dough lays flush with your pie plate, all the way into the corners. Leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) of excess for folding and fluting the edges, and cut away the rest.
Use your fingers to gently mend any cracks by lightly pinching and massaging them to smooth them out.
Slowly and gently fold the excess dough under itself to make a smooth, clean edge, folded on the lip of your pie plate.
Use the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand and the thumb of your non-dominant hand to pinch/flute the edge of your pie crust. Use a fork to pierce holes in the bottom of the crust.
Chill or freeze your pie crust until ready to use.

Notes

Refer to blog post for additional recipe notes and tips.

Keywords: vegan pie crust, vegan pie dough

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Vegan Banana Bread

Brittany — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 15:51:58 +0000

Good news! This is the vegan banana bread recipe you've been looking for. It's absolutely perfect. The flavour is bang on. It’s perfectly sweet, lightly spiced, and very banana-y (duh.) The texture is exactly, exactly right. It’s moist and very tender, soft but with a well-defined crumb. The crust is deeply golden-brown, sweet, soft, and a little sticky after settling.

My best vegan baking recipes are some of the most well-loved and highly reviewed recipes on the blog. Top reader favourites include: Fudgy Vegan Walnut Brownies, Vegan Molasses Cookies, Perfect Vegan Gingerbread Cookies, and Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake. If you’ve enjoyed any of those recipes before, you should know that this Vegan Banana Bread might top them all.

1 BOWL + EASY PREPARATION

In addition to this vegan banana bread being incredible, it scores even more points with its ease of preparation. 15 minutes of prep, 1 bowl, and no weird ingredients.

VEGANIZING BANANA BREAD

Despite veganism current rise in popularity, making vegan cakes isn’t a new idea. During WWII, rationing may have led home cooks to develop desserts with more affordable and readily available ingredients. Butter, eggs, and milk were expensive and harder to source. Instead, cakes relied on chemical leavers, plant-based liquid fats, and gluten, vinegar, and salt for structure. These types cakes are still popular and highly affordable today. I’ve used this technique before, for vegan chocolate cupcakes. It turns out that this method also works perfectly for veganizing banana bread.

USING FLAX SEED AS EGG REPLACER

From the first test I included ground flax as an egg replacer in this recipe. After more research I've come to the conclusion that it might be unnecessary. But until I have more ripe bananas to retest this recipe without flax seeds, I'll leave it as is.

Ground flax has a pleasant nutty flavour and the light flecks enhance the appearance of banana bread. (You'll notice dark flecks throughout a loaf a banana bread, from the center of over ripe bananas.) But if there’s no discernible difference, I'll mark the ground flax seed as optional after a retest.

ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

After mixing up the batter, stir in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips and proceed as directed.

Vegan Banana Nut Bread:

After mixing up the batter, stir in ½ - 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts and proceed as directed.

Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread:

If you’re looking for a gluten-free and vegan banana bread, I’d suggest using a recipe already tested for that purpose. But if I were to attempt to make this recipe gluten-free, I'd try a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum (or a similar ingredient intended to add structure), for best results.

If you do try making this recipe with alternative flours, I'd love to hear about your results!

Substituting canola oil:

A light, neutral-tasting, liquid vegetable oil will perform similarly. Fractionated (liquid) coconut, safflower, and sunflower oil would be effective options. Melted coconut oil or vegan butter might also work well.

RECIPE NOTES AND TIPS

Banana ripeness:

For perfectly sweet banana bread, the bananas you use should be past the point where you’d want to eat them. They'll be very soft, thin-skinned, heavily speckled, and fragrant before peeling. You can use bananas that are even riper than that, all the way to the point where the entire banana is black. The bananas pictured below show the minimum level of ripeness for a great loaf of banana bread.

Using ingredient weights for consistent and intended results:

Whenever possible, measure flour by weight when baking. 1 cup of flour can vary in weight greatly. A standard cup of flour weighs 120 grams. For consistent, reliable results just as the recipe intends, use a kitchen scale! I use a 15$ kitchen scale and it's one of my most-used kitchen essentials.

If you don't have a kitchen scale and you're going to make this recipe anyways:

For the best results using volume, measure your flour correctly: Fluff, Spoon, and Level. In your flour container or bag, thoroughly fluff the top several inches using a whisk. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup (avoid compacting the flour.) Level off the scoop with a flat edge.

Even when using the method above, I still end up with about 20 grams of excess flour. If you’re weighing out your flour by volume, reduce the total amount by 2 tablespoons (use 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoon total.) This came out closer to the required 210 grams in my testing.

