Chipotle ‘Cheddar’ Biscuits

Daiya cheese is, by far, the best vegan ‘cheese’ I’ve ever tried. It’s simply delicious, with a comparable flavour and consistency to regular cheese (it even melts!). Daiya is more commonly available south of the border, but it can be found here at a few restaurants in town like the Naam and Bandidas.

Unfortunately, you can only buy it retail at Karmavore in New Westminster.

We made the trek out to New West a few months back just for Daiya and it was well worth the trip – and the cost. A five-pound block of Daiya set us back $40, but gourmet real cheese of equal size would probably cost the same or more. We stuck most of it in the freezer and have only finished about half of it, so it lasts awhile.

Now onto the biscuits. Wow. These are really wow. Aromatic, with a great kick from the chipotle powder and a soft, luscious dough, but of course the cheese was the real standout here. They reminded me a bit of pizza buns, but a more grown-up version.

I halved the original recipe because I wasn’t sure how these would turn out. But we’re going through them so quickly, I’ll definitely double this next time!

Chipotle ‘Cheddar’ Biscuits
From A Cozy Kitchen

½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup garfava flour
3 tbsp tapioca flour
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ cup vegan margarine, chilled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup grated and tightly packed vegan Daiya cheese (or other cheese substitute)
½ cup plus 2 tbsp rice milk, mixed with ¼ tsp vinegar
Egg replacer equal to one egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, pepper, chipotle powder, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.

Add the margarine and, using your hands or the back of a wooden spoon, work the margarine into the dough. The mixture should look like coarse sand. Add the cheese and stir to thoroughly incorporate it into the dough.

In a small bowl, whisk together the rice milk, vinegar and egg replacer. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated.

Use a small ice cream scoop or a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop the dough and drop it in mounds onto a prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart (I got eight biscuits). Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean.

Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack. The biscuits can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. Store the biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days.