Another week of Great British Bake Off has passed, and this week I decided to give vol au vents a try. I've made puff pastry before, and whilst it was pretty time consuming it wasn't particularly tricky. This time, however, I decided to make a dairy free version, using Pure Sunflower Spread.
Pure Sunflower Spread is a dairy free alternative to butter, which can be used in baking, and whilst I've used it in cakes before, I've never tried it with pastry. As it's much softer than butter I chilled it right down in the freezer before I started, and although the dough became very sticky after a few rolls and turns, it was fine between two sheets of baking paper - just remember not to add any flour during the folding and turning.
The pastry puffed up reasonably well, and although it doesn't rise as much as puff pastry made with butter, it's a healthier alternative, so it's perfect for those wishing to follow a lower fat diet, as well as those cutting out dairy.
Vol au vents often have some kind of creamy filling in them, whether it be sweet or savoury, and I've made a sweet chocolate mousse, which is also dairy free and made using coconut milk. I was tempted to top with a strawberry or raspberry, but in the end opted for some honey roasted almonds, which complimented the sweet filling perfectly.
It may seem like there are a lot of steps in this recipe, but it really isn't complicated, but the making of the pastry and vol au vents can just be a little time consuming.
Dairy Free Chocolate Vol Au Vents
220g Pure Sunflower Spread
220g plain flour
pinch of salt
50ml cold water
100g pitted dates
400ml can coconut milk (refrigerated)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
tsp pure maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
honey roasted almonds
Filling
220g Pure Sunflower Spread
220g plain flour
pinch of salt
50ml cold water
100g pitted dates
400ml can coconut milk (refrigerated)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
tsp pure maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
honey roasted almonds
- Place the Pure onto a sheet of baking paper and top with another sheet
- Press the Pure to flatten into a rectangle
- Place in the freezer for an hour
- Cut half of the Pure into cubes and add to a food mixer along with the flour and salt
- Turn the food mixer on low/medium and mix with a flat beater until it resembles breadcrumbs
- With the motor running add the water a little at a time until the dough starts to come together (you won't need to add all the water)
- Form the dough into a ball and flatten out, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour
- Roll the dough out until it's large enough to encase the remaining slab of Pure
- Place the Pure on top of the dough and fold in each side to cover completely
- Roll the dough into a rectangle
- Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third up
- Turn 90 degrees and repeat
- Keep repeating this cycle to build up the layers - you will need to place in the freezer for 20 minutes every 2nd turn
- If the dough becomes too sticky try rolling between two sheets of baking paper
- Once you've repeated the process 10-15 times chill in the fridge for an hour before rolling out
- Roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of a one pound coin
- Cut an equal quantity of discs from the pastry (don't re-roll or you will lose your layers)
- Cut a smaller disc from the centre of half of the larger discs to make a ring
- Brush the whole discs with beaten egg
- Lay one of the rings over a disc & repeat with the remaining discs/rings (I also made a few mini versions using the cut out discs)
- Place the vol au vents on a baking tray
- Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 10-15 minutes, until puffed up & golden
- Allow to cool on a wire rack
Filling
- Place the dates into a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes
- Open the can of coconut milk and you will find that the it's separated into two parts - scoop the cream away from the water
- Drain the dates and add to a food processor with the coconut cream, cocoa powder & maple syrup
- Blend until smooth
- Refrigerate until firm enough to pipe & pipe into the vol au vent cases
- Top with a couple of honey roasted almonds
Win a dream baking kit worth £1000 with #bakedairyfree
If you're a bit of a whizz when it comes to baking dairy free creations then this competition that Pure Dairy Free are hosting could be for you, and you could be in with a chance of winning a dream baking kit worth £1000.
this recipe was commissioned by Pure
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