More notes for best results:

On oven temperatures and baking times:

Because actual oven temperatures vary, baking times also vary. Your vegan banana bread will be cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Do the toothpick test after a minimum of 40 minutes, when the crust is a very deep golden brown (more brown than golden), with an obvious crack running down the length of the loaf.

A note on achieving the best banana bread texture:

When your vegan banana bread comes out of the oven the crust will be firm and crisp. Wait until the vegan banana bread is only slightly warm before sealing it in a food storage bag, reusable container, or plastic wrap. After being sealed for a couple of hours the crust will become soft and moist with a almost sticky bakery/coffee shop texture.

STORAGE NOTES

Store in a sealed container, food storage bag, or plastic wrap at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate.) Lasts for 5 days.

Freezer-friendly. Thaw at room temperature.

Vegan Banana Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
Category: Breakfast, Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This vegan banana bread is moist, lightly spiced, and perfectly sweet. Just 15 minutes of preparation, 1 bowl, and no fancy ingredients necessary!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (365 g) mashed overripe banana (approx. 3 large bananas)
¾ cup (175 ml) (150 g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (80 ml) canola oil
3 tbsp (45 ml) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used oat)
2 tbsp (30 ml) (10 g) ground flax seed
2 tsp (10 ml) white vinegar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 ¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour *see recipe notes
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
½ cup (90 g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
½-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. After that, there's no need to wait for your oven to preheat fully before moving on to steps 2 and 3.
Use a fork to mash the over ripe bananas. Don’t worry about thoroughly mashing them, it’s okay if there are still chunks of banana.
In a large bowl, whisk together mashed banana, sugar, canola oil, non-dairy milk, ground flax seeds, vinegar, and vanilla. Then, let the mixture sit until the oven is preheated.
In the same bowl, use a whisk to mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Optional: Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden-brown colour and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. After that remove the vegan banana bread from the pan and cool on a cooling rack. When the loaf is just barely warm, seal it up in a container, food storage bag, or plastic wrap for a couple of hours or until the crust becomes soft and moist.
Wait until completely cool before slicing and serving with vegan butter.
Store in a sealed container or food storage bag for 5 days. Do not refrigerate.

Notes

If measuring flour by volume, use the "fluff, spoon, level" method and reduce flour by 2 tablespoon for a total of 1½ cups + 2 tbsp.

Freezer-friendly. Thaw at room temperature.

If needed, refer to blog post for more recipes notes.

Keywords: vegan banana bread

The post Vegan Banana Bread appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Rosemary Herb & Potato Focaccia

Brittany — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 18:47:27 +0000

Freshly baked bread is one of life’s simple pleasures. This Rosemary Herb & Potato Focaccia recipe makes a soft and chewy loaf with a crisp crust. Sea salt, rosemary, garlic, shallots, and crispy slices of Creamer potatoes speckle the golden crust.

This focaccia is best enjoyed fresh and in quantities not recommended by any food guide. The recipe makes an 8” loaf, in theory that’s enough for 4 people to enjoy two slices each. I assure you that two people can polish off a loaf in an evening.

Focaccia is incredibly easy to make. It’s a moist dough that’s quick and easy to knead. Focaccia is a flat bread so it cooks quickly and evenly. You won’t need to wonder if it’s cooked all the way through. If the crust is golden and the edges of the toppings are brown, it’s done!

Try to keep your excitement at bay long enough for the focaccia to cool down to room temperature before you slice into it. Add a skiff of (vegan) butter and enjoy!

Toppings:

The toppings on this Rosemary Herb & Potato Focaccia are simple but impactful.

Strip the sprays of rosemary from the stem instead of chopping it to keep its pungent flavour from becoming overwhelming. Garlic and shallots add bite and subtle touch of heat. The flavours of the rosemary, garlic, and shallots infuse the olive oil and spreads over the surface of the focaccia. This ensures that the focaccia remains flavourful, even if you lose a few toppings while slicing.

Using The Little Potato Company’s Terrific Trio in hues of red, yellow, and blue, bejewel the surface of the focaccia adding pops of colour and a touch of rustic elegance. These delicious Little potatoes come pre-washed and ready to use out of the bag, so it’s a convenient topping to have on hand. Because of their size, they’re easy to use thinly-sliced and shine, simply flavoured with a flaked sea salt and aromatic olive oil to bring out their earthy flavour. These Little potato slices become crispy and golden with a buttery-smooth interior.

