Millet "Buttermilk" Biscuits (gluten-free, vegan)

Today is a good day. I figured out how to make some vegan "buttermilk" biscuits that my family really likes. I know there probably are a few other GF/vegan biscuits on the market, but I really wanted to create one that I could make from scratch and that I really liked. I found it today. I am truly happy with this creation and know I will be making it again and again. I love how they are made with millet flour. They have good protein filled flour with no added junk. Millet is so nutty, yet not too strong or earthy, it is just right in my opinion. They have a perfect crusty crunchy skin, with a fluffy, almost flaky, middle. I guess in my mind, they are a gluten-free version of the Pillsbury Grands biscuit. They taste and smell just like them to me. It has been probably over 5 years since I have has a Grands biscuit, so my memory may be failing me, but really...who really cares. Don't burst my bubble. I'm on cloud nine.

Oh the crazy life of a gluten-free baker. We just dream up creations... thinking about all of the what ifs. It's crazy that a gluten-free "buttermilk" biscuit could make you feel like life has more possibilities than it did before. That there is hope for us and that eating gluten-free can be the 'bee's-knees'. OK, I'm going a bit overboard, but truly I believe that more excited you are about eating gluten-free the more content you will be with the lifestyle. There are so many possibilities that can happen with these delightful biscuits. A treat with any soup or stew...smothered in vegan butter with your favorite homemade jam, or other breakfast treats. My husband asked if I could try to make some pigs-in-a-blanket with this recipe... and that got my brain a spinning. Really... the new possibilities are wondrous. So many adventures to be had.

Millet "Buttermilk" Biscuits Recipe

1/2 cup of brown rice flour

1/2 cup of tapioca flour

1/2 cup of organic corn flour

1 cup of millet flour (+ handful more for rolling and dusting)

1 1/2 TB of flaxmeal

2 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

1 ts. of xanthan gum

1/2 ts. of sea salt

1/4 cup of homemade applesauce

1/4 cup of agave nectar (or raw honey, but won't be vegan)

1/3 cup of melted coconut oil

3/4 cup of So Delicious Coconut Milk (or other non-dairy milk) ***with 1 lemon freshly squeezed into the separate bowl. So about 2-3 TB of fresh lemon juice added to the milk and let sit for 10 minutes to make a cultured buttermilk-type of mixture.

First, pour the milk and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Wait for 10 minutes and it will be ready to mix with the rest of the batter. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together first, and then add the wet including the milk/lemon mixture. Mix well with a spatula, but make sure not to over mix to make it too soft. Then wait a few minutes and the dry and wet will thicken a bit together.

If the batter is a bit too soft for some reason, then add just a dusting of millet flour so that you can handle it with your hands and roll out on a piece of parchment paper or on the floured counter.

Roll out a large log with the dough, and try to roll it out to 12 inches. Then take a serrated knife and cut 1 inch slices so that you end up with 12 biscuits circles. Put the biscuits on a parchment papered baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The picture above the recipe is of the pre-baked biscuits ready for baking.

You will know the biscuits are perfect when your kitchen smells heavenly and the tops of the biscuits should be golden brown and the bottoms brown as well. Wait a few minutes to cool before you serve with soup, salad or with a dollup of jam.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and save it for the best-of's for 2011. I know it's a 2011 fav and it's only January. I hope you have a warm and cozy day. I sit here by my kitchen window as another 5 inches of snow is being dropped. Beautiful of course... and bitterly cold. So, it's nice to be inside enjoying warm biscuits with my loves.

Have a good day!

Stephanie