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Okay, let’s be real here. I am a sucker for really good flaky buttery biscuits! I don’t know why but there is just something about freshly baked, flaky goodness that make my heart sing. At least, next to breads and other buttery pastries. I love biscuits, in a sense, it is a soul food classic. And I’m all about that soul food, and you best believe it. Before going plant-based vegan, I used to eat a ton of biscuits to pair with potatoes and chicken (I don’t eat chicken anymore, obviously).

So, it is only fitting that I make a flaky biscuit recipe on this blog. Also, it gives me a little break from the usual everyday easy meal recipes I share on this site. While talking flaky layers of biscuits (and doing a lamination process) may seem intimidating, it’s actually not that hard.

The only thing I would require of you, throughout this recipe, is to: (1) work fast and (2) keep your ingredients cold at all times.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT BISCUIT?

While the answer may be subjective, I find that a really good biscuit acquires a few things:

  • Light not dense. It almost has an “airy” center as opposed to hefty and feeling thick.
  • It is more flaky and layered than it is bread-like. The lesser of the gluten development, the flakier the biscuit will be.
  • Buttery with a hint of sweetness.
  • Will pair with just about anything. Biscuit sandwich, pour it with gravy for holiday treats, as a side dish or appetizer, or to snack on.

All of these, in which, I’ve crossed check when developing this recipe. Flaky layers, buttery, savory (with hints of sweetness), and light in texture and density.

CHEDDAR & CHIVES

For this recipe, I wanted to combine cheddar and chives into the biscuit. I like the idea that it just adds extra flavor and herbs into a biscuit. Chives are one of my favorite herbs, it has a garlic-y flavor profile and adds a great aromatic touch. And in true vegan magic fashion, making it a cheesy biscuit was actually not that complicated. No need for fancy special cheeses, you can pick up any of your favorite vegan cheese and add it into the biscuit. Very simple, minimal ingredients.

CREATING THE BISCUIT DOUGH

When it comes to the art of making flaky pastries and baked goodies, the NUMBER ONE RULE anyone would tell you is to KEEP YOUR BUTTER COLD AT ALL TIMES. Why? This is what will give the flaky texture of the pastry as the solid butter melts in the oven when it bakes. Getting the right butter texture as you prepare the dough will play a huge role in getting achieving the flaky layers.

The ingredients are very minimal and the technique might be new to some of you but don’t worry. Let’s walk you through it.

Once you’ve combined liquid and dry ingredients, form a shaggy dough and work it on a smooth clean surface. Then divide dough into four pieces. No need to be super perfect, you can eyeball how equal the pieces are. The dough may fall apart or dry but trust me, it will be fine. It just means the flour needs to hydrate more. Don’t add anymore liquids to the mix. As you stack your layers, it will slowly come together.
Stack the four pieces on top of the each other. Press down and roll into one inch thick. You will be rolling 1″ thick of dough all throughout this recipe. If you feel your butter is too soft or melting, pop the dough into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before working it again. Flour your surface if it sticks onto the rolling pin. Repeat the process again by dividing the dough into two pieces.
Stack the two pieces and press down. Roll out into a 1″ thick dough and even out the edges. You may ask, is stacking important in biscuits? The answer is: yes! This will give the layers of the biscuits. This process is also called lamination.
Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut each piece into 2″ x 3″ squares (or your desired size). It doesn’t have to be perfect squares to the tee. Try your best. My only recommendation, slice/cut real fast one and done for a cleaner finish and you can visibly see all the layers. Then, brush with maple butter before baking.

MAPLE BUTTER

Adding a touch of sweetness will help amplify this biscuit. Maple butter will do the trick! There is no recipe to it really, is vegan melted butter mixed with a tablespoon of maple syrup. Glaze it on top before baking and then after. It will give it a beautiful golden brown color once it comes out of the oven, too!

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Vegan Cheddar & Chives Flaky Biscuits

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish
Keyword Buttery Biscuit, Flaky Biscuit, Vegan Appetizer, Vegan Biscuit, Vegan Cheddar & Chive Biscuit, Vegan Flaky Biscuit, Vegan Side Dish
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Author The Earth Kitchen

Equipment

  • Spatulas
  • measuring cups and/or food scale
  • measuring spoons
  • food processor or pastry blender
  • Mixing bowl
  • baking tray
  • parchment paper or silicone mat
  • sharp knife or bench scraper
  • dough roller
  • biscuit cutter (optional)
  • pastry brush

Ingredients

  • 1½ block (165g or 12 tbsp) vegan butter frozen or really cold
  • 2 cups (275g) unbleached all purpose flour spoon & leveled
  • 2 tsp (7g) baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp (40g) granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp (3g) kosher salt or sea salt
  • ¾ cup (115g) vegan shredded cheddar cheese or any vegan cheese of choice
  • ½ cup (30g) fresh chives cut into small pieces
  • ½ cup (4 fl oz.) unsweetened plain plant milk cold
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

