Cooking from VeganMoFo: Bread Roundup

Perhaps it was due to my Bread Themed MoFo but it was bread, bread, bread this month!

These pumpkin bagels from Joyful Girl's Cupcakes and Crafts look awesome.

This 'Trapper's Bread' from Killerbunniesinc has been added to my list.

Killerbunniesinc also made this gorgeous Oatmeal Brown Bread that I am dying to try!

These steamed buns, from Meet the Wikos look awesome. I've been dying to try steaming some bread and this photo is inspirational!

Salt risen bread is another techqnique I want to try and this loaf from I-40 Kitchen makes it seem possible.

These Paczki from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs look like they would be as much fun to eat as they had making them.

The Kitchen Operas made this awesome looking whole wheat flatbread that I have to try.

Anyone else have any fav bread recipes from MoFo that I should add to my list?

Congrads everyone for finishing MoFo! :)

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Celebrate!

I made it! I've blogged everyday this month! MoFo was fun. I found some awesome bloggers that blog with creativity and integrity that have inspired me this month.
To celebrate the end of October, I made the Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from 'Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar'. To that end, I've posted said cookies with several of my cookie jars. Also, DO NOT make these without chocolate chips. Trust me!

I hope you've enjoyed my MoFo. Come back tomorrow for a round up of my favorite bread related posts from other bloggers! 

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Dough: Sourdough Tortillas

Tortillas are difficult to take a picture of but this recipe is not difficult to make. It is impossible for me to make perfectly round tortillas (pizza, cookies, pies ect) but it is not impossible to eat all these delicious tortillas in one sitting! 

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Dough: Onion Crackers

These onion crackers are pretty awesome - although next time I would try adding some chives and/or green onion. I would also like to try cooking the diced onion in the oil before adding to the dough. The recipe originally called for one egg which I simply omitted  - with no replacement and it clearly did not matter!

Onion Crackers

Mix:

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1/3 cup oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

Knead ingredients. Let rest for 30 minutes. Roll out and bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes. 

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Dough: Raisin Rye

This is a hearty but sweet rye bread. I am really enjoying Bernard Clayton's 'New Complete Book of Breads'. I think it was the best $3.99 that I've spent lately!

Raisin Rye Bread
Sponge:
2 cup rye flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cup hot water
 Mix and let sit overnight.

Mix:
1/2 cup sultana raisins
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/3 cup brandy
Let sit for 30 minutes

Mix:
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water
add drained raisins

Add to sponge. Knead in 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour. Knead until smooth. Rise one hour. Shape. Bake one hour.

Submitted to Yeastspotting

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Dough: Chocolate Banana Bread

This chocolate banana bread is like eating cake for breakfast and what could be wrong with that? I would up the amount of chocolate chips and walnuts though but that's only because I am a glutton.

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Dough: Pumpkin Bread

I used the pumpkin bread recipe from here but I found the way the ingredients were listed to be awkward so I will reword the recipe below. This is an interesting loaf due to the inclusion of cornstarch and the fact that the batter is very runny. The batter for most quick breads is fairly thick, like muffin batter but this batter was as runny as pancake batter. This bread is moist and pleasantly spiced.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons ground flax (premixed with 6 tablespoons water)
1 cup sugar

Mix (in separate bowl)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Mix wet into dry. Bake in greased loaf pan for 50 minutes at 350. Enjoy.
1/4 cup cornstarch

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Dough: Banana Bread

Apparently I am on a 'How it all Vegan!' kick. I have a love/hate relationship to that book. Almost everything I've made from it works out perfectly and is very tasty but I find the recipes to be more like guidelines than actual recipes. The table of contents makes me mad! Sometimes I know the recipe is in the book, but I just can't find it. I think the table of contents issues is what prevents me from buying other books by Sarah Kramer.
Anyways, this is the 'Banana Bread' recipe. It's tasty and sweet but in my head it's a healthy recipe due to the wheat germ and the dates. I recommend this recipe.
I am getting bread fatigued these days - so I plan on making some quick loaves over the rest of the month and slicing and freezing them for lunches.

