Banana Bread

My local grocery store had bananas on sale so I bought a bunch, planning on making banana bread. I always think that banana bread takes a multitude of bananas but the recipes I found only called for a few. I had way more than a few bananas and they were on the edge of spoiling so this is my third, extra long loaf of banana bread in as many days. (Don't worry! I didn't eat it all! Most of it is in the freezer!)

I picked up an extra long loaf pan (commonly called a pullman's loaf pan) at the thrift store a few days ago. Having so many bananas I made some extra long loaves to use them up!

Banana Bread (adopted from How it All Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer

6-7 bananas
2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice
1 cup oil
1 cup sweetener
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mash the bananas with a fork until very mushy, then mix in the lemon juice, oil, and sugar. In a separate, larger bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the banana mixture to the flour and mix until just combined. Pour into an oiled loaf pan. Bake for 80-90 minutes at 350 or until a knife inserted comes out clean. 

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Dough: Oatmeal Sourdough Raisin

I seem to enjoying eating and cooking seasonally inappropriate food. I drink light beers in the winter and dark ones in the summer. I started my sourdough starter last summer and baked bread through the height of the summer heat. Then I did not bake bread all winter. And now? Since it's summer again - I BAKE!

This is a sourdough raisin oatmeal sourdough loaf. My starter is almost a year old and is getting stronger all the time. I love the raisins in this loaf! You soak the raisins in the sourdough sponge overnight and it makes them all nice and plump. I used really old dried up raisins this time and they still came out nice and soft. The bakery I used to work at soaked them in water overnight but I really think that putting them in the sponge is the way to go.

Submitted to Yeastspotting

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Cooking from VeganMoFo: Steamed Bread

I've been on a MoFo kick as of late. There was simply so many awesome, inspirational mofo posts this year.

I have been curious about steamed buns for a while. I was hesitant to make them as I've never had them before and thought I would mess it up but my inspiration made it seem so easy and fun that I just simply had to give it a shot! Now that I've done it, I know that these buns are so easy and fast that they can replace the quick flat breads or biscuits that I usually make to accompany supper.

I followed the recipe and instructions for the bread exactly, but my filling was seitan-and-a-bunch-of-random-spices. The bread was good, but I have to roll the dough thinner and work on closing the buns. These buns were awesome while they were still warm but were also good as an in-between meal snack.

I am so glad that MoFo inspired me to make this dish! It will definitely be made again!

Don't be scared of steamed bread!
What have you made lately that scared you?

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Bread Baking Day #44: Round up!

So many delicious loafs of bread this month! It looks like everyone had fun with the autumn theme this month! Lets get right to bread!

Backyana, from German, got in the spirit when she made a delicious looking loaf of pumpkin bread.

Reshmi, also from Germany, got adventurous with her healthy whole wheat banana loaf.

Another adventurous German, Stefanie, entered this awesome three grain bread with cider.

Continuing in the healthy trend, is American Heather with her whole wheat pumpkin rolls.

Cathy, from the USA, thought that pumpkin rolls were the way to go this month as well, thus she baked up some pumpkin yeast rolls.

In a very different and interesting vein is Connie, from Thailand with her Kanelbullar with Cardamon and Cinnamon.

Chaosqueen, from Germany, made this awesome looking loaf with cranberries.

Tristen, living in England, baked an awesome rustic loaf this month.

In contrast to Tristen's rustic loaf, Pamira, from Spain, made a light and elegant pizza.

The theme was interpreted in yet another way when Sravani, from the USA, made this apple bread.

It seems like American Judy, enjoyed this month's theme and enjoyed the Herbed Carrot Clover Leaf Yeast Breads she baked this month.

Priya, from France, made some awesome looking Herbed Whole Wheat Bread.

Cinzia, from Italy, made Grissini.

Manuela, from Brazil got into the theme with Pumpkin and nut swirl buns.

Zorra, the creator of BBD, made an awesome Bread with Walnuts this month.

Of course there is my Autumn bread. Multigrain Sour.

I love the varied interpretations of the theme this month. Creativity rocks! Thanks everyone for participating!

Cinzia from cindystarblog will be hosting next month's BBD. Stay on the lookout for December's theme!

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Bread Baking Day #44 - Autumn flavors

I participated in the August version of Bread Baking Day. It was a blast and I got to eat this excellent Sourdough Onion Bread as a result. You can find the complete round up for BBD #43 here. I was super excited to volunteer to host this month's BBD! The home site of BBD can be found here. Another interesting page is the World Bread Day.

I think an excellent theme for November is Autumn Flavors. I am envisioning breads made with root vegetables, pumpkin, squash, cinnamon, nuts and any other flavors that remind you of autumn.
To enter:
Bake some awesome autumn flavored bread then send an email to wingedsnail99 [at] hotmail [dot] ca with the following information:
Your name
Your location
Name of your blog
Permalink for the entry
an image of the bread (100x100)

Deadline : 1 Dec 2011

I'll post the round-up on 5 Dec 2011.
I hope you enjoy the challenge this month! :)

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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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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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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: 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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