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I love biscuits, but I don’t love the shortening old fashioned biscuits call for. I had tried different recipes over the years, but they just didn’t resemble the type of biscuit I longed for. I wanted a tall biscuit that would generously split open and hold up to vegan sausage gravy, maple syrup or the like. Flat biscuits just weren’t going to work, and they were too dense.
I hit upon an idea to substitute for the shortening: homemade tofu sour cream. It worked! The biscuits are tall, and even have “layers” like their less healthier counterparts. No, they are not quite as “flaky” as traditional biscuits, but they are darn near close in appearance, taste and texture.
Update 4/18: I tried using silken tofu last night, and it worked too! Details below.
I highly recommend using Bob’s Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, as it provides similar nutrition to whole wheat flour with a lighter taste. I use this flour in all of my quick breads.
Shortening & Oil-Free Baking Powder Biscuits
Recipe adapted from the one found on vintage Tupperware pastry mats
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup homemade tofu sour cream (OR for a shortcut use 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu!)
The sour cream I use is Chloe Coscarelli’s recipe.
I found it is included in the FREE preview of Amazon HERE. I leave out the oil. My older recipe doesn’t call for xanthan gum, so that is optional as well.
OR Try this NEW link (thanks Renee!): Tofu Sour Cream Recipe
3/4 c. milk (I use unsweetened almond)
Directions
Mix dry ingredients together, then cut in sour cream or tofu with a pastry cutter. (Or two knives if you don’t have one). Stir in milk, form into ball with hands. Roll out on lightly floured surface (I use a vintage Tupperware pastry mat) and cut out 12 biscuits with circle cutter. Bake at 450 degrees 10 to 15 mts. I check after 10 minutes, baking until lightly brown. I cook the biscuits on a silpat non stick liner. Cool on wire rack. Makes 12 tall biscuits. Serve warm. Enjoy!
It costs me about $.50 for a batch of 12 biscuits, just $.04 each!