The Bread Making / Recipe Thread

[Marlene]

I bake my own bread. Always whole wheat, but I can vary the recipe and make herb bread, flax bread, raisin bread, whatever. It's about 15 minutes of actual work but the whole process can take up to 4 hours, so I don't do it all the time, maybe once every few weeks. Most of the time I use store-bought whole wheat pitas for sandwiches or whatever.

I love the smell of baking bread!
And there's no ambiguity about what's in it.

[TheFirstBus]

I use sprouted grains. Completly vegan and most of the ingrediants are organic. Purchased at my regular grocery store

[Kiva Dancer]

I bake my own bread. Always whole wheat, but I can vary the recipe and make herb bread, flax bread, raisin bread, whatever. It's about 15 minutes of actual work but the whole process can take up to 4 hours, so I don't do it all the time, maybe once every few weeks. Most of the time I use store-bought whole wheat pitas for sandwiches or whatever.

I love the smell of baking bread!
And there's no ambiguity about what's in it.

I've been wanting to start baking my own bread, too. What recipe do you use, Marlene? Would you mind to post it?

[i_like_deer]

Does baking something with oil in it automatically turn it into trans-fat? Or is it certain kinds of oils??

[harpy]

As I understand it it's the process of hydrogenation that creates the trans fats, and so if you bake with unhydrogenated oils you won't end up with trans fats. (Not sure whether this means you won't have any or just not as much!)

I don't do much baking so I don't know how easy it is to bake with oils that are not solid at room temperature?

[i_like_deer]

i do baking with liquid oils & it works fine.

i know when you heat certain oils to a high enough temperature it does something to them & that solid oils (like cocnut oil) can withstand higher heat. but i don't know if the heating turns it to trans-fat or what..

i also heard someone refuse to eat cookies that had been baked from scratch without hydrogenated oils because "i dont eat trans-fat". i have no idea how [not] informed that guy was.....

[eve]

I believe that all cookies have transfats in them, plus sugard. The two together are unhelpful.

[Roxy]

I love cookies The ones I eat are organic and contain organic canola oil. Is this a trans fat?

Sorry I don't know much about this issue.

Roxy

[harpy]

I think canola oil (which is called "rapeseed oil" in the UK) is meant to be OK trans fat wise as are other liquid oils
(http://www.ific.org/publications/qa/transqa.cfm). If things contain significant trans fats the ingredients list should mention "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils. I was also reading about something called "fractionated" oil which is probably bad news too.

Raising oils and other foods above a certain temperature as in baking, roasting or deep-frying is meant to cause chemical changes which may create carcinogens but that's a separate issue from the hydrogenation/trans fats one. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0726081009.htm

[Sabster]

Companies will have to list the trans fats in their products starting at some point in th future. As of sometime last year (I think) companies don't have to yet but can elect to. Most natural and organic products elect to list trans fat content on their prepared foods labels. Of course if not... you can still tell if hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils have been used in the process....

my guess is that an infintessimal negligible amount wouldn't get noted... i.e. listing fat content < .5 g is not usually done... more of an added comment than necessarily relating to anything. Just something I was curious about... I've been reading nutrition labels for too long.

[ConsciousCuisine]

Here is some good general information on oils and trans fats.

http://www.silanutrition.com/hydrogenation.html

http://www.naturesplus.com/library/l...articleID=3096

Canola oil comes from "rapeseed", is highly refined and provides questionable nutrition at best. Rapeseed is used as a pesticide, and is so toxic in its natural state that animals avoid it. If you want more info on canola oil specifically, do a search at www.google.com or please feel free to contact me.

[Roxy]

Thanks everyone!

Roxy

[eve]

Thanks for those two urls ConsciousCuisine, I'm just glad that my food regimen doesn't contain transfats or canola, that I've avoided like the plague.

[tsunami]

Margarine has trans-fats. Other oils do not unless you really alter them. Like with those extreme processes that make them quite unnatural. Otherwise trans-fats are mainly in animal products and margarine and such.