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The Liebster Blog award is making the round of MoFo-ers and several bloggers picked me to receive the award!
Michelle, a fellow cookbook collector, at a bit addicted to cookbooks whose collection is not imaginary.
Jess at Cupcakes and Kale takes some awesome food photography - like the pictures of her scrumptious looking apple and salted carmel cupcakes.
Nicole at The French Fry Conundrum has some awesome pumpkin MoFo posts and her Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes are high on my list!

The idea behind the award is to give recognition to blogs that have less than 200 followers. Here is what you do when your blog is nominated for an award:
1. Show your thanks to those who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Link to 5 of your top picks and let them know they've been nominated by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the the award on your blog.
4. Enjoy the love and support of some wonderful people on the interweb!

I am passing the award along to....
1. The Vegan Version because the concept of making Mastering the Art of French Cooking vegan is awesome and this post makes me want to make some brown butter!
2. Vegan on the Prowl has beautiful photography with warm tones and makes me want to try some Daikon pickles.
3. All you eat is vegetables has an awesome post on seitan ribs that makes me wish it was July.
4. Liz Lemon Lights has an awesome post about cooking playlists that is definitely worth a read.
5. Retro Vegan has a lot of comfort food on her blog, but the one that makes my list is her orange, cranberry and walnut cornbread muffins.

Happy MoFo guys!

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Cooking from VeganMoFo: 'Goldfish' Crackers

I was inspired by the beautiful food photography over here. I made this recipe exactly as stated, however next time (and there will be a next time!) I am going to try it with vegetable shortening rather than margarine because I find the finished cracker to be a bit oily. I've never had official goldfish crackers so I don't know how close of a copy this recipe is but I really enjoyed them. I actually had to hurry and take a photograph of them before I ate them all.

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D'oh: Donuts

Apparently this MoFo is a series of posts about my culinary past! One of the first things I bought for my kitchen was a donut pan. I made baked donuts once or twice, but they were stodgy and not very pleasant. Before a move across the country, I got rid of that donut pan. I have since seen a lot of successful donut posts online that make me wish I had kept that pan to give it another go!
I finally caved and picked up a new donut pan and I am certainly glad that I did. These donuts are light, tasty and actually not that bad for you (being baked and not fried).
I used the recipe from here. Overall these were really tasty and I can't wait to try some flavored donuts - pumpkin pie donuts anyone?

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Dough: Sourdough Biscuits

When I first started cooking I made biscuits all the time. I found them to be quick and satisfying to make as I could start a pot of soup, mix the dough for biscuits and quickly be enjoying fresh biscuits and homemade soup. I felt like a domestic goddess!

In the last several years I have moved on to bigger and better culinary things, leaving biscuits in my wake. However, these Sourdough Biscuits (adapted from How it all Vegan!) may change that! They are flaky, moist and quick! I ate them slathered with butter and jam for supper. The original recipe called for margarine - which I don't usually keep in the house so I subbed it out for vegetable shortening which I always have. Also, my sourdough starter was unfed pretty much straight from the fridge, this meant that it wasn't as hydrated as it usually is, so I added about 1/4 of a cup of water to make the biscuit dough come together.

Sourdough Biscuits (adapted from How it all Vegan!)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter (plus 1/4 cup water)

Mix together flour, salt, baking soda and sugar. Cut in the shortening. Stir in the starter and water. Roll out and cut with biscuit cutter (or use the classic water class as a cutter!) Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350.



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Dough: Flax Crackers

I have previously claimed that crackers were too much work to satisfy a crunchy fix on a regular basis. I publicly renounce my previous opinion. Cracker are easy and quick, especially since I started using a pasta machine to roll out the dough. An additional time saver is to cut the dough into chunks, without using a cookie cutter of any sort. This leaves them with raw edges which gives them a rustic, homemade feel. I've been making these flax crackers from 'How it all Vegan' a lot. They are seriously good! Sadly, I made them as a late night snack tonight so I didn't have the daylight to properly showcase them.  

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Wordless Wed

My husband is the french toast expert in our house, but sadly I had to make these without him. I used the raisin bread from yesterday and the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. I think I make an acceptable back-up french toast maker!

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Dough: Golden Raisin Loaf

While cinnamon raisin bread is pretty awesome, sometimes you just want a change. This loaf is light, sweet and full of raisins. A contrast to it's somewhat heavier, spiced cousin.

