Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

It's a fact. Fresh baked bread is the most heavenly wonder imaginable for your tastebuds. Bonus: it makes your house smell like a bakery.

Luckily, fresh baked bread is not as unattainable as it might seem. To many, baking bread may seem like a daunting task full of yeast proofing and tedious kneading, but it's actually not all that difficult, especially if you stick to no yeast quick-bread recipes when you first start out. Yes it's messy and your hands get sticky, but once you have tasted your own fresh bread there is no going back. Plus, this biscuit recipe takes about 20 minutes to make (including bake time...seriously) so there's no excuse to not give it a try.

Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted self-rising flour (or sift together all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp. baking powder and a dash of salt)
• 1/4 cup nondairy margarine (I use Smart Balance light)
• 3/4 cup nondairy milk
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

To Make

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine your milk and vinegar in a cup. Mix with a fork and set aside to allow the milk to slightly curdle. This process mimics the buttermilk used in traditional biscuit recipes. Pour your flour into a large mixing bowl. Add your margarine and fold into the flour to combine. I like to mix the flour and margarine by hand until it clumps up like cornmeal. Add your milk little by little and mix with a whisk or wooden spoon. Form into a ball and roll onto a floured surface.

Roll your dough around in the flour until it is no longer sticky. Flatten your dough then fold in half. Repeat this process several times to make big fluffy biscuits. Roll out with a rolling pin until your dough is about an inch thick. Use the rim of a glass or a round cutter to cut out your individual biscuits. Place your biscuits on a lightly greased pan and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and serve nice and toasty.

For fun variation, try adding freshly chopped herbs into your batter, or even shredded vegan cheeses. Serve with margarine, jam, syrup or veggie gravy, which you can easily make in a pan before serving.

Veggie Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 cup veggie broth
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• salt and pepper to taste
  

To Make

Mix your cornstarch and water with a fork and set aside. Heat your broth in a frying pan on medium heat. Add your salt and pepper as desired. Allow your broth to bubble and pull away from the edges before adding your cornstarch mixture. Continue to move in the pan on medium to high heat until it turns lumpy and gelatinous. Serve immediately or cool and heat as needed.