[cedarblue]

canola oil is corn oil, right??
what is the best general purpose oil to use then for cake baking and shallow and occasional deep-frying??

[ConsciousCuisine]

No, canola is rapeseed, (originally sourced from Canada- thus named "Can- Ola" Canadian oil) a member of the mustard family. It is highly refined.

Olive and extra virgin coconut oil are the best that I have found. When I asked Dr. Udo Erasmus (author of "Fats That Kill Fats that Heal) he confirmed that these were the best choices. The extra virgin coconut oil is more stable at high temperatures and so is more suitable for frying than any other.

[harpy]

Cedarblue - There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice about this around, but I have read that (allergies permitting, obviously) groundnut/peanut oil is quite good for baking and frying because it too is stable at higher temperatures. Like olive and rapeseed oil it's high in monounsaturates, and it has a neutral flavour. So currently I tend to use that for cooking and extra virgin olive oil for salads etc.

For a while I was using non-extra-virgin olive oil for cooking but then someone with an olive farm told me what they put in it ! I had stopped using extra virgin oil for cooking at high temperatures because it is meant to be less stable (or something - I forget why) but still use it for things like ratatouille that can be cooked over a low heat.

Anyway, I made some muffins with groundnut oil recently and it seemed to work fine.

[cedarblue]

thanks harpy, will try those oils just for myself though - daughter is has nut allergy.
currently i use extra virgin olive for dressings, light olive oil for starting off cooking in pans as well as sunflower oil, and sesame oil for dressing and stirfries.

[harpy]

I used to use sunflower oil but apparently vegetarians and vegans should avoid overdoing it because it's got omega 6 fatty acids in it and that can interfere with assimilation of omega 3 EFAs (which vegans can get from flax and hemp seeds, among other things). I think that's right - it's discussed here http://www.vegansociety.com/html/foo...atty_acids.php

I wonder what other options there are if one's avoiding nut and peanut oils. I believe soya oil is used in the US but I've never seen it on sale here I don't think.

[i_like_deer]

finding a good oil is hard.

soy oil has a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (as does corn oil i think). i know grapeseed oil is good for cooking because it can be heated fairly high (higher than canola oil) but i think it may also be high in omega-6's. i read that the cooking oil that has the best o-3 to o-6 ratio is canola.

also coconut oil can be heated to high temps without hurting it (so it's good for baking) but it has a higher amount of saturated fat in it.

harpy:: what do they put in non-extra virgin olive oil?

[harpy]

Oh yes, I missed the bit about the omega 6 in soya oil. Back to the drawing board then!

There is apparently a school of thought that says coconut and palm oils are OK after all because the studies that found they were bad for you used hydrogenated versions of them. The jury is still out but I certainly choose products with those in them in preference to those with the 'orrid hydrogenated oils

The non-virgin olive oil has various processed components such as extracts from the "lampante" which is more or less scraped out of the press after they've made the virgin stuff, apparently. Not sure how bad for you they are but my informant certainly didn't make them sound very appetising. The regulations as to what they are allowed to put in vary from country to country too, just to make things more complicated.

This site has some information about different types of olive oil: http://www.hormel.com/templates/know...emid=41&id=408

It is a minefield isn't it? Or an oilfield

[cast_the_flames]

i recently went on a baking frenzy and made bread and vegan cookie bars for everyone i know. i was also inspired to finally make my own sourdough starter, and am very excited about it! i'll probably be able to use it tomorrow, which will be really nice. i love making my own bread, although with normal yeast breads i tend to use my bread machine, which is easy but somewhat souless.

anyway, i was just wondering what experiences with handmade bread/sourdough people have had, as i'm new to this and would love to hear from others!

[ConsciousCuisine]

Please share your experiece with creating a vegan sourdough starter, as most people assume that it can't be done...

