Here's a quick and easy vegan tzatziki that I use. I got it from Minimalist Baker.
Mix all this together.
1/2 large cucumber. Unpeeled, drained.
1 ½ cups coconut yogurt
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill (or 2 Tbsp dried dill per 1/4 cup fresh)
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Optional
Most large grocery stores will carry coconut yogurt but this may be regional. Any health food store should have it. Cocojune is the brand kroger carries. Coconut yogurt is a bit thin or runny so keep that in mind when adding liquid ingredients to this.
First off, let's get into what is gyro or shawarma or doner. They're all the same damn thing. The words all mean some form of vertical roast or spit or "to cook vertically". Al Pastor also falls under this category. People can also get into the texture of the meat and the way it's put on the spit. I don't think any of that matters so let's just not bother.
Assembled V2 Gyro
It only took me two tries at gyro flavor to get it. This was a pretty easy and fun recipe. I'd assume this is because of how much I've been working with seitan recently. I have made gyro meat at home before so I already had a good base to work from.
On my first attempt, I wasn't aiming to get the texture correct which allowed me to focus on flavor. On attempt two, I adjusted my seasonings while also going after the texture. I added minced onion to work on the texture. Minced onion seems to do the trick very well. I went with onion because I figured it would provide a nice taste baseline for everything to build on. I considered a filler ingredient, like bread crumbs, but decided against that. The onion definitely works.
Instructions are the same as the base recipe. The only difference is your loaf style. You can definitely do this anyway you want but I prefer a "middle-ground" loaf for gyro meat. This means I build a decent amount of gluten and do loose knotting. This mimics a little bit of "muscle" texture while also keeping the loaf light/airy.
Anyway, here's the recipe.
Throw the wet and dry ingredients into your food processor or blender then follow the base seitan recipe. We will be adjusting the ingredients, so read the two recipes first.
I’ll share my go to brioche recipe. It’s vegan and delicious. It’s also very versatile. I usually add in a few tsp of onion powder.
½cup (115g)melted vegan butter, or olive oil. I usually use miyoki’s tub butter.
¾cup (190g)dairy-free milk, warm and as needed
2tablespoons (25g)granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
1tablespooninstant dry yeast
3cups (375g)all-purpose plain flour
½teaspoonsalt, if using unsalted butter
Proof the yeast by melting the butter and dairy-free milk in the microwave to around 80-90F, add the sugar if you want, then add the yeast. Wait a few minutes until bubbles occur. This means your yeast is set to jet. This step is optional but it’s a good idea to make sure your yeasties are active.
Next dump all the ingredients into your mixer and mix for 5-10 minutes. You want a smooth and soft dough.
Let the dough rise for ~1 hour at, or slightly above, room temp. Until doubled in size. It’s best to be cautious on the first rise rather than letting it go too long. Don’t use up that sugar.
It’s time to form your dough balls. I usually weigh my dough and divide by 8, or ~120-140gram per bun. Put dough balls on a cookie sheet and let rise for 1 more hour or until desired size is reached.
Bake at ~350F for 12-14 minutes or until you get a nice brown starting on top. I tend to under bake my buns because I toast them later.
Optional: create a glaze using honey/syrup/whatever and some water. Brush the glaze onto the top of the buns when removed from the oven. You can flavor the glaze with things like garlic, paprika, parsley, thyme, etc.
And some photos.
Look at that crumb.Beautiful Brown BunsShaped on the 2nd rise.
