This recipe for yeast dough has been my go-to for years now. In the beginning, I used a typical non-vegan recipe for the dough, but it has now evolved into a fully vegan, local and zero waste recipe. I use this recipe as a base whenever I need a sweet yeast dough: for kokosh, babka, Schneckennudeln, raisin buns or large trays of apple or plum cake. I very often bring yeasted cakes to events, people constantly ask me for the recipe and are always surprised when they learn that it’s vegan.

The advantages of the recipe is that you only need your kitchen scales, a bowl and a spoon. There’s no need to melt butter or margarine in a pot and no need for any other kitchen gadgets.

So here it is:

Ingredients:

• 250g lukewarm water
• 20g fresh yeast or 7g dry yeast (I can buy dry yeast at the bulk store)
• 2 tbsp soy flour
• 65g neutral oil (I use sunflower or rapeseed)
• 80g granulated sugar (I use beet sugar produced in Germany)
• 500g all-purpose flour (type 405 in Germany)

Preparation:

1. In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast in 250g of lukewarm water (if you use dry yeast, mix in the dry yeast^[1]International readers, please be aware that there seems to be a difference between what Germans know as dry yeast and what is known in the US as active yeast. If you use active yeast, use as … Continue reading together with the flour). Then add 2 tbsp of soy flour and whisk until it is incorporated. The soy flour substitutes the eggs in this recipe. Add 65g of neutral oil and then stir in 80g of sugar. You can use less if your filling or topping is very sweet. Then add the flour and stir it with a spoon until the dough comes together and you can start kneading it. Knead it a bit in the bowl first and then on a surface until it becomes elastic and has a very silky feel to it. No need to add any flour during the kneading, the dough will stop sticking once you’ve kneaded enough.

2. Put the dough into a bowl, cover with a cotton tea towel and let it proof until it has doubled in volume.
3. Use as you would normally use your yeasted dough.

Here’s an example of a type of Schneckennudeln with a cocoa, sugar and margarine filling.