Potato Pro Tip: Through my testing, I’ve learned to slice the toppings a little thicker than instincts might suggest. The focaccia takes 25 minutes to cook at high heat. To prevent your toppings from burning they need a little heft to stand up to the heat. Slice the toppings only a little thinner than ¼ “ (or half a cm) for brown but not burnt edges.

Stand mixer vs. Kneading by hand

I’ve tested this recipe in a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, and by hand on a floured counter top. Using either method I knead for about 10 minutes, but that time can come down to 6 minutes in a stand mixer.

The main difference between the methods is that it’s easier to keep the dough moist in a stand mixer. You’re unaffected by sticky hands, so you’ll only need to add flour when the dough is so moist that it won’t form a ball.

If you’re kneading by hand, try lightly flouring the counter top and your hands rather than the dough. Use as little additional flour as possible, just enough to keep the dough workable.

Variations:

The base of this focaccia recipe is perfect for making pizza. The kind of pizza with a crispy, golden, almost fried crust. I use a variation as the base for my Mediterranean Pesto Pizza. It's fantastic for both thick and thin crusts.

As with any topping-laden bread, you’re open to change the toppings to suit the ingredients you have on hand. One of our favourite combinations? Pickled jalapeño slices + cashew parmesan + garlic + sea salt.

Other tried and true toppings include: cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh thyme, caramelized onions, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegan cheese.

Of course Creamer potatoes can be added to any of these combinations because their flavor is so versatile and they’re an easy addition with hassle-free prep.

Tips:

Proofing yeast:

Many recipes include a step to proof yeast before making bread dough. I’ve included proofing as an optional step in the recipe below, but it’s rarely required. It’s purpose is to test the yeast to make sure it’s still active. Proof your yeast if you can’t remember how long ago you opened it, or it’s past its best before date. Fresh yeast doesn't require proofing!

Preheating your baking pan (optional):

To encourage a thicker, crispier crust and to prevent my oven from drastically dropping in temperature, I preheat my baking pan. I baked my focaccia in a 10" cast-iron skillet. If you're using a similarly hefty baking pan you may also decide preheat it.

Since the second rise occurs inside the pan you cook it in, it’s a touch more finicky to preheat the pan. I line my skillet with parchment paper and form the dough to the pan inside. Then I lift the parchment paper and dough out of the skillet and put it on the counter to rise.

Pop your pan into the oven to preheat. Once I've prepared my toppings, preheated my pan/oven, and my dough has doubled in size, I'm ready. Quickly remove the hot pan from the oven, pop the focaccia and parchment paper into the pan, garnish the top and get it back in the oven ASAP.

Cutting parchment circles to size:

The quickest and cleanest way to cut a circle of parchment paper is to fold it like a paper snowflake. Fold a roughly square piece in half, and then in half again (it should be a roughly folded square), and finally into a triangle. Measure the tip against the center of your pan and cut the excess off. I like to leave it a little extra for lifting to loaf out of the pan. Unfold to reveal your perfectly cut parchment paper round.

This post is sponsored by The Little Potato Company.

We love them for their commitment to simple, healthy whole foods like their delicious Creamer potatoes. Thanks for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan!

Head on over to Littlepotatoes.com for hundreds of great recipes, lots of Little potato love, and their super handy store locator!

Rosemary Herb & Potato Focaccia Bread

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Yield: one 8" loaf
Category: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Rosemary, flaked sea salt, garlic, shallots, and sliced Creamer potatoes adorn the crisp crust of this soft and chewy focaccia bread.

Ingredients

Focaccia:

¾ cup (185ml) water, warm
½ tbsp (7.5ml) sugar
½ tbsp (7.5ml) active dry yeast
½ tsp (2.5ml) salt
2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
Olive oil, to coat

Toppings:

3 (65g) The Little Potato Company’s Terrific Trio Creamer potatoes, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2-3 tablespoon (30-45ml) olive oil, divided
½ tsp (2.5ml) flaked sea salt

Instructions

(Optional) In a medium bowl, mix together warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until yeast is froths and bubbles on the surface. (Proofing isn’t necessary with fresh yeast.)