FOR THE MAPLE BUTTER GLAZE

  • 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH PREPARATION

  • Cut butter into small cubes or pieces. Place in the freezer overnight or at least thirty minutes before baking to keep the butter cold.
  • Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl such as the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Prepare food processor or pastry blender.
  • Add the cold butter into the dry ingredients and pulse in a food processor / or break apart with a pastry blender. Butter should break into pea-sized pieces and crumble in the flour. It should resemble a sandy texture. Pulse or pastry blend until butter & flour are all are well combined.
    Try to work fast as you don't want your butter to melt or soften. If any time you feel your butter softening, stick into the freezer for 15 minutes before handling again.
  • Transfer dough mixture back to mixing bowl (if you used a food processor). Add the rest of the dry ingredients such as the cheese and chives. Mix until well combined.
  • Using a small sauce bowl/mixing bowl, whisk together plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Pour liquid ingredients gradually to the dry and start folding ingredients together until it forms a shaggy dough.
    Pro-tip: keep both milk and apple cider vinegar in the fridge before ready for use to help keep the dough cold.
  • Do not overwork the dough, just enough until most dry flour spots are hydrated. Dough might fall apart and look crumbly which is normal. Try not to over mix or use hands as it may soften the butter.

SHAPING THE DOUGH

  • You will need to work fast to make sure that the butter is still cold and not melting. Again, if you feel your dough softening up and butter is melting, stick it back into the freezer before proceeding.
    On a clean, smooth work surface. Dust evenly with flour. Place the shaggy dough on the work surface and try your best to form into a rectangle together. Form until it is 1" thick. Again, dough might look dry or fall apart.
  • Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Evenly stack on one another and press down and roll until it is a 1" thick rectangle. This process is called laminating, which will give the flaky layers in a biscuit.
  • Repeat the process but this time, divide the dough into two pieces and stack. Press and roll into a 1" thick rectangle.
  • Clean out the edges using a bench scraper to make it as even as possible.
  • Cut into squares. Roughly 2" x 3" squares or your desired size. Place back into the freezer as you wait to preheat your oven. It does not have to be too perfect or precise in size.
    You can also use a biscuit cutter, however, it will leave you with excess dough to work with and reworking the dough will not yield the same results.

BAKING

  • Preheat oven to 425°F for 30 minutes.
  • As you wait for the oven to preheat, be sure that your biscuit dough is in the freezer for the butter to set.
    Prepare the maple butter glaze by melting vegan butter in the microwave. Then add in maple syrup. Whisk thoroughly until well combined.
  • Once you are ready to bake, remove the biscuit dough out of the freezer and brush with maple butter glaze ON THE TOP only. Do not brush the sides as it may weigh down the biscuit layers. Gently brush and do not press (or weigh down) the dough at this point.
  • Drop the oven temperature to 400°F. And place biscuit into the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top and bottom exterior are golden brown and crisp.
  • Remove from oven and brush with a little more of the melted butter and maple glaze.
  • Best served when eaten fresh and warm.

Notes

  1. Keep your ingredients and dough as cold as possible. Softened or melted butter will compromise the texture and will not give flaky results. Flaky pastries REQUIRE a cold dough and even COLDER butter. If you work in a warmer environment, freeze your butter overnight before baking the next day or at least for one hour. Make sure liquid ingredients are chilled in the fridge before mixing it with the ingredients.  You may also stick your mixing bowls / baking utensils in the fridge or freezer 30 minutes before baking but that is not necessary unless your kitchen is very hot/warm. 
  2. Use Earth Balance vegan butter. Not sponsored. But I do find that Earth Balance vegan butter works well with pastries. Vegan butter melts faster than regular dairy butter. But of all the vegan butter I’ve tested, Earth Balance held its form without melting or softening fast compared to Country Crock. So if you are new to making flaky pastries, use Earth Balance first. 
  3. Work fast and try to avoid overworking the dough with your hands. The warmth of your hands will soften the butter. So work as fast as you can. Ideally, using a food processor will make life so much easier. Secondary, a pastry blender. Fork or potato masher will also work. 
  4. Biscuits need acidity for a light, flaky texture. By combining plant milk with apple cider vinegar, it will create vegan buttermilk. I do not recommend other substitutes for apple cider vinegar for this recipe. 
  5. Any vegan cheese will do. Cheddar works best for the sharp contrast in flavors. Shredded vegan cheese will work just fine but you can also use vegan cheese slices and cut them into small chunky pieces. Whichever you prefer.
 
This recipe was inspired by Bon Appetit’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits by Claire Saffitz and Mississippi Vegan’s Flaky Garlic Cheese Biscuits.