Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon bread! Not to be confused with cinnamon buns, this bread is perfect for toasting and serving with a little Earth Balance or go the extra mile and make some French Toast with this stuff. So much better than using plain white or whole wheat bread. This recipe requires very little work but a lot of time, due to it needing to be proofed twice. But trust me, it is definitively worth all that extra time because you cannot even compare how this tastes to that store bought stuff.

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Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

* 1 cup non-dairy milk

* 6 Tb vegan margarine ( I used Earth Balance )

* 1 packet dry active yeast or 2 1/2 tsp

* 2 Tb grounded flax seeds, dissolved in 6 Tb water

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 tsp salt

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 2 Tb cinnamon

* 1 Tb vegan margarine, for brushing

* about 2 Tb vegan margarine, for greasing the loaf pan

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the milk until warm but not boiling. It should be at about 115 F. Sprinkle yeast over the top, gently stir and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar with the flax seeds until well combined. Pour the milk/margarine/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the rest of the flour and beat to combine.

4. Switch to the dough hook and allow it to knead for about 10 minutes. If the dough is still too sticky, add another 1/4 cup of flour and knead for another 5 minutes.

5. Drizzle a little canola oil in a medium sized mixing bowl, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

6. Turn the dough onto a work surface and roll it out to a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan and about 18 inches long. Smear 2 Tb of melted margarine. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together, then sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough.

7. Starting at one end, roll the dough toward you, keeping it neat and tight. Pinch the seam to seal.

8. Smear your loaf pan with butter. Place dough, seam side down, in the pan. Cover with a damp towel and allow it to rise for another 2 hours in a warm place.

9. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush the top of the loaf with 1 Tb of melted margarine and bake for 40 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice and serve!

Focaccia

I love baking my own bread and especially love the warm cozy aroma it fills my home with. Focaccia is an Italian flat bread and is usually topped with herbs or veggies. This recipes features caramelized onions, rosemary and red pepper flakes.

This can be eaten alone as an appetizer or paired with a main coarse as a side. I think I'll be making this next time I decide to serve pasta. Sorry garlic bread, you have been replaced : ]

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Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

* 1 Tb sugar

* 1 1/2 cups warm water

* 1 packet active dry yeast

* 6 cups all-purpose flour

* salt

* 1 /3 cup plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 Tb vegan margarine

* 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

* 1 tsp dried rosemary

* 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for about 15 minutes or until mixture is foamy.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and 1 Tb salt. Add the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time and the 1/3 cup oil, a spoonful or two at a time, to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until a firm, smooth dough forms. Place the dough in a oiled bowl, turning over to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, place a saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tb oil and the margarine and heat for 30 seconds. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until very soft and browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

5. Line a 15 x10 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush or spray the parchment paper with oil. Turn the dough out onto the parchment and pull and stretch it with your hands to fill the pan. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. Use your fingertips to make dimples all over the dough, about 1 inch apart. Let rise, covered, for another 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 Tb oil, the red pepper flakes, rosemary, 2 tsp salt and the black pepper.

7. Brush the top of the dough with the oil mixture. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the pan front to back, spread the onions over the top, and bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden and crusty. Remove the dough to a cutting board, let cool for at least 10 minutes, then cut into squares.

* Recipe from Tal Ronnen's "The Conscious Cook." I did made a couple changes and substitutions to his original recipe.

French Toast

French toast! Something I am sure a lot of you thought you would never have again as a vegan. The trick to this recipe was the chickpea flour, which works well as an egg substitute. If you cannot find chickpea flour, you can make it yourself but grinding up small batches of raw chickpeas in a food processor.

I topped mine with some powdered sugar, strawberries and real maple syrup. A very healthy alternative to the traditional way French toast is made.

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Ingredients

* 1 cup soy milk

* 1/4 cup chickpea flour

* 1/4 tsp cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp nutmeg

* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* Canola oil for the pan

* 6 slices of whole wheat bread

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the soy milk and flour. Once the flour is well incorporated, whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla until throughly combined. There will be a little lumps left in the batter. Don't worry about them too much, just make sure the bigger ones are dissolved.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The canola oil will be very important throughout this process. You will learn by trial and error what is too much or too little. Remember that the bread will absorb some of the oil so add a little extra in preparation for that.

3. Dredge each slice of bread in the soymilk mixture and add the hot oil. Cook the French toast until each slice is golden brown, approximate 2-3 minutes per side.

4. Top with vegan powdered sugar, strawberries and pure maple syrup if desired.

French Onion Soup with Homemade Baguette

Okay, I am officially addicted to making my own bread. Making it yourself really doesn't take that much work or many ingredients. The only thing you really need is time.

For anyone who hasn't had onion soup, you might think that this soup would taste really strong of onions. But because the onions are all caramelized, the flavor of onion isn't overpowering at all. I mixed half "beef" broth and half "chicken" stock for the base. When you throw in the bread and the melted cheese, this soup is very comforting and filling. This surprised me because there really isn't much in the soup but it is heavy. I served mine with a side of salad to complete the meal.

Anyone else love French Onion Soup or are there any that aren't a fan?

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Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

* 4-5 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced into thin crescents

* 1/4 tsp vegan cane sugar

* 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil

* 2 Tb all purpose flour

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 8 cups of vegetarian "beef" stock ( try Better than Bouillon ) or vegetarian "chicken" stock or vegetable stock ( Do all 8 cups of the same broth or mix different broths together )

* 1 bay leaf

* pinch of dry thyme

* salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

* French bread, either store bought or home made ( Recipe Below )

* 1 1/2 cups of vegan mozzarella cheese ( try Daiya's Italian cheese )

Directions

1. Add olive oil in a large stock pot and heat over medium high heat. Add onions and saute 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and saute until browned, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Browning all the onions will take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes. If you stir too much the onions will never brown and if you still too little, they will burn. So one good stir every 5 minutes or so will be good.