Sadly, this bread ended up a little (alright, who am I kidding - a LOT) over proofed, but whatevas it was still pretty tasty!

Golden Raisin Loaf - adopted from the Wooden Spoon

Proof:

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

1/4 teaspoons ginger

Add

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 cup AP flour

Stir in

1 cup sultan raisins (golden raisins would be a better fit here!)

Add

1 cup AP flour

Knead. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Shape into 2 loaf pans. Rise 45 minutes. Bake 350 for 40 minutes.

 

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Dough: Rye Bread with Sauerkraut

While the idea of rye and sauerkraut bread may seem odd, it is a lovely combination. I feel extra accomplished because this bread was made with homemade sauerkraut! The kraut adds moisture to this bread. It's reminiscent of my Onion Bread. This bread is adopted from the New Complete Book of Bread.

It is a quicker bread than most as there is a single rise - directly in the pans the bread will be baked in.

Rye Bread with Sauerkraut

Mix

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 cup rye flour

4 teaspoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Beat in

1 1/4 cup hot water

2 tablespoons oil

Knead

1 cup sauerkraut (and juice)

1 3/4 cup rye flour

1 1/2 to 2 cups flour

Shape in loaf and place directly in pan. Rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Submitted to Yeastspotting.



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Dough: Raisin Sourdough

I've made this recipe repeatedly. It's so yummy! The raisins, soaked overnight, in sourdough starter get so moist and yummy!
I tried a new shaping technique this time. I wanted a large round loaf. I only have oval proofing baskets so I jerry-rigged something. I lined a mesh colander with a flour covered tea towel. Then I placed the colander in a bowel - so that the bread would remain round - and not have a flat top. It worked out perfectly! So - rig that S&*^!

Raisin Sourdough - originally from The Wooden Spoon
Mix
1 cup starter
1 cup warm water
2 cup flour
1 cup raisins
 Leave on counter overnight.

Proof
1 tablespoon yeast with 1/2 cup warm water
Combine with
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or brown sugar)
sponge

Knead in 3 cup flour.
Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hour.
Shape. Rise 1 hour.
Bake 350 for 35-40 minutes.

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Cooking from VeganMofo: Monkey Bread

I really want to like monkey bread and cinnamon buns, but I just don't. Ever time I read about them I think ... "Yum! That sounds so sticky, gooey, and delicious." However, every time I eat one I think ... "That was dry and boring!"

However, don't let that stop you from enjoying this recipe from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!

My very last MoFo blog post will be link-fest of my favorite and most inspiring blog posts from the month!

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Drinking: Kvass Part III

This drink is so hard to explain. I think it is in a category by itself. It's Russian bread soda! What else do you want me to say?

I really don't think that Katz's description of "ever so mildly alcoholic, full of healthful Lactobacilli, thick and milky, almost viscous" does this drink any justice at all. It's definitely acid and sour, but not unpleasantly so. It would definitely benefit from a flavoring agent of some sort - something like cumin, mint, orange, lemon, or ginger would all work. I did almost make bottle bombs out of this concoction - next time I will bottle in plastic bottles - which is recommended for sodas. This is because you can tell, by feel, the carbonation and because if it does burst there will be no flying glass.

I will be making this again! I really think that you could give this to someone, and they would have no idea what they were drinking and would be surprised to learn that its made from bread!

If anyone wants to point me in the direction of good commercial version I'd love that!

Kvass Part I
Kvass Part II

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Dough: Swedish Caraway Bread

Swedish Caraway Bread. Isn't that a grand name for a bread? This bread almost lives up to the name.

I picked up a giant book of bread recipes from the second hand store a few weeks ago. It's called New Complete Book of Breads by Bernard Clayton. Once got home and started flipping through it, I realized that some pages were ripped out. This was a sign that a) the book sucks and the person who owned it ripped out the few good recipes and left crap or b) the book is full of excellent recipes and those that were ripped out became family favorites.

I'm inclined to believe that it's the latter, as I have tried 5 or 6 recipes from this book thus far and they've all turned out wonderful. I plan on collecting the missing recipes from a library copy of the book.