[cast_the_flames]

well, so far it's bubbly and sour smelling. i "fed" it last night by adding some more flour and water, and it's starting to get a little bit more bubbly(which is good). i think i'll be able to start using it tomorrow

i don't see why it can't be vegan, as genuine sourdough starter is just water and flour left out to gather yeast and mircroorganisms from the air...unless vegans don't usually eat yeast? it's not an animal, so that shouldn't be a problem.

[Artichoke47]

You can probably find soymilk powder or just leave it out of the recipe. I don't know what purpose cow milk powder or any powder would serve.

I used to make my pizza crust dough w/o soymilk powder and it turned out fine, even though the recipe called for it.

[cedarblue]

i just leave it out, dont replace it.

i think the idea is that the milk powder will rehydrate with the water and act with sugar and yeast to make a slightly lighter loaf.

[snivelingchild]

Now I bake my own bread. I used to be terrible (even the squirrels wouldn't eat my first few loaves), but now I'm pretty good and it's sooo much fun. Right now I'm baking a loaf so we will have bread when hurricane Jeanne comes through tomorrow. I think I've become addicted to baking! Anyway, it's quite easy. I just mix yeast, 1/2 a cup of warm water, and a tablespoon of agave nectar in a bowl until the yeast dissolves. Then I add 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, beat, and let rise for 15 minutes. Then I add 3/4 cup more warm water and 2 tablespoons salt. Then I gradually mix in about 2 cups whole wheat flour, and knead while adding more flour until it is no longer sticky, then let it rise again. I put it in a buttered (soy butter) loaf pan, and let rise for a third time. Then I bake it for and hour at 375 degrees, with a pan of water in the lower grid, to get a lovely little loaf.

Next time I'm going to try putting some agave nectar and oats on the crust and see how that turns out.

I used to spend forever in the bread isle finding the right kind of bread, but now I can just make whatever kind of loaf I'm in the mood for.

[Andie]

Does anyone have a recipe for Ezeckiel Bread which I'm probably spelling wrong!! It sounds so good but is expensive. Thanks.

[mysh]

I don't have the recipe, but I just wanted to confirm that, not just does it sound good, but it tastes delicious! As I don't eat a lot of bread, it's not too expensive for me. I go through one loaf in 1-2 months. But I'd love to have the recipe, too.

[Mystic]

I second the deliciousness of ezekiel bread (otherwise known as essene bread here in Australia). It is worth paying for because it tastes so good and is very healthy for you, but if you are game to make your own (and I solute you for your efforts), I found this link for essene bread:

http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/wigmore.html

[Northern Lights]

I actually have recipes for two different breads- one is called Ezekiel and the other essene. Different results but both good (IMHO). The Ezekiel is more like a normal loaf of bread, the Essene is sprouted and more 'banana bread' texture. Both- YUM!

EZEKIEL BREAD (I confess, I have a wheat grinder and a Bosche mixer, so I can make this easily. If you don't it's going to be harder.)

4 C hard spring wheat
1 c pot barley
1/4 c pinto beans
1/4 C soya beans
1/4 C lentils
1 C rye kernels or spelt
Mill together. (I have a wheat grinder!)
3 c wheat milled separate.
5 C water-warm
1/2 C oil
1/2 C molasses
1 T yeast
Use only as much of last flour batch as needed. Knead 7-10 minutes in a Bosch or 15+ minutes by hand until dough is 'ready' It will be on the soft side. Shape into 4 round loaves, place on cornmeal cookie sheets. Rise until doubled. bake 350¡ 35 minutes.

ESSENE BREAD

Approximately one pound of wheat berries per loaf.

6 cups will make 3 good sized loaves.

Choose hard spring or winter wheat. Soak in room temperature water for 18 hours, then drain and keep in a dark place, rinsing 3 times a day until the little sprout is one third the length of the grain. This will take 36-48 hours maximum.

If the sprouts are too young, the bread will not be sweet. If too old, the bread will be gooey and will never bake out.

