Gluten-free White Bread

To make a 900g (2lb loaf)

110g potato flour [approximately 1 cup]
110g gluten-free corn flour [approximately 1 cup]
55g tapioca flour  [approximately 1/2 cup]
110g rice flour  [approximately 1 cup]
2 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 level teaspoons xanthan gum powder
2 sachets of dried yeast granules
approximately 350ml tepid water
2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
millet flakes, poppy seeds or sesame seeds to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F/gas mark 6. Lightly grease and flour a 900g loaf tin, tipping out any excess flour.

2. Once the oven has come up to temperature, sieve the flours, salt, sugar and xanthan gum powder into a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast granules. Make sure the yeast is mixed in properly to avoid pockets of yeast activity and uneven rising.

3. Measure out 350ml of tepid water.

4. Pour 300ml of water onto the dry ingredients, add the oil and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon, until smooth. The dough should be firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough to fall slowly from a spoon. If the mixture seems too firm or dry, beat in the remaining water, plus a little more if necessary.

5. Spoon the bread mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Smooth the surface of the bread mixture with the back of a large spoon dipped in water. Sprinkle over the millet flakes or seeds and place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven to rise.

6. Bake for 45–60 minutes or until the bread is crisp and golden brown on all sides. If the base and sides of the bread are pale, place the bread upside down in the tin and return to the oven for 10 minutes. The bread is cooked when all sides are brown and firm and the underside of the bread sounds hollow when rapped gently with your knuckles.

7. Remove the bread from the tin and place it on a wire rack to cool. Do not slice the loaf until it is completely cold. Eat really fresh, store for up to two days in an airtight container or slice and freeze in a sealed plastic bag.

Read on for foccacia, roll, and brown bread variations …

Italian Foccacia with Rosemary and Thyme

Follow the recipe for gluten-free white bread, using olive oil, and spoon into a greased and floured 20cm round cake tin. With the back of a wet spoon, spread the dough out to fill the tin evenly. Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make shallow indents at regular intervals on the surface. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the bread mixture and sprinkle with a large pinch of sea salt crystals and ½ tablespoon each of roughly chopped fresh rosemary and thyme. Bake in the oven for 30 –45 minutes or until risen, crisp and golden brown. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.

Bread Rolls 

To make 4–6 bread rolls ~ Follow the recipe for white or brown gluten-free bread (see below) but instead of using a loaf tin, using a wet spoon, neatly place tablespoons of bread mixture onto a greased and floured baking tray. Smooth the surface of each roll with the back of the wet spoon and sprinkle with millet flakes, buckwheat flakes, poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Bake in the oven at 200 °C/400 °F/Gas mark 6 for 15–20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown on all sides.

Gluten free brown bread

To make a fibrous brown gluten-free loaf, simply replace the caster sugar in the white bread recipe with dark brown sugar and 55g of rice flour with rice bran (available from all good health food shops) and make as above.

For more free-from recipe ideas check out Lucinda’s website at www.lucindabrucegardyne.com

Recipe and photos from the March edition of Foods Matter, reprinted with permissions.

But fortunately, I have discovered the way to his heart is still, as with most men, via his stomach.  He swoons over home baked goods, fresh from the oven, still hot and crumbling in his fingers.  While he does enjoy all types of cookies and cupcakes, what captures his attention most is a sweet designated for breakfast.  After a quick perusing through my cookbooks, I found this delightful recipe that I am confident would elicit his gratitude when the notorious Valentine’s Day rolls around.  Best of all, it uses only items from my pantry and some of those frozen berries I have tucked away for my indulgences, smoothies.

So without further ado, I will reveal the secret recipe that shall be the Valentine’s Day gift to my greatest love … thank goodness my husband doesn’t read any of my blogging!

Strawberry Love Muffins
Photos and Recipe from My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Plain Soymilk
1/3 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Frozen Strawberries, Thawed and Sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 °F (190°C) and grease one dozen muffin tins.

Begin by mixing together your dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Gently stir in the soymilk, oil, and vanilla but be careful not to over mix, a few lumps are okay! Fold in the thawed strawberries and pour the batter into your prepared muffin tins, ¾ of the way to the top. Slide your filled tins into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins sit for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Enjoy with someone you love.

