Any baker worth her apron has a few savoury tricks up her sleeve. Believe it or not, there are people out there who prefer dinner over dessert. When baking meets savoury cooking, the results are delicious. These recipes are pure comfort food, and the perfect way to bake your way into even the saltiest of hearts. Look forward to baking up some flaky pockets, a delicious show-stopping veggie pot pie, our famous mac and cheese, and even the most elusive gluten-free treat of all: pizza. So roll up those sleeves, don your chef’s hat, and let’s get to it!
Makes 8 biscuits
The perfect vegan and gluten-free biscuit was one of the most challenging items I have ever attempted—right up there with banana bread and brownies. I must have tried to make biscuits a dozen times, with not even a glimmer of success. Discouraged, I took to the Bunner’s Facebook page and asked our fans what made a perfect biscuit. The resounding response: Moist with a bit of a crumble, a touch of salt, and, somewhat surprisingly, cheddar. Re-inspired, I took to the kitchen and hit the nail on the head. All it took was a little teamwork.
¾ cup soy or coconut milk beverage
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1¼ cups brown rice flour
¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 gluten-free chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, seeds removed
7 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
¼ cup Daiya cheddar-style shreds
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. The reaction of these two ingredients raises the acidity of the milk and causes it to thicken somewhat. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the milk to become “buttermilk.”
In a food processor, pulse both flours with the baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda, and chipotles a few times to blend.
Add the butter in tablespoon-size chunks and pulse until the mixture takes on a sandy consistency. Slowly add the buttermilk while continuing to pulse the processor. Stop when everything is just combined—don’t overmix.
Add the cheddar and pulse 1 to 3 times to scatter the cheese shreds throughout the dough.
Scoop out eight ⅓-cup portions directly onto the prepared baking sheet. Loosely shape each into a biscuit.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottom of the biscuits are golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Excellent served alongside veggie chili.
TIP: If you like a five-alarm hot sauce, don’t seed the chipotles (which are jalapeños in adobo sauce). If you prefer a chipotle flavour minus all the crazy heat, you’ll want to seed them so they’re not so hot.
Makes 8 biscuits
Biscuits are so versatile. You couldn’t ask for a better pal for homemade soup, stew, breakfast tofu scramble, or a Southern-inspired main course with a deep ladle of mushroom gravy. These biscuits pack a hearty dose of garlic and mixed herbs, which really come alive when you warm them up and top with vegan butter. Don’t be tempted to use rice milk instead of the soy or coconut milk beverage here. The creamier the milk used, the better.
¾ cup soy or coconut milk beverage
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1¼ cups brown rice flour
¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs (e.g., thyme, sage, marjoram, and oregano)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. The reaction of these two ingredients raises the acidity of the milk and causes it to thicken somewhat. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the milk to become “buttermilk.”
In a food processor, pulse both flours with the baking powder, mixed herbs, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, xanthan gum, and baking soda a few times to blend.
Add the butter in tablespoon-size chunks and pulse until the mixture takes on a sandy consistency. Slowly add the buttermilk while continuing to pulse the food processor. Stop when everything is just combined—don’t overmix.
Scoop out eight ⅓-cup portions directly onto the prepared baking sheet. Loosely shape each scoop into a biscuit.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottom of the biscuits are golden. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve with melting butter on top. For a special treat, whip the butter first with chopped fresh herbs.
Makes enough for one 9-inch single pie shell or 6 pockets
Within a month of opening Bunner’s, we had customers begging for a range of savoury items. Being a lifelong sweet-toothed gal, it hadn’t even occurred to me to make something non-sweet. Kev and I brainstormed for days, imagining all the savoury treats we could bake up, before settling on our now very popular pockets. I had never made a gluten-free pastry before, so it took a bit of trial and error. When finally we produced a pastry that was tasty, flaky, and sturdy, we knew we had a winner.
You can stuff this pastry with our suggested pocket fillings (see pages 75 and 77), or use it to create a magnificent pot pie (page 79). This would also make a nice rustic galette filled with caramelized onions, squash, and fresh sage leaves.