Swedish Caraway Bread
Mix
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon margarine
1 t caraway

  Boil. Cool to lukewarm and add
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Knead in 1 cup flour. Let sit for 1 1/2 hours. Knead in 1 cup flour.
Shape. Rise 1 hour. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Notes:
Admittedly, I forgot to shape the loaf when I was supposed to. I realized at the 1 hour point and quickly shaped it. It wasn't that worse for wear!
The only reason this recipe doesn't get 5 stars is because the orange flavor is completely lost. It's quite yummy though!

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Drinking: Kvass Part II

The next morning....
Strain the kvass mixture, squishing the liquid out of the bread cubes.
Add 1/8 cup sugar and 1/8 cup sourdough starter.
Mix well and leave to ferment for 2 to 3 days.


I tasted the mixture at this point - it was sweet and sour at the same time. Very interesting.... I am looking forward to tasting the end result of this experiment.

Kvass: Part I

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Drinking: Kvass

I found out about this drink - made from old, stale bread of all things! - from an awesome book called "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz. This book is awesome, full of fun new food experiences and experiments! I highly recommend it!
Kvass is a Russian bread soda and the word Kvass means 'yeast' in Slavic. There is more info on the wiki page. 

This 'bread soda' takes a few days to prepare so I haven't had the pleasure of tasting it yet. Does anyone know what I'll be up against?  Katz says that "it is ever so mildly alcoholic, full of healthful Lactobacilli, thick and milky, almost viscous. I think it's delicious but some people wince at its sour flavor." A much nicer and more generous description of Kvass comes from Randy Mosher's "Radical Brewing", in which the drink is compared to champagne, albeit a grain champagne!

Kvass (adopted from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz)

4 cups of cubed rye bread (from this bread recipe)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Toast bread. When cool, place in a mason jar with 6 cups hot water and lemon juice. Stir, cover, and leave for 8 hours.

Come back tommorrow for the rest of the recipe!

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Dough: City Bread

The name of this bread - City bread - was the motivating factor of baking this loaf. I also wanted to see how strong my sourdough starter was. As it turned out, the starter was almost strong enough and the name was the only redeeming factor of this bread.

The first time I made this loaf, I followed the directions exactly and faithfully put in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. It's my understanding that salt kills yeast. The consequences of this much salt was a loaf that didn't rise and a raw dough that was very intensely salty.

After throwing out that dough, I remade the dough and only put in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. It was much better. Although my starter isn't quiet strong enough, it is definitely getting there!

City Bread

4 cups flour

1 1/4 cool water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

Knead. Rise for 4 hours. Shape. Rise for 4 hours. Bake for 1 hour.

Simply sour...

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Dough: Spicy Rye Bread

Due to the nature of rye flour, making a pure rye bread is tricky. I have tried, unsuccessfully, several times to make a 100% rye loaf and for the state of my psyche, I've decided that a mixed loaf will have to do for now. But I will master the RYE!

This is a hearty, pleasantly spiced, simple and satisfying loaf of rye bread. It comes from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.

Mix together

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 3/4 cup warm water.

Add 2 tablespoons yeast. Then mix in 2 tablespoons oil.

Knead in

2 1/2 cup rye flour

3 cup all purpose flour

Rise for 2 hours. Shape. Rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



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Dough: Turnipseed Sister's White Loaf

I bought a new bread book, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. This book is huge, at over 600 pages. With so many delicious sounding recipes, it was definitely difficult to choose something to bake. However, once I read the write up for this bread, I knew I had to make it.

"I had taken my family, including my grandsons, to the home for one of the Turnipseed noontime dinners, and to get this recipe. When the meal had been served on platters down the center of the table, the sisters pulled up chairs to talk. The old dining room was quite dark at midday and one of the sisters was quite deaf and both spoke in rather loud voices. For the two little boys the excellence of the food was overshadowed by the the strange and loud voices in a dark Victorian dining room and I could see tears coming. I quickly got them into the sunshine out by the barn and the moment passed."

I wonder if those boys remember that day and the saving grace that bread and sunshine make...

Mix together
2 cup sourdough starter
2 cup warm water
3 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar

Let sit overnight. In the morning add,
1/2 cup shortening
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

Knead until smooth. Rise for 2 hours. Shape. Rise for 30 minutes. Bake 350 for 1 hour.

Notes: I enjoyed this loaf, and the story, but was disappointed by the lack of sourdough flavor. My starter was dormant for two weeks, and I do not think I successfully 'woke' him up before making this loaf.

