My grandmother made biscuits 3 meals a day. They were farmers and biscuits or cornbread were really the only breads they ever had in the house. She also taught all of the kids and grandkids how to make biscuits when we were young.
Over they years I have made some changes to the recipe because of our diet changes, but they are basically just like she made them , and I could make those biscuits in my sleep.
SO, when I fist learned about an angel biscuit, I was instantly resistant! Who in the world makes southern biscuits with yeast!?!? For shame!! Yet, I bake so many yeast breads and was intrigued just enough, that when I had a few spare hours the other day, I decided to try and veganize an angel biscuit recipe I found in a magazine. I had seen recipes online and in cookbooks for years and just kept ignoring them. How stupid could I be.
These biscuits are SO GOOD! They are so light and fluffy, like a pillowy, buttery cloud. I imagine this is where they get the name. Now, would I forsake my tried and true grandmothers biscuit recipe and replace it with vegan angel biscuits? Shut your mouth! I would never!! They are still one of my all time favorite foods, they are quick and easy and perfect. But these vegan angel biscuits are like a perfect marriage between a fluffy yeast roll and a biscuit. Something entirely different!
They require more time than our regular vegan biscuits because they contain yeast and that means they need time to rise before baking. But let me assure you they are worth the wait.
I guess the moral of this story is that I have never met a biscuit that I don’t like, no matter if they are my grandmothers recipe, or these cloud like yeasty vegan angel biscuits. I’m telling you, if you have never tried an angel biscuit, using one of my grandmothers favorite phrases, don’t knock it til you try it, y’all, because in this case you will surely be missing out.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup warm water (around 110 degrees) I just use hot tap water.
2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cups vegan butter
2 cups plant based milk
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 tablespoons melted butter
INSTRUCITONS:
Add water, yeast, and 1 teaspoons of sugar to a bowl. Let them mixture sit for about 5 minutes. You will know its ready once the top is foamy or bubbly. If it does not appear to be foamy, you may have gotten the water too hot and killed the yeast. If thats the case, start over.
Mix milk and vinegar and let it sit for five minutes.
In a large bowl combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Add the butter, and using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it is crumbly.
Add the yeast mixture and milk to the flour and stir just until everything is well incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 2 hours, or up to 4 days. I like to start this dough at night so it is ready when I wake up, because I am far to impatient to wait the 2 hours in the morning.
Once you are ready to use the dough preheat oven to 400 degrees. Turn dough out onto a clean and floured surface. It will be sticky so flour your hands as well. Pat the dough out into about a 1 inch thick circle. Cut biscuits with a 2 inch biscuit cutter or using the rim of a glass. Pat scrap dough back into a circle and cut remaining biscuits. You should be able to get about a dozen biscuits. Place biscuits touching in a 10-12 inch cast iron pan. If you do not have a cast iron, you can place them touching on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter then place on the top rack of your oven.
Bake biscuits for about 20 minutes. You can poke a cake tester or tooth pick into one of the biscuits if you are not sure they are done on the inside. If they are browning too quickly, you can move them to the middle rack for the remainder of the bake.
Allow biscuits to cool some before serving.
If you like this recipe, try these:
Fluffy Southern Vegan Biscuits