Makes 12 Muffins

So, with the healthy New Year’s wishes upon us, I set out to make some virtuous morning muffins with a fruit I had never tried before, persimmons.  You can replace the persimmons with another fruit or vegetable-fruit puree if you wish.  Next time I make these, I may add a touch more oil, “milk,” or puree for more moisture, as they became a bit too dense after day 2 with all of the heartiness.  I also prefer less sugar in the morning, so we stuck with just ¼ cup of sugar, but if you like yours on the sweet side, then feel free to shake in a bit more.

Whole Wheat Persimmon Muffins

1 ¼ Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 – 1 ½ Teaspoons Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch Cloves
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Oil (may want to increase this by a tablespoon or two)
¾ Cup Persimmon Puree (I used Hachiyas, make sure they are extremely ripe) or other fruit puree
¼ Cup Sugar of Choice (I used evaporated cane juice)
¼ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
¼ Cup Rice Milk, or other Milk Alternative
½ Cup Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350º and grease 8 muffin tins.

Combine the flour through baking soda in a small bowl, and set aside.  In a large bowl, blend the oil through rice milk.  Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture, being careful not to overmix.  Stir in the walnuts and equally divide the batter between your prepared muffin tins.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Of course, I knew some pumpkin bread would be welcome, so I whipped up a quick batch, but this really didn’t seem like enough.  Then I remembered a recipe I had been wanting to try for Winter Squash Rolls.  Little did I know that this recipe would quickly become a family favorite.

This delicious bread was likened to that squishy, addictive store-bought bread that seems impossible to mimic at home.  Even better, the dough was wonderfully soft to work with, and rose up perfectly to create puffy pillows of lightly sweetened goodness.

The baseline recipe is from AllRecipes.com.  I altered it ever-so-slightly to make it dairy-free for my household, but you can make with milk or a milk alternative. This recipe makes many sizable rolls to feed a small army, though they should freeze well.

Winter Squash Rolls

1 1/2 cups cubed winter squash
1 cup scalded milk [I used a milk alternative]
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 °F/45 °C)
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening

In a small saucepan, cover squash cubes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture, shortening, squash and milk. Mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. 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 1 hour.

Divide the dough into twenty-four equal pieces and form into rounds. Place the rounds into two lightly greased 13×9 inch baking pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 °F (200 °C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Whoa!  My first bite of the cookies while still warm was like a flavor slap in the face.  Granted, I loved it.  Sugar, cinnamon, molasses, and ginger each competing for a single spot on my taste buds.  Seriously, overpoweringly, yummy!  This flavor concoction is not for those ultra-sensitive taste buds, but for ginger lovers like myself, it is definitely worth a trial.

Alas, I can not divulge the actual recipe I used, since it is coming out in a new food allergy cookbook.  However, it isn’t too far off from this one for Egg-Free Dairy-Free Molasses Cookies.  To avoid a ginger overload, try substituting cinnamon for the ginger in this recipe (the recipe I used had cinnamon as the main spice) and add finely diced crystalized ginger bits to your hearts content!

A little hint too, I didn’t actually have any regular/dark molasses on hand, but did have blackstrap molasses.  Obviously this is a bit too bitter for a 1:1 sub, but after looking around at substitution ideas, I settled on a 50/50 mix of the blackstrap molasses and maple syrup.  It turned out to be a winner!

Of course, I left a bunch out to enjoy fresh, and a few extras for banana bread. Undeterred from my first vegan baking attempt at brownies, I jumped into the opportunity to remake my favorite banana bread sans eggs.  Sure, there were many vegan banana breads on the net, but not a one compared to my hearty version.  I have never been a fan of dry and cakey.  My desserts must be moist and dense (crumb topping always helps too), and quick breads should have enough in them to make a good breakfast. 

While my recipe still needs a bit of refining, it was really pretty good.  The loaf was moist, with a light sweetness that my husband really enjoyed (he snuck back for seconds, and thirds, and… well you get the picture). It didn’t rise too much, but just enough.  To get a taller loaf, I think just a bit more flour would do.  Oh yes, and I did sway a bit from my old recipe, which is a banana whole wheat bread.  I used coconut rather than flaxseed for a lighter more dessert like taste (I will pursue a heartier loaf on the next batch). 

