I know that butter swim biscuits were a trend on TikTok, but they really inspired me to make focaccia. I love the taste that olive oil lends to the crust of that bread, so I decided to combine the two here. I use sourdough discard in mine, as I am constantly feeding and discarding it, but it's optional and can be replaced with equal parts Vegan Sour Cream or Yogurt. By grating in frozen vegan butter, the dough comes together rather quickly but results in perfectly flaky, rich biscuits with a wonderful golden crust, thanks to baking them like focaccia bread.
Special Ingredients: Notes and Tips
Vegan Butter: Make sure to freeze your vegan butter block at least 30 minutes before using to make sure it maintains its shape throughout mixing and baking the dough. This will give you perfect pockets and flaky bits throughout the biscuits.
Cold Plant Milk: I love soy milk for baking, as it has a similar protein content to regular plant milk. However, use your favorite baking milk, other than coconut milk, as coconut milk has a very high fat content that may affect the outcome. Whichever milk you choose, make sure it is pretty cold, as you don't want the milk temperature to melt or affect the frozen butter bits in the biscuit dough.
Baking Powder: These biscuits call for a whole tablespoon of baking powder. To reduce the metallic aftertaste that baking powder may give off, I like to use aluminum-free baking powder. Make sure there are no remaining clumps in the dry ingredients, either, to reduce strong baking powder aftertastes.
Sourdough Discard: This is optional, but I've found the discard to give these biscuits a nice tangy flavor that pairs well with the olive oil and vegan butter in the recipe. Of course, you may sub with 1/4 cup water (cold) and 1/4 cup more flour, or 1/2 cup of your favorite vegan yogurt.
Turbinado (or Demerara) Sugar: I love to add this sugar on top of my simpler bakes because the crunch is something fun to complement the base of the biscuit. If you want your biscuits to lean more sweet, feel free to sprinkle this over the top of the dough just before baking, but, of course, it's optional.
Flaky Salt: I've found this to also be a fun addition to the top of the biscuits. I've paired the sugar and salt together, but feel free to play around with the topping!
Vegan Olive Oil Swim Biscuits (with sourdough discard)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Add the olive oil to the bottom of a square (8''x8'') baking tin. Make sure the olive oil covers the bottom of the pan completely.
- Combine the Apple Cider Vinegar and Plant milk. Set back in the fridge for at least 5 minutes.
- Whisk the dry ingredients, including the sugar, together in a bowl. Make sure there are no clumps of baking powder and baking soda remaining.
- Add the sourdough and cold milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Grate in the frozen butter, using the medium side of the grater. Work quickly, as you want the butter to stay as cold as possible.
- Mix in the butter until just combined.
- Flatten the dough into the pan. Using a bench scraper or a knife, score the dough into 9 equal rectangles.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins, until the sides are golden brown. I recommend turning the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes. Best served warm; break apart and enjoy.
Video
@elizasveganbakes olive oil swim biscuits 🫒 🍞 sourdough discard or regular recipe on my website: www.elizasveganbakes.com #oliveoil #butterswimbiscuits #plantbasedbaking #veganbaking #sourdoughbiscuits
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