How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet (24 page)

Not rising enough:
add a bit more starter
Too gooey:
add a bit more flour
Too lumpy:
knead the bread a little longer
Cracks:
cut some slits in the top of the loaf right before baking

SOURDOUGH STARTER

1 cup water

1 cup whole wheat flour

In a large, clean, dry jar, stir together the water and flour until completely mixed. Cover jar with a cotton cloth and let sit covered for 3-5 days in a warm, draft-free spot (the top of the refrigerator is always a good spot). Stir every 12 hours. On the third day, it’s ready to use. You want the starter to be bubbly and smell sour. If it smells rancid, throw it out and start again. After using, store in the fridge with a tight-fitting lid.

As you use your starter for baking, you can keep the rest of it indefinitely by “feeding” it. If you use a½ cup of starter, for instance, refill it by adding ½ cup of flour and water to the balance. Stir and let sit for 3 hours before returning to storage. If you don’t use your starter often, it will become dormant. To revive it, add
cup of flour and
cup of warm water, and keep it in a warm place for 10-12 hours before using.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

5-7 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
*

2½ cups water

½-¾ cup sourdough starter

1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, stir together 5 cups of flour, water, starter, and salt. Slowly add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, while gently kneading the dough until smooth and consistent.

Place dough in a lightly oiled ceramic bowl. Roll the dough around so that it’s covered in oil. Cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and let dough rise for 12 hours.

Re-knead dough for 3-5 minutes. Cut it in half and either place in loaf pans or shape into 2 loaves and place on cookie sheet. Cover and let dough rise 6 more hours, until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake loaves for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and bake for another 45 minutes or until golden brown. Check with knife to see if done. Makes 2 loaves.

*
You can vary your flour for different tastes and textures: e.g., 4 cups pastry, 3 cups spelt.

EASY BISCUITS

These tasty jewels are perfect smothered in
miso gravy
or simply teamed with any soup.

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ cup margarine or vegetable shortening

¾-1 cup sour soy milk (soy milk + 1 tsp vinegar)

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the margarine and sour milk and mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins, or roll out and cut with biscuit or cookie cutters and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 12-18 minutes. Makes 6 biscuits.

SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Enjoy the delicious flavour of sourdough in a biscuit. They stand well on their own or served with a meal.

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp sweetener

½ cup margarine

1½ cups
sourdough starter

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and sweetener. Cut in the margarine and mix well. Stir in the sourdough starter. Knead lightly until “just mixed.” Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins, or roll out and cut with biscuit or cookie cutters and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 6-12 biscuits.

FANCY BISCUITS

These scrumptious scrumpets boast a savoury flavour all their own.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil
or
shortening

1 cup sour soy milk (soy milk + 1 tsp vinegar)

½ cup green onions, chopped

1 tbsp dried dill

¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil, sour milk, onions, dill, and pepper and mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins. Bake for 12-18 minutes. Makes 6 biscuits.

SWEET BISCUITS

Try serving these biscuits with tea.

2½ cups flour

¼ cup dry sweetener

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup margarine

1 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sweetener, and baking powder. Stir in the margarine and milk and mix together until “just mixed.” Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins, or roll out and cut with biscuit or cookie cutters and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 12-18 minutes. Makes 8 biscuits.

CHAPATIS

This flat bread has it origins in India and goes great with curries or
exquisite rice salad
.

1½ cups flour

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

¾ -1 cup water

In a large ceramic bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and oil. Slowly add the water to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover bowl and dough with a tea towel and let stand for 30-60 minutes. Divide dough into 14 equal pieces and shape into balls. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-inch disk and fry in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Cook each side until browned, and serve warm. Makes 14 chapatis.

FLAX SEED CRACKERS

The flax seed is a nutritious, versatile seed with many proven beneficial properties. For variation, add 1 teaspoon of oregano, onion powder, or dill. You can use hemp seeds instead of flax for this recipe.

½ cup flax seeds

1½ cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

4 tsp margarine
or
vegetable shortening

1 tbsp dried oregano (optional)
or

onion powder (optional)
or

dried dill (optional)

½ cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a food processor, blend together the flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, margarine, and optional spices until well mixed. Place in a medium bowl and slowly add the milk. Mix and knead together until the dough forms a ball. Chill dough for 10-20 minutes.

Divide dough into 4 equal parts. In between 2 sheets of wax paper, roll out the dough very thinly to form a rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, or use cookie cutters. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer crackers onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 5 minutes more. Makes 24 crackers.

HARVEST HERB BREAD

The classic combination of these herbs bring flavour and life to this delicious bread.

1½ cups flour

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp dried marjoram

tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

pinch of dried thyme

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

egg replacer (to equal 1 egg)

2 tbsp sweetener

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp vinegar

¾ cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the marjoram, oregano, basil, thyme, raisins, nuts, egg replacer, sweetener, oil, vinegar, and milk. Mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. Test with a knife to see if done. Makes 1 loaf.

SWEET POTATO CORN BREAD

A sweet, savory bread to accompany soups.

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

tsp allspice

½ cup cornmeal

1 cup sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

4 tbsp oil

¼ cup sweetener

egg replacer (to equal 2 eggs)

½ cup sour soy milk (soy milk + ½ tbsp vinegar)

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice. Stir in the cornmeal. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, oil, sweetener, egg replacer, and sour milk. Mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon into a lightly oiled square or round loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Test with a knife to see if done. Makes 1 loaf.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

What could be a more fantastic aroma to wake up to than fresh cinnamon raisin bread hot out of the toaster?

1 cup flour

1 cup rye flour

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp allspice

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sour soy milk (soy milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)

½ cup sweetener

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir in the sour milk, sweetener, raisins, and nuts. Mix together gently until “just mixed.” Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a knife to see if done. Let the bread sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.