Remove excess moisture from the sprouts with a terry towel. Grind the sprouts to as smooth as possible. Can do up to 2 cups at a time in a food processer. (I put mine through the champion juicer with a plate in the bottom)

Knead the gooey mixture well to get the gluten going. (Can use the blender and continue the 2 cups for about 3 minutes...watch it carefully)

Let the dough rest about an hour. Shape into small loaves and bake on a well greased sheet. Bake slowly, not over 325 for 2 1/2 hours or until nicely browned.

Cool loaves and wrap in a towel. Set aside in a cool place for a day or two to soften the crust.

Variation: Can grind up 1/2 cup dates with sprouts

[eve]

Northern Lights, I take off my hat to you - I used to make bread years ago, but now I eat so little, that when I buy a loaf of sweet & sour rye bread, it lasts a fortnight, by which time it is really, really solid! If I made lovely bread as you do, I'd eat too much.

[Northern Lights]

Eve- if I was by myself I'd bake less often. Since I have a family, I bake often. I believe in the rule of not having junk in the house, so if the kids are looking for things to eat I want it to be good.

It also makes meal times easier. Supper the day I bake is bread hot from the oven and soup. (and since I'm now vegan AND I do the cooking, guess what the family gets!!)

[ConsciousCuisine]

[QUOTE=Northern Lights]I actually have recipes for two different breads- one is called Ezekiel and the other essene. Different results but both good (IMHO). The Ezekiel is more like a normal loaf of bread, the Essene is sprouted and more 'banana bread' texture. Both- YUM![QUOTE=Northern Lights]

Thanks for sharing your recipes! Your family is blessed to have you providing healthy home-baked treats!

In the US, "Ezekiel Bread" is made from all sprouted grains, has sesame seeds lining the crust and is not really terribly expensive- it is all Organic and can be bought (here) at Trader Joe's for $2.19 a loaf. It is a wonderful bread and the only store-bought/cooked bread I give to my daughter.

[Andie]

Thanks for the recipes and link. Currently I don't have the requisite equipment however I'm saving up for a juicer. Till then, I guess oh tightwad could buy herself a loaf of bread ;-)

[Artichoke47]

From Very Vegetarian by Jannequin Bennett

2 T. flax seeds
1 1/2 c. sugar (I used Sucanat)
1 c. pumpkin puree (I used 1 1/2 c. or one can)
1/2 c. applesauce
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. whole wheat flour (instead of all-purpose and whole wheat, I
used 1 2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour, to make it more "whole
grain")
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I left this out and put a little extra cinnamon)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves


Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a blender or processor, blend together the flax seeds and 6 T. of water until frothy. (I recommend grinding the flax seeds first in a coffee grinder and then blending with water.) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flax seed mixture, sugar, pumpkin, and applesauce.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and combine well. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour.

Makes 1 loaf.

[cedarblue]

p.s.

anyone in the uk, where can i buy sprouted bread? health food stores i guess, havent seen any in my local one tho i am keen to try them!
can you give me a brandname??

[lvhatkent]

I have a couple of recipes in vegan cookbooks that call for whole wheat cake flour. I've had no problem finding whole wheat pastry flour and regular whole wheat flour, but I have no idea what makes cake flour different from either of these. If anyone knows, please please please tell me. Also let me know if I have to use cake flour or if I can use regular or pastry flour. I really only work with whole grain flours, so regular store-bought white flour isn't an option.

Thanks bunches!

Leah

[Artichoke47]

I wonder what kind of cookbook would label something "cake flour." I've never heard of it. Does the recipe call for baking soda? Maybe they mean self-rising flour. I would use ww pastry flour for a cake.

[Artichoke47]

MAKE YOUR OWN CAKE FLOUR



2 tablespoons cornstarch in measuring cup. Fill with unsifted all-purpose flour. Sift 3 times. 1 cup of this equals 1 cup of sifted cake flour.


Here you go. I googled it.