In a bowl or stand mixer, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, salt, and about ¾ of the all-purpose flour. Mix until combined and then knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook or on a lightly floured countertop. Add the remaining flour in small quantities as needed. Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Tip: While kneading, add as little flour as possible while ensuring the dough isn’t too wet to work with. The more moist the dough, the better the finished product will turn out. It’s easier to keep the dough moist if using a stand mixer.
Coat dough ball with a little bit of olive oil and place in a large bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).Tip: Speed up the rising process by placing the bowl somewhere slightly warm (e.g. on top of a running dishwasher). Ensure it’s not too warm or you risk cooking the dough while it rises.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your pan (I used a 10” cast-iron pan). Drizzle the parchment paper with olive oil.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and form it into the parchment paper-lined pan. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 40-60 minutes).
While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and prepare the toppings. Slice the Creamer potatoes, shallot, and garlic into slices just under ¼” (½ cm) thick. Strip the rosemary from the stem but do not cut it.
After the dough has risen, dimple it with your finger 8-10 times. Drizzle the surface and dimples with olive oil. Fill each dimple with a piece of rosemary and a slice of garlic. Top the dough with slices of Creamer potato, shallots, garlic, and pieces of rosemary. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the Creamer potato slices. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of sea salt.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the focaccia is golden brown but the topping are brown but not burnt.
Allow the focaccia bread to come to room temperature before slicing into it. Tip: Enjoy the focaccia within a few hours for best flavour. The rosemary will become more pungent the longer the focaccia sits.

The post Rosemary Herb & Potato Focaccia appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Mushroom Soup and Savoury Herb Scones

Brittany — Fri, 13 May 2016 01:31:05 +0000

Creamy mushroom soup served with fresh buttery herb scones are perfect for those rainy and overcast spring days.

Since my last post the weather has been cool, cloudy and just perfect for baking (and for eating hot soup - chilly, dark days are the best days for soup!)

This "cream" of mushroom is made with a mix of cremini and mild white button mushrooms. The mushrooms are pan-fried with celery, onion and a touch of garlic. Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour to make a roux, whisk in vegetable stock and unsweetened almondmilk and voila! We could leave it there for the simplest and easiest vegan cream of mushroom soup ever but with a couple of extra steps, a little lemon juice, paprika, ground pepper and fresh herbs, this soup becomes velvety smooth and full of flavour.

For optimal texture I used a slotted spoon to scoop out most of the mushrooms and then puréed the remaining soup until smooth and creamy. A high speed blender will give you the best results. You can adjust the amount of mushrooms you reserve - less for a smoother soup or more for a chunkier soup. Recombine the soup and season with fresh lemon juice, thyme, chives, paprika and black pepper. Add a spoonful of the thick cream from a can of full fat coconut milk for a luxurious creaminess that takes this soup to a whole new level.

You should definitely pair this creamy mushroom soup with freshly baked, warm-out-of-the-oven savoury herb scones because this is how you make the most of rainy spring days!

This post is sponsored by Silk. We love Silk for providing a delicious variety of non-dairy plant milks, from your typical soy and almond milks to cashew, coconut, and non-dairy milk blends! All opinions and text are my own.
Sign up for Silk's Newsletter. Looking for Silk in your area? Use this store locator!

Vegan Mushroom Soup

★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

A creamy vegan cremini and white button mushroom soup flavoured with garlic, lemon, thyme and paprika.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive/canola oil or vegan butter
2 cups of halved and sliced (¼" thick) mushrooms (white button and cremini - approx. 14 medium)
½ white or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup Silk Original Unsweetened Almondmilk
½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tbsp fresh thyme
½ tbsp fresh chives
2-4 tablespoon coconut canned full fat coconut milk (optional)
pinch paprika
black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and sauté until mushrooms have released their moisture.
Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the vegetable broth. Bring soup back to a simmer and add almond milk before turning the heat down to medium and simmering for 10 minutes.
Use a large slotted spoon to remove most of the mushrooms and vegetables. Remove and set aside fewer mushrooms for a less chunky soup and more mushrooms for a chunkier soup. Purée the remaining soup until creamy and smooth (a high speed blender works best) before adding the reserved mushrooms. Bring the soup back to a simmer before adding lemon juice, thyme, chives, coconut milk, and paprika. Taste and season with black pepper and salt. If needed, adjust consistency of soup with vegetable broth or unsweetened almondmilk. Also adjust seasoning (lemon juice, thyme, chives, paprika, black pepper, and salt) to suit your preference.

Notes

You may need to add additional almondmilk and vegetable broth to thin the soup if you decide to purée more of the mushrooms for a less chunky soup.

Savoury Herb Scones

★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8
Category: Quick bread
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Tender herb dusted scones that go perfectly with creamy mushroom soup.

Ingredients

Savoury Herb Scones

1 ¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
½ tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup coconut oil (chilled)
¾ cup + 1 tbsp Silk Organic Unsweetened Soymilk
Toppings: 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter (or olive oil), fresh thyme, chives, chili flakes, black pepper and sea salt.