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Dough: Fennel and Black Pepper Bread

The book this recipe is from is called 'Superfoods 300 Recipes for Foods that Heal Body and Mind'. This is a random book for me to own and the story of how I came to own it is pretty random as well. My husband and I went for a picnic on Toronto's Island and came across this semi-permanent structure that individuals had placed all their unwanted household and clothing items. It was a free community exchange of goods. This book was one of the items. I have yet to make anything else from this book, but this fennel and black pepper bread is wonderfully spicy! It would be perfect on a cold winter evening with a bowl of thick, soul-warming stew.

Mix
 1 tablespoon yeast
 1 teaspoon sugar
 1 cup warm water

Proof. Knead in
 1 3/4 cups AP flour
 2 tablespoon olive oil
 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Rise 1 hour and 30 minutes. Shape and place in greased loaf pans. Bake 375 for 35 minutes.

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Sourdough Pancakes

I have made a couple of versions of sourdough pancakes and this recipe is the closest to perfection. It is a light, airy pancake but does not have the intense sourdough flavor that some of the other recipes have. Alternative recipes with an intense sourdough flavor are accompanied by an unpleasant gummy texture. This texture is so unpleasant that I am glad to avoid it, even if that means a little less sourdough flavor!

Sourdough Pancakes - from The Wooden Spoon

(altered to make vegan)

Mix

 1 cup sourdough starter

 1 cup soy milk

 1 cup AP flour

Let sit overnight.

Add

 1 cup soymilk

 1/4 cup oil

Incorporate. Then add

 1 cup flour

 1 tablespoon sugar

 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 1 teaspoon baking powder

Cook as per regular pancakes.

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Dough: 100% Sourdough - Take 2

Another Sourdough attempt. It keeps looking better!

Mix:

2 cup starter

1 cup warm water

1 cup flour

Mix. Let sit overnight.

Add:

3 cup flour

2 T oil

4 t sugar

2 t salt

Rise 3 hours. Shape. Rise 1 hour. Bake 350 for 1 hour.

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Dough: Everyday Sourdough Bread

Some white bread recipes make a loaf that is very similar to the commercially available bread. This is fine if you have children and want to send their PB&J's on bread that won't embarrass them. I am over being embarrassed by my bread. I like a little heft to my bread - even the white bread. This loaf is perfect - white, fluffy, a little sour, a little crusty. The perfect blend. The perfect way to use up some starter.

Everyday Sourdough Bread from The Wooden Spoon Bread Book

Proof:

2 cup water

1 T yeast

2 T sugar

Stir in:

1 cup starter

3 cup flour

Beat. Cover. Let rise 1 hour. Stir down. Beat in:

2 T oil

2 t salt

Add:

3 to 4 cup flour

Knead. Shape. Rise. Bake 45-50 minutes.

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Dough: Making a sourdough starter

Alright, this month is all bread! Breads of every kind - yeasted, quick and sourdough. Yes, the dreaded sourdough bread. But don't be a-feared! Sourdough breads are easy, fun, and tasty! Oh-so-tasty!

The important thing to remember is that a sourdough starter is basically a pet! You have to feed it and make sure it is happy. When the pet is young, it requires much more care but once established it only requires weekly/monthly attention. It's fun to name your starter - mine is called London - why? because if Paris Hilton had a child she would name it London....

Day 1
Mix 1 tablespoon rye flour, 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour and 2 tablespoons pineapple juice. Stir. Cover. Let sit for 24 hours.

Day 2
Repeat day one.

Day 3
Repeat day one.

Day 4
Mix 1/4 cup of starter, 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, and 1/4 cup water.

Repeat day 4 for about a week.

After starter is established, you can leave it in the fridge for a week. When you want to use it, remove from fridge, let it come to room temperature then feed it.

The starter will get stronger and stronger each week and each time you use. Use it frequently and it will start to make really great bread!

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VeganMoFo 2011: Bread

This year Vegan MoFo will be all about bread! And carbs of every kind!

To kick it off please check out some of my previous bread related posts!

Red Bean Paste Pancakes
Sourdough Onion Bread

Additionally, clicky-click on the 'dough' tag to get more bread related fun!
Back tommorrow (and the next day and the next...) with more!

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