2. Sprinkle flour over onions and garlic and stir until everything is well blended.

3. Add stock, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Remove bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve

5. Ladle soup into 6 to 8 oven proof bowls. Place one slice of toasted French bread over the soup in each bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

French Bread

Makes 1 baguette

Ingredients

* 3 cups of all purpose flour or bread flour

* 1 ( 0.25 ounce ) package of dry active yeast

* 1 cups of warm water

* 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Combine the warm water with the dry active yeast, mix well and let stand for about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour and salt. Stir in the warm water mixture and mix in using a wooden spoon.

3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place dough in a lightly floured bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

4. Once again, place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangular shape.

5. Roll up, starting on one of the long sides and seal edge using a little water. Shape ends to make sure everything is smooth.

6. Grease a large baking sheet and place loaf, seam side down. Brush a little water on the top of the loaf. Cover, once more, and let rise until double is size, about 40 minutes.

7. Using a knife, make 4 diagonal cuts across the top, about 1/4 inch deep. Bake in a preheated oven over 375 F for 20 minutes. Brush a little more water on top and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup in Bread Bowls

It officially feels like Fall now. The high temperatures have subsided and the past few days have been really gloomy and rainy. When it's so cold and cloudy, it puts me in a mood to knit and sip hot soup. Broccoli cheddar soup sounded perfect and by making my own bread, my house got filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread.

I had such a hard time finding faux chicken stock because my local Whole Foods was out. So if you cannot find any, vegetable stock can be substituted.

I also found it easier to bake each bread bowl in a small duralex glass bowl or any other oven safe bowl. It helped it to keep its shape because when placed on a baking sheet, it tends to start going flat. I kept all the soft bread filling that I scooped out to dip in my hot soup. Really good and so filling!

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Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients

* 2 Tb vegan butter ( such as Earth Balance )
* 1 onion, diced
* 1/4 cup all purpose flour
* 2 cups soy creamer or any other non-dairy creamer
* 3 cups faux chicken stock ( try Better than Bouillon )
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 lb broccoli
* 1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
* sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* a dash of nutmeg
* 2 1/2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, finely grated ( I recommend Daiya Cheddar Cheese )
* 6 bread bowls ( Recipe Below )

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.


2. Whisk in flour and cook 2 more minutes.


3. Then slowly whisk in soy creamer and faux chicken stock. Stir until smooth. Add bay leaves, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes.


4. Add broccoli and carrots and cook another 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.


5. Puree soup either in a blender in batches or by using a immersion blender.


6. Return soup to pot over medium heat. Add cheese and stir until melted.





Bread Bowls
Makes 4 Medium Sized or 6 Small Sized Bread Bowls

Ingredients

* 2 ( .25 ounce ) packages of active dry yeast
* 2 1/2 cups of warm water
* 2 tsp sea salt
* 2 Tb canola oil
* 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting

Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Mix well. Add remaining 3 cups of flour. Mix again and then knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.


4. Punch dough down, and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape them into round balls, not flat. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.


5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Uncover loaves and heavily spray with water.


6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 22 minutes or until they are a golden brown. Cool on wire racks.


7. To make bowl, cut the top fourth off of bread; carefully hollow out bottom of each, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use).

To Serve - Ladle hot soup in each bowl.

I got the recipe for the bread bowls here and changed it around a little the bowls large enough and the ingredients vegan

Pumpkin Bread

So sorry for my lack of posts last week. My flu that I thought was getting better got a lot worse and I ended up sleeping most of the day for the past three days. Today I feel a lot better and finally was able to make it to the kitchen to bake. I am not the type who eats out a lot, so having to purchase dinner the past couple of nights was killing me. I really missed cooking and I am so glad I am feeling good enough tonight to make myself a quick dinner.

I chose to make pumpkin bread today because it sounded like the perfect thing to eat along side a cup of hot tea. Speaking of which, I went grocery shopping today and found this. So cute, it reminded me of my Taffy. I love white tea and if it has a picture of my boy on the cover, even better!

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Makes 1 loaf; 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup white or yellow cornmeal
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground ginger
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves
* egg replacer, equivalent of 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 1/3 cup vegan plain yogurt
* 1 cup pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )
* 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 5 by 9 inch loaf pan.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.


3. In a large bowl, combine the egg replacer, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, yogurt, and pumpkin puree. Beat with a large whisk or an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.


4. Add the dry ingredients in 2 batches, mixing just until blended after each addition.


5. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds.


6. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. If the top starts to brown too much, cover with aluminum foil for the last few minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.

Buttery Soft Pretzels

fresh from the oven


I made these pretzels in the spur of the moment. Since we can't really buy pretzels anymore and I don't know where there's a vegan bakery that sells pretzels, the only solution would be to make them. The step that took the longest was waiting for the dough to rise, everything else was fast. Just a quick roll and an easy 8 minute bake. The perfect afternoon snack!

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Ingredients
Makes 12 Pretzels

* 4 tsp active dry yeast
* 1 tsp white sugar
* 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 3 Tb melted vegan butter ( I like Earth Balance )

* 1/2 cup baking soda
* 4 cups hot water
* 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping


Directions
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the melted butter and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. If you do not have a warm area, preheat your oven to 150 F, turn off the heat, leave the door open for about 30 seconds, then put your dough inside and close the oven door.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
( To learn how to twist a pretzel, I watched this video. She did a good job at explaining and she starts twisting at about 2:50 minutes in )

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

5. Once finished, dip the hot pretzel in melted butter and coat with your favorite flavors.