This is a showstopper – light fluffy dough balls flavoured with beautiful smoky chilli and rosemary. Simple to make, and – paired with my “cheese” sauce – they are divine.
Serves 10
Cooks in 180 minutes
Difficulty: 5/10
Ingredients
For the dough balls
- 240ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
- 240ml (1 cup) lukewarm soy milk
- 2 tsp yeast
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 500g (4 cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp smoked chilli flakes
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 4 tbsp almond milk
- 4 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
Toppings
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp dried garlic flakes
- 1 tbsp smoked chilli flakes
- a few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme and rosemary, leaves picked
For the “cheese” fondue
- 120g (1/2 cup) raw cashew nuts
- 120ml (1/2 cup) filtered cold water
- 120ml (1/2 cup) cold non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tsp white miso
- pinch of sea salt and white pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
Directions
- First make the dough balls: mix the lukewarm water and milk with the yeast and olive oil, and leave it for around 10 minutes until slightly bubbly.
- Combine the flour, salt, maple syrup, rosemary and chilli flakes in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, add the water and yeast mixture and stir until the mixture starts to form a dough.
- Use your hands to form the dough, then tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Now it’s time to knead. Knead the dough for around 8 minutes, when the dough should be smooth and quite elastic. Add minimal flour while kneading, if required. Lightly oil the bowl and put the dough back in, place a clean damp tea-towel over the top of the bowl and leave somewhere warm for around 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl, knock the dough back and knead for 3 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place a lightly greased ramekin in the middle. This will eventually be the place for your “cheese” sauce/fondue to sit.
- Cut the dough into approximately 25 even pieces – each piece should be about 35g (1-1/4 oz). Use kitchen scales to weigh them. Roll each piece into a ball: the best way to do this is by putting one hand on top of the dough ball on the work surface, press down slightly and move your hand in a circular motion.
- Neatly place the balls around the ramekin as you go. Once you’ve rolled all the balls, place the damp tea-towel over the top and leave them somewhere warm to double in size. This should take around 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and prepare the toppings.
- When the dough balls have risen, use a pastry brush to brush some glaze over each one and sprinkle over the toppings. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes on the bottom shelf.
- While the dough balls are baking, make the “cheese” sauce/fondue. Soak the cashew nuts for around 10 minutes in boiling water, then drain away the water and add the softened nuts to a high- speed blender with all the other ingredients. Blend on full speed until you have a smooth mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a non-stick saucepan and stir with a spatula over a medium heat. Be patient – you will be stirring for around 8 minutes. Stir until it has thickened but is still pourable.
- Remove the dough balls from the oven and let them cool slightly. When they’re cool enough to handle, pour the “cheese” sauce into the ramekin in the middle of the tray, sprinkle over a few extra chilli flakes, and serve.
More from Vegan Christmas:
- Stuffed “No-Turkey” Wrapped in Gaz’s Streaky “Bacon” Recipe
- The Ultimate Christmas Roast
- Vegan Christmas Pudding Recipe
Cover courtesy of Quadrille
Recipe excerpted with permission from Vegan Christmas by Gaz Oakley, published by Quadrille October 2018, RRP $19.99 hardcover.