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
⅓ cup arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (1 stick), temperature depends on method used
½ cup Earth Balance Shortening Sticks (1 stick), temperature depends on method used
½ cup cold water
To prepare in a food processor:
In a food processor, pulse both flours with the arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, and salt a few times to combine.
Cut cold butter and shortening into 2-inch cubes. Add to the flour mixture one cube at a time as you continue to pulse the processor, until the chunks are no longer visible and the mixture takes on a sandy consistency.
Add the water a splash at a time, continuing to pulse the processor. Once all the water is added, process until everything is combined.
Using a spatula, remove the dough from the processor. Divide it in half (for quicker chilling) and, using your hands, flatten each portion into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight, before using.
To prepare by hand or with a hand mixer:
Bring the butter and shortening to room temperature. In a bowl, cream together the butter and shortening using a potato masher, fork, or hand mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, mixing with your hands or a fork. Add the cold water a splash at a time until everything is combined.
Divide the dough in half (for quicker chilling), flatten into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight, before using.
Makes 6 pockets
Bunner’s Mexi pockets are great little lunch items that you can bake up and then enjoy throughout the week. Turn these into Mexi breakfast pockets by crumbling in firm tofu when you add the peppers. Savour any leftover filling on top of rice, with a scoop each of salsa and guac.
1 batch savoury pastry (page 73)
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
½ small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ cup seeded and diced green or red bell pepper
½ cup salsa
1 15-oz can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt
1 cup Daiya pepperjack-style shreds
Prepare the pastry and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, jala-peño, and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the salsa and black beans and heat through. Add salt to taste, then set mixture aside.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide each disc into three portions. On a well-floured surface, roll out one portion into a 14-inch-thick circle or a rectangle (with a short side facing you).
Place ⅓ cup black bean filling in the centre of the dough. Sprinkle 2 or 3 tablespoons pepperjack on top of the filling. Carefully fold the dough in half, over the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, ensuring the pocket is fully sealed. Using a spatula, gently transfer the pocket to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, bake at 375°F until a fork inserted into the centre comes out hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes 6 pockets
There was a summer in my university days when I basically lived off prepackaged frozen pizza pockets I bought at the grocery store. After that I vowed never to look at a pizza pocket again. That is, until years later, when we invented our savoury vegan pizza pockets, which are, needless to say, much more appealing. They’re perfect for freezing so you can just heat them up for lunch at your leisure. The recipe we use at the bakery is quite simple, but you can doll it up any way you like. Whatever you would order on a pizza is what you should stuff into your pizza pocket. But remember to reduce the amount of mushrooms in the recipe to make space for the ingredients you’re adding.
1 batch savoury pastry (page 73)
2 cups organic roasted red pepper and tomato sauce
2 cups organic mushrooms, sliced
Optional fillings: diced onion, minced fresh garlic, fresh basil leaves, sliced olives, sliced green pepper, pineapple chunks
1 cup Daiya mozzarella-style shreds
Prepare the pastry and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the sauce, mushrooms, and any other fillings of your choice.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide each disc into three even portions. On a well-floured surface, roll out one portion into a ¼-inch-thick circle or a rectangle (with a short side facing you).
Place ⅓ cup prepared filling in the centre of the dough. Sprinkle 2 or 3 tablespoons mozzarella on top of the filling. Carefully fold the dough in half, over the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, ensuring the pocket is fully sealed. Using a spatula, gently transfer the pocket to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is a golden brown. Serve immediately or cool and then refrigerate in an airtight container. To reheat, bake at 375°F until a fork inserted into the centre comes out hot, 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Pot pie is the quintessential cold-weather cure. Warm gravy and delicious veggies, all wrapped up in a golden flaky crust, can warm the coldest heart (and tummy!). We sell these around the holidays, and the feedback from our loyal customers looking for something to show off on their family dinner table is always tremendous. This is the best recipe for a fall or winter potluck. By sharing it, you’ll make vegan and gluten-free look as good as we do!
For an added thrill, add canned white beans or a few handfuls of chopped winter greens like collards or kale to the mix at the end.
2 batches savoury pastry (page 73)
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
2 cups gluten-free vegetable stock
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
2 cups cubed frozen or freshly roasted butternut squash
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Sea salt
Rice milk, for brushing
Prepare the pastry and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and somewhat translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the sage and thyme, stirring to coat the onions and garlic, then add the tamari. Sprinkle in ¼ cup flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, until you can smell the toastiness of the flour.
