Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits (Vegan)

These are so good!!! I have made more biscuits in my life than I could ever count and I can't write a biscuit post without a quick walk down memory lane. When I was fresh out of my first year of the Culinary Arts program at the CIC in Charlottetown, I started my internship at the Pearl Eatery in North Rustico, PEI. I'll never forget Maxine Delaney showing me how to make her recipe. Folding the dough over several times to create beautifully flaky, perfect biscuits. This was a daily ritual, one for each guest before their meal...not to mention the time I had to make 300 for a function we did. Oh my. 

With all that being said, I am proud of my veganized version and I think, Maxine, you would approve.  For my first trial I used Daiya vegan cheddar, and for the 2nd trial I used Parmela Sharp  Cheddar. The Parmela is a bit pricier but in this context it was the clear winner, it is aged 60 days and made from cultured cashew milk. Some fresh chopped jalapeño adds lots of flavour, but they aren't at all spicy. Next time I make chili I will be whipping up a batch of these. For the butter I used Melt Organic Buttery Spread. It is my favourite and I recommend checking out their site & products. The cheese and the butter I picked up at Sobeys. Onto the recipe. This is a small batch, double it if you're feeding a crowd.

Yield: 8 - 10 biscuits
Ingredients:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, cold
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 cup grated vegan cheddar 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh jalapeño pepper
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp flaked kosher salt

Method:

1. Mix 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, let sit. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt & sugar.
   
3. Mix in vegan butter  with your fingers until evenly distributed and in small pieces.
4. Mix in vegan cheese, and chopped jalapeño.
5. Using a fork stir in the soy milk mixture. 
6. Combine until all the flour is lifted from bottom of bowl, and you can form dough into a disc shape. Add a splash more soy milk if needed to incorporate all the flour. 
7. Fold the dough in half, and press down to flatten it a bit. Repeat fold 5 times, pressing dough down each time. 
8. Now dust work surface and biscuit dough with a bit of flour, roll until dough is 1 inch thick. 
9. Cut into diamond shapes with a knife or use a biscuit cutter. Re roll scraps and cut shapes until no dough remains. 
10. Place biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in 425°F oven for 15 minutes. (I check them after 10 minutes, but 15 in my oven is the right amount of time.)