Instructions

Savoury Herb Scones

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Add the chilled coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients. Continue working the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I find it helpful to chill my hands by rinsing them under very cold water for a minute or so. This will help you break up the coconut oil without melting it.)
Add the soymilk and use a fork to stir the ingredients. Do NOT overmix. As soon as the mixture is just combined, turn it onto a floured kitchen counter. Knead about 8-12 times before rolling into an 8" circle on a well-floured counter. The dough should be about 1" thick. Cut into 8 pieces (like a pie!)
Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet (leaving at least ½" between scones.) Brush with melted butter and top with a sprinkle of herbs, etc. (fresh thyme leaves, chopped chives, a pinch of chili pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of sea salt.) Bake for 10-15 minutes. They should be golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Cool on a cooling rack and serve as soon as possible.

Notes

For best results, make sure to measure your flour accurately! How to Measure Flour

The post Vegan Mushroom Soup and Savoury Herb Scones appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Brittany — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:56:58 +0000

Scones + lemon zest + poppy seeds = spring baking perfection.

Our usual string of dreary winter days has been peppered with the odd luxuriously warm and sunny day. Thank goodness because I was starting to wonder if spring still existed! These are the days where you can't help but open the windows to let in a little sun and a breeze.

We were treated to one of those lovely days last week. Ugh, it was glorious. I took it as an opportunity to slow down a little and get reacquainted with my first food love: baking.

The day was just perfect. My kitchen was completely clean (not normal) and newly rearranged. I put on some happy music before taking my time finding the perfect scone recipe to adapt and veganize. I went slowly adapting the ingredients and amounts, making sure to account for moisture, fat content, etc., while simply enjoying the task at hand. It's not often that a day can feel so perfect and I can feel properly in the moment. It was so simple, so rejuvenating, and just plain perfection. Oh, and the smell of fresh air, lemon zest, and fresh baking is a delightful combination.

The scones turned out just right on the first try. Not-too-sweet, perfectly lemony, light, and drizzled in a bright, sweet lemon zest glaze. These are exactly what you need to bake on a beautiful nearly-spring day. They're lovely with a mug of hot tea, and if you so desire, a touch of vegan butter and your favourite jam - blueberry or raspberry is my vote 🙂 Enjoy!

Today's recipe is brought to you courtesy of Silk! I'm thrilled to tell you that we'll be collaborating with Silk to provide delicious dairy-free recipes throughout 2016. Silk has been my go-to brand for non-dairy milk for ages and I couldn't be more excited for this partnership. Today's recipe features Silk's Unsweetened Organic Soymilk, my go-to for baking! Thanks to its high protein content (7g per cup!) it easily replaces dairy milk in most recipes. Silk's Soymilk also happens to be non-GMO, 100% cholesterol free, low in saturated fat, high in calcium, and free of artificial colors and flavours!

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

★★★★★ 4.6 from 12 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Category: Baking, Quickbreads
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Not-too-sweet, perfectly lemony, light, and drizzled in a bright lemon zest glaze. These are exactly what needs to be baked on a beautiful nearly-spring day! They're perfect with a mug of tea, and if you so desire, a touch of vegan butter and your favourite jam.

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

1 ¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
½ tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds
zest of 1 lemon (finely chopped)
¼ cup coconut oil (chilled)
¾ cup + 1 tbsp Silk Unsweetened Organic Soymilk

Lemon Glaze

1 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp Silk Unsweetened Organic Soymilk (warm)
10 ml lemon juice
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest

Instructions

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all dry ingredients, including poppy seeds and lemon zest.
Add the chilled coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients. Continue working the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I find it helpful to chill my hands by rinsing them under very cold water for a minute or so. This will help you break up the coconut oil without melting it.)
Add the soy milk and use a fork to stir the ingredients. Do NOT overmix. As soon as the mixture is just combined, turn it onto a floured kitchen counter. Knead about 8-12 times before rolling out on a well-floured counter. The dough should be about 1" thick. Cut into rustic triangles (about the size of a deck of cards.)
Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet (leaving at least ½" between scones) and bake for 10 minutes. They should be golden brown.
Cool before glazing.

Glaze

Combine the warm soy milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, icing sugar, and lemon zest. Whisk until combined. Add more soy milk for a thinner glaze (good for dunking the entire scone), add more icing sugar for a thicker glaze (great for drizzling). Once the scones are cooled, drizzle or dunk in glaze. Enjoy!

Notes

For best results, make sure to measure your flour accurately! How to Measure Flour Cream Scones recipe adapted from On Cooking - Fourth Edition

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