Anyway, without further ado, here it is…

Banana Coconut Loaf

• 2 cups flour (whole wheat, white whole wheat - for a lighter bread) or all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup oil (I used coconut)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (may use honey for non-vegan or agave nectar)
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

Preheat oven to 350º and lightly grease a loaf pan (I used a 9 x5, though a smaller one will likely create a taller bread)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coconut (see notes below) in a large bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Mash up those bananas, and add them to the small bowl of liquids.  Going back to the large flour bowl, make a well in the dry mixture and pour your liquid mixture in.  Gently fold the batter until everything is well combined, but be careful not to overmix.  A few lumps are okay.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan.  It is a bit thick, so you may have to coax it into place a bit.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Notes: For the quick bread pictured, I used white whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand) since I was out of whole wheat bread flour.  I also whizzed 3/4 of the coconut (6 Tablespoons) in my spice grinder for a few quick whirls.  I wanted to have a denser loaf with more of an infused coconut taste, which it seemed to do.  The remaining 2 Tablespoons I threw in as is, in shredded fashion.

Recipe and photo from One Frugal Foodie, do not copy without permission

Of course, my favorite savory dish (thus far) was still a gift from the oven, Baked Falafels.  This was a fun one; I had never made falafels.  Lacking pita bread or even a tortilla, I served the falafels overtop a bed of jasmine rice and lightly steamed caught-it-just-in-time organic spinach.  As one person pointed out, I did flatten them out in a rather untraditional fashion.  They were so easy to shape that I must confess, I could resist making little patties.

While the author (Cybele Pascal) recommended her tahini sauce, my pantry was also short on tahini.  So I made a hummus sauce (I had some pre-packaged Trader Joe’s hummus on hand).  My husband had his sans sauce, and found the dish more than flavorful enough.  I liked the moisture that the sauce added, but agree that it wasn’t 100% required.

Really, this was an easy, tasty, and vegan entrée, that even my meaty husband positively loved.  I will be making these again! 

As a side note, the recipe calls for oat flour.  A cheap and easy shortcut is to grind regular old oats in a spice grinder ($9 at the grocery store, best investment I have ever made) for about 30 seconds, until a nice flour develops.  Gluten-free consumers can by “safe” oats and make oat flour using this method too.

The recipe is a vegan (no eggs, no dairy), and I admittedly like the concept. After all, without eggs, you can sample as much batter as you want … and I did.  The batter was really good, yet not as sweet as I expected.  It was a prediction of things to come as these tasty cookies leaned more toward hearty than indulgent.  My father is a bit of a health nut, so they suited his taste buds quite well.

I followed the direction exactly, making no alteration or additions. The cookies are a snap to whip up, and they made about 24 medium-sized snacks.  Really, these could be described as an almost virtuous afternoon snack!

Feeling that the “cheese” was still the most important element of this book, I decided to go for a true comfort recipe first, the Traditional Macaroni and Cheez.  Okay, the cheez part isn’t traditional, but you get the idea.

As luck would have it, the elbow macaroni I had on hand was from Northern Quinoa Corporation.  Known as Organic Quinoa Elbows, these little gems were made of only organic brown rice, organic quinoa, and water.  As long as I was going gluten-free with the noodles, why not make the whole thing gluten-free?  What the heck, while I’m at it, lets just replace that soymilk with another milk alternative for a soy-free meal too.  Of course, you can just stick with the vegan and dairy-free aspect if you have no other special diet needs.  Obviously, this is an insanely versatile recipe!

So, I bet you are wondering how it tasted… 

While a bit different than your standard artificial cheese variety, it was pretty good.  It had a mellow cheese vibe, and an excellent creamy texture.  I cooked my quinoa elbows a bit too long, making for a mushier casserole.  I highly recommend making sure your noodles are just barely al dente prior to baking.  Also, I had to thin out the “cheese” sauce a bit, as it was more like a giant glob of dough.  Luckily, it is easy to add milk alternative as you cook, until it reaches the desired consistency.

