Vegan Diner (11 page)

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or an 8-inch square glass baking pan with shortening.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, ground chipotle, and salt. Add the milk and oil to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in the corn and scallions. Be careful not to over mix the batter.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly brown on top, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking times may vary slightly depending on the pan you use.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and set aside on a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For a fun twist
with cornbread, look for different shaped pans to bake it in. Some fun pans to try are mini- and regular-sized muffin pans, cast-iron pans shaped like corn cobs, and madeleine pans (shell-shaped cookie pan).

I've been making this recipe for years,
and it never fails to please. In fact, serving a pot of chili without this cornbread is sacrilegious in our house. This recipe is adapted from one by cookbook author Bryanna Clark Grogan. It's a moist and tender bread, with a delicious corn flavor.

MAKES ONE 10-INCH PAN

1
½
cups medium grind yellow cornmeal

1
½
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓
cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

¼
teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups plain soymilk or other non-dairy milk

¼
cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 8-inch square glass baking pan with shortening.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the soymilk and canola oil to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cornbread is lightly browned on top, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking times may vary slightly depending on the pan you use.

Remove the cornbread from oven and set aside to cool until ready to serve.

Variation:
Feel free to reduce the sugar to
¼
cup or less, if you like your cornbread a little less sweet.

Although you can
use a regular grind cornmeal in this recipe, I love the texture that a medium-grind cornmeal contributes to this recipe. It's a coarser stone-ground, which I think even brightens the corn flavor, too. One of my favorite brands of cornmeal comes from Bob's Red Mill.

Freshly baked homemade bread hot from the oven
is one of my favorite things! Even better is sharing your homemade bread with friends and family. What better way to show you care than to take the time to bake from scratch? This one is doubly special, rolled up with cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, and hazelnuts.

MAKES ONE LOAF

Dough

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon plus
⅓
cup granulated sugar, divided

¼
cup warm water (about 110
^º
F)

About 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed, divided

1 cup whole wheat flour (white or regular)

3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2 tablespoons soymilk powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, melted

Soy creamer or soymilk, as needed

1 tablespoon coarsely granulated sugar, for topping

Filling

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¾
cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

⅓
cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

For the dough:
In a small bowl, combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the warm water. Let stand 10 minutes, or until very foamy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2
½
cups flour, whole wheat flour,
⅓
cup sugar, vital wheat gluten, soymilk powder, and salt, mixing until well combined. Add 1 cup water, margarine, and the reserved yeast mixture. Beat together until well mixed and the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and continue to beat until the dough is silky and firm. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time, or as needed to get a silky dough.

Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning the dough to lightly coat. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for about 1 to 1
½
hours, or until doubled in size.

For the filling:
In a small bowl, mix together the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle, approximately 13 × 17 inches, with the long edge closest to you. Sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch border. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll up the dough jelly-roll style into a log, pinching the edges and ends to seal. Gently grab hold of one of the ends, and tie the roll into a knot, tucking the end down through the center. Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a towel. Let rise for
40 minutes, or until a dent does not fill in when the dough is lightly pressed with a fingertip. Do not let the bread double in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the loaf lightly with soy creamer or soymilk and sprinkle with the coarsely granulated sugar. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until golden-brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Variation:
Substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for the hazelnuts.

Cinnamon bread is a definite crowd pleaser and an
all-American favorite. There's nothing like those cinnamon sugar swirls and the light and fluffy texture to get people excited. Although I've left the raisins out here (to keep the peace in my house), you can certainly add them in: see the recipe variation.

MAKES 1 9 × 5-INCH LOAF

Bread

3
½
cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

¼
cup granulated sugar

2
½
teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1
¼
cups plus 2 tablespoons vanilla soymilk, lukewarm

¼
cup canola oil

Soy creamer or soymilk

Filling

⅓
cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze

¾
cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla soymilk

½
teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grease a 9 × 5-inch metal loaf pan with shortening.

For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt, mixing well.

Add the soymilk and oil to the flour and mix until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and mix the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and silky, adding more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky.