That's So Vegan: yeast

Remember when I got really excited about the first snow? Well that only lasted about an hour, then it all melted and we haven't had any since. It's so hard to believe that it's almost Christmas when it looks like Spring outside!

I guess I'll just have to get into the Christmas spirit through lots of carols, hot chocolate and a Virtual Vegan Holiday Dinner! I was so excited when Marley invited me to be a part of this. Other bloggers and I have all made our own delicious recipes so that when you put them all together, you get an amazing vegan feast. Go to the bottom of this post to see the full list of what everyone is bringing to dinner!

Because nothing relieves finals stress better than baking bread, I volunteered to make the dinner rolls! These rolls turned out amazing. They are sweet, buttery, flakey and made my whole dorm smell like fresh-baked bread.

Sweet Crescent Rolls

makes 6 rolls

1/3 cup soy milk
1/4 cup earth balance
1/4 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar (can be cut down if you want your rolls less sweet)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp canola oil

1. Pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir, then let it sit and get foamy for 5 minutes.
2. Warm the soy milk in a small saucepan over low heat, then add the earth balance and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
3. Combine the flax seed with the 3 tbsp of water in a small bowl to make a "flax egg."
4. Add the warm soy milk mixture to the yeast. Stir in the sugar, flax egg and salt. Then add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and stir until smooth.
5. Add in some of the remaining flour until you can easily form the dough into a ball. Save the rest for kneading the dough.
6. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on a floured surface, adding more flour to the dough if it becomes sticky. You should end up with a smooth ball that springs back if you poke it.
7. Pour the oil into a large bowl and roll the dough ball around to coat it completely. Cover with a towel and let it rise until it doubles in size, for about 45 minutes.
8. Punch down the dough, then divide it into 6 pieces. Form each piece into a triangle, then roll it into a crescent shape. Place the rolls two inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet.
9. Cover the dough again and let them rise for about 30 minutes more on top of the oven as you preheat it to 350º.
10. Bake the rolls for about 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.