Soft, fluffy warmth for your holiday table: Vegan sweet potato biscuits
Of all the dishes that I’ve made — and eaten — at Thanksgiving meals over the years, it’s often the bread that makes me happiest, and none so much as a warm biscuit.
These soft biscuits have a beautiful light orange hue from the sweet potatoes and a hint of fall flavor from the spices.
VEGAN SWEET POTATO COCONUT BISCUITS
10 servings (makes 10 biscuits); total time: 45 minutes, plus 2
hours for chilling
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed ½ cup full-fat coconut milk, divided, plus more as needed 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Preparation: Prick the sweet potato in five or six places with a sharp knife. Place it on a microwave-safe plate and microwave it on high for 5 minutes, rotating it halfway through. Check to see if it’s fork-tender, and continue microwaving in 1-minute increments until it is. Let it cool enough to handle, then cut it in half, scoop out the flesh into a small bowl and mash. Add ¼ cup of the coconut milk and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 2 hours.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the chilled sweet potato-coconut milk mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. If the dough is not holding together, add more coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface, flour your hands, and press the dough together with the heel of your hands. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining ¼ cup of coconut milk.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are puffed and the bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Adapted from a recipe by Erika Council in Black Food by Bryant Terry (4 Color Books, 2021).