Sourdough English Muffins

Ingredients

  • 200g sourdough starter
  • 40g agave
  • 500g soy milk
  • 750g all-purpose flour
  • 10g sea salt
  • Semolina for coating

Process

Evening of day one:

  • Hand mix all ingredients except semolina in a large bowl until fully combined, then cover and allow to sit on the counter for 45 minutes.
  • Knead dough by hand for 5 minutes or in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 3 minutes. 
  • Place dough in large bowl, cover well, and leave out (or in unheated oven) overnight. If your house is under 68* you may want to find a slightly warmer spot. If it’s over 75*, you may want to find a cooler place.

Morning of day two:

  • Turn on oven light but no heat.
  • Place 1/2 the dough on a lightly floured surface, and press it out to about 1/2” thickness with hands.
  • Use a biscuit cutter or ring from a wide-mouthed canning jar to cut muffins.
  • You can put scraps together to make more biscuits, but try not to overwork.
  • Place muffins on a pan lined with parchment and liberally sprinkled with semolina and sprinkle the tops with semolina. 
  • Repeat with second half of dough.
  • Place pans into oven (with light on) and allow to rise for an hour (if your house is pretty warm, you can just do this on the counter).
  • Preheat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. 
  •  Place 4-6 muffins into the skillet spaced 1″ apart.
  • Cover and cook each side for 8 minutes, or until medium golden. Press lightly with spatula while cooking to create flat sides. Internal temperature should be 190* minimally at finish.
  • Allow to cool at least 5 full minutes (10 is better) until serving. Open by inserting fork around outside edge.
  • Once cool, they can be reheated in oven, pan, or toaster.

Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies

I’m feeling a little dreary, so when a friend posted a picture of some lemon cookies, it seemed like exactly the right thing to bake. I scouted around online, read a bunch of recipes, reviewed my own shortcake recipes, shoved them all together, and this is what resulted!

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1.5 cup vegan butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar or brown sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • pinch salt

Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • oat or soy milk as needed

Process

  • Beat together the vegan butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
  • Sift and then slowly add the flour, mixing until combined. Dough will appear crumbly!
  • Preheat oven to 350º F.
  • Now you have 2 options. You can refrigerate for an hour, roll out to ¼-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter. Or, you can skip refrigerating and press into mini muffin tins.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, and then watch until golden on top.
  • Cool on cookie sheet or in muffin tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add oat or soy milk, a tiny bit at a time while whisking until the icing becomes smooth and is the consistency you like.
  • Spread or drizzle icing over cooled cookies.
  • Makes ~ 3 dozen

Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

Shelter at home calls for baking – a lot of baking – many many carbs. So, today it was these easy muffins. The first batch I made, I grabbed the wrong canister and used cornstarch instead of baking powder. I cannot recommend that option!

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 /3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 /4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I like mini ones)
2 /3 cup chopped walnuts

Process

Add vinegar to the cup of soy milk, stir and set aside to curdle.

Mix dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients and mix gently.

Distribute between 12 muffin cups.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin in the center of the pan comes out clean.