This recipe can be found in both Vegan Vittles and The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, but I did find one minor difference.  Vegan Vittles: Second Helpings, Jo Stepaniak’s newest cookbook, notes 1 to 2 Tablespoons of margarine dotted across the top before baking as an option.  I thought this seemed like a good idea and went for it.  I also added some dice red bell peppers for color and nutrition, and will probably add some diced onions and chopped broccoli next time.  Overall, both my husband and I were satisfied, and it was an insanely easy meal to make.  Enjoy the recipe (with gluten-free note that follows); I am off to trial the Spinach and Cheez Calzones!

Traditional Macaroni and Cheez
Recipe From: The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook
 
2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup flour (any kind; your choice)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of cayenne
1 3/4 cups plain nondairy milk, heated [almond or soymilk work well]
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes [check bulk foods or the flour department]
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup packed whole-grain bread crumbs (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons vegan margarine (optional) [from Vegan Vittles]

Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil an 8-inch square baking dish or mist it with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.
While macaroni is cooking, prepare cheez sauce. Heat oil in a large saucepan. When hot, stir in flour, mustard, and cayenne. Cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir in hot milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly. (It will take about 5 to 7 minutes to add the milk. The sauce should continue to bubble as you add the milk; if it doesn’t, you are adding the milk too quickly). If necessary, cook the sauce until it is the consistency of thick cream, about 2 to 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in nutritional yeast flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cooked macaroni, and mix well.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs, if using, evenly over top. [Dot with vegan margarine, if desired]  Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Gluten-Free Note: To keep this gluten-free, use the gf flour of your choice.  Brown rice flour will work, but tapioca or arrowroot flour may offer a smoother “cheese.”  Also, use some gluten-free breadcrumbs (I just happened to have some on hand), and gluten-free macaroni.

The Uncheese Cookbook is available to purchase via Amazon in the U.S., Canada, and U.K.

Originally posted to Go Dairy Free, please contact for reprints

I have been fairly pleased with my go-to dairy-free recipe that I brought up to par many years ago.  Yet, some recent curiosities have led me to venture into some vegan baking experiments.  My solo escapade did not go very well to say the least.  Replacing eggs in cookies can be a much bigger feat than I had anticipated.  So I enlisted the help of a professional, Jo Stepaniak.

Forums have referenced Jo as “the mother of vegan cooking,” and rightfully so I think. Her focus on comfort food is a welcome site.  I eagerly dove into her recently revised title, Vegan Vittles: Second Helpings.  I went straight to her Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. 

(Continue reading for the full recipe)

I think ultimate may be a strong word in this case, but it was a pretty tasty cookie that should appeal to both vegans and non-vegans alike.  Interestingly, the cookie seemed a bit dry at first, but Jo recommends refrigerating them.  This is truly the key.  They take on a unique taste and texture that is really quite pleasing.  This cookbook will definitely take a place in my most used collection, which is currently limited to only three cookbooks (I am quite picky).  Hopefully, I will have some time to make the carrot cake soon!

Now, these are for the hearty cookie fan, with chunks of nuts, oats, and the option of whole-wheat pastry flour.  I used white flour, as I didn’t have the pastry flour on hand, and regular whole wheat would be too heavy for a cookie. 

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from: Vegan Vittles: Second Helpings by Jo Stepaniak

1 ½ cups quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (see note)
1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (for the easiest cleanup), or mist them with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the oats, flour, walnuts, chocolate chips, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir with a dry whisk until well combined.

Place the oil, maple syrup, water, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, and beat vigorously with a whisk until well combined. Stir into the flour mixture, mixing just until everything is evenly moistened. Let rest for 5 minutes so the oats can absorb some of the moisture.

Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. The dough will be crumbly. Flatten with your hand to one-third inch thick. Smooth the edges to make each cookie uniformly round, gently pressing the dough so the cookies hold together.

Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (The cookies will taste best after they have been chilled.)

Note:
To toast the walnuts, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.

Vegan Vittles: Second Helpings just hit the shelves in February 2007, but you can get a copy at a discount from Amazon:

• U.S. 
• Canada
• U.K.