Stir in the stock. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn’t burn, until it thickens to a gravy-like consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons flour to thicken the mixture even more, and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the mixed vegetables, squash, and mushrooms. Salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are heated through, then remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Combine 2 discs (one batch) of pastry and, on a well-floured surface, roll out to a circle about ¼ inch thick and 10 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch glass pie plate by gently rolling the dough around the rolling pin like a jelly roll, then unrolling it onto the pie plate and lightly pressing it down.
Pour the gravy and vegetable mixture into the pie shell. Using a wooden spoon, smooth out the mixture so it’s flush with the edge of the pie plate.
On a well-floured surface, roll out the remaining dough to a circle roughly the same size as the first. Using the same rolling method as for the shell, transfer the dough on top of the filling. Trim the overhang and crimp the pastry edges with your fingers or a fork to seal.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the pie top with rice milk so that it bakes up with a golden gloss. Bake for 45 minutes on the middle oven rack. Check after 25 minutes. If the top is already a bit too brown, cover it with foil; otherwise leave uncovered for the remaining baking time.
Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving with a salad.
Makes enough for 2 hungry people, or 4 sides
This dish is so simple, it’s almost too good to be true. It’s ideal for a weeknight meal: the sauce is a snap to make, and if you’re in a real rush, you don’t even need to bake it. Throw in some chopped greens like kale or broccoli, or add a smoky kick with a little bit of chopped chipotle. This dish can also be doubled easily if you have a bigger troop of tummies to fill.
8 ounces brown rice elbow pasta
2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1¼ cups coconut milk beverage
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons onion powder
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
1 cup Daiya mozzarella-style shreds
1 15-oz can pureed butternut squash (or 1½ cups roasted and pureed squash)
½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
½ to 1 teaspoon paprika
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk briskly to combine. Slowly whisk in the arrowroot starch. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add the mozzarella shreds and slowly whisk until melted, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and whisk until everything is combined and heated through. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, stirring gently to combine. Season to taste.
Pour the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish—either a 9-inch (round) glass pie plate or a 9- × 9-inch square dish works well.
In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the bread crumbs and toss to coat well, then sprinkle evenly over the pasta. Top with a sprinkling of paprika.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble. Serve hot with a side salad and ketchup or hot sauce.
Makes two 8-inch pizzas
When the moon hits your eye like a big gluten pie, that’s a … tummy ache. Well, tummy aches be damned. Bunner’s is here to say that pizza doesn’t need any gluten at all to bring you to a state of amore.
¾ cup lukewarm water (just slightly warmer than the inside of your wrist)
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (not instant)
2 teaspoons organic sugar
¼ cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
¾ cup potato starch
½ cup brown rice flour
⅓ cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour
⅓ cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup olive oil
Optional toppings: tomato sauce, pesto, Daiya mozzarella-style shreds, sliced olives, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm water with the yeast and sugar. Give it a whisk and set aside somewhere warm for 10 minutes or until the yeast proofs, bubbling up and becoming very frothy.
In another small bowl, combine ¼ cup water and flaxseed.
In a large bowl, whisk together the potato starch, both flours, the tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt, garlic powder, thyme, and oregano. Add the yeast mixture, flaxseed mixture, and oil to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, mix until you achieve a sticky but fairly firm dough. Divide the dough into two balls.
On a well-floured surface, roll out one of the dough balls until it is as thin as you can make it (about 1/8 inch thick). The dough will be very sticky and won’t feel the same as a gluten crust when rolling it out; you’ll need to use extra flour and you may want to use your hands to pat it down as thin as possible. Carefully slide the round onto a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second dough ball.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, place the baking sheets on the stovetop to give the crusts a bit of time (and warmth) to rise before baking. The rise isn’t significant, but it does improve the texture.
Once the oven is preheated, bake the crusts for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are slightly golden brown.
Remove from the oven and top with the sauce and toppings of your choice. Bake for another 12 minutes, until the crust is crispy and the toppings are cooked through. The pizzas are best enjoyed the day they’re baked.