[Mystic]

I love organic 100% wholemeal sourdough by Pure Bread Bakery - it is so dense and texturised and has a lovely flavour, particularly when it is toasted. The only ingredients are stoneground wholewheat flour, sourdough leven and salt.

I also love the Pure Life essene breads, which come in the following varieties:
- wheat
- wheat with sultanas
- rye
- rye with dates
- rye with dates and walnuts
- essene supreme (wheat and rye mix)
- essene supreme with dates
- essene supreme with dates and walnuts
- spelt
- kamut
All they contain is the sprouted grain, minced into a loaf (with the fruit/nuts added) and a little sunflower oil to grease the loaf pan.

So what is/are your favourite bread/s?

[nubilous]

Okay, so I'm not sure if it's 100% vegan, but it's absolutely amazing - the Hodgson Mill Caraway Rye Bread Mix. I've never made my own bread until just tonight, and I used this mix and I can't even describe how tasty it is. I JUST got it from the oven and tried a slice and just had to share the wealth - everyone else is asleep!

Has anyone else tried it? If you have, what did you think? If not, go to the store! All you need is a box of the mix, a cup of warm water, and butter, margarine OR vegetable oil (I used olive oil). The box even comes with a packet of yeast.

I'm going to feel like a complete ASS if it's not vegan. . . .

[Kiva Dancer]

I was just about to ask for an ingredient list, too.

But then I found it at the Hodgson Mill site.

It contains: Unbleached and enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid); stone ground whole grain rye flour; stone ground whole grain wheat flour; sugar; vital wheat gluten; soy flour; caraway seeds; salt; vitamin C. Packet of fast rise yeast included.

The only potential iffy here that I can see is the sugar. Some vegans avoid it because of it being filted with bone char and some have no problem with that at all. Since it's an American company, they might use bone char filtered sugar but then again they might not. If it's an issue with you then call the company and ask. If it's a non-issue, then enjoy the bread. It looks quite good.

[Sunnie]

I am hunting for a cruelty-free baking soda. The brand that seems most popular here (USA) is manufactured by Arm & Hammer (per PETA list, they test on animals). Any suggestions?

[Yoggy]

I checked a bit and didn't find the following questions elsewhere, but I apologise if they've already been addressed in other threads.

I haven't done any baking since I became vegan, because all I really know is how to bake with animal ingredients (I was an avid baker before). So here are a couple questions that I want to ask before I try my hand at vegan baking:

1. Can you substitute Earthbalance for butter in any recipe?

2. What about sugar? I don't want to use refined sugar anymore, so is raw okay? Is organic sugar "refined"? How do you substitute brown sugar?

3. Can you use egg replacer in any baking recipe that calls for eggs?

I know the answers to these questions are out there on google, but I guess what I'm looking for is "testimonials" about how well these substitutions work, and if there are any other considerations to take into account when baking. Thanks

[Artichoke47]

It's best to use vegan recipes as opposed to "substituting" for animal ingredients that were never meant for baking!


1. I believe the Earth Balance can be used in any recipe. However, I have not tried every single recipe out there.

2. I think raw turbinado sugar is available. Sucanat is similar to refined brown sugar.

3. It has worked for me in every recipe I have tried, but there again, I have not tried every single vegan recipe out there, despite having over 40 vegan cookbooks.

[moochbabe]

Canola oil and olive oil can both be heated to extremely high heats without being turned into trans fats. Other oils, when heated too high, end up turning into trans fats, however, not as much as pure hydrogenated oil, which is all transfats. Also, organic cookies won't contain refined sugar, at least not here in the States, usually they have brown rice syrup or organic cane juice. Hope that helped!

[Artichoke47]

I think when an organic product contains "organic sugar," they mean "refined" sugar, do they not? That's what I've seen in ingredients.

[moochbabe]

I don't know about "organic sugar" I wouldn't chance it, it could be refined. However, most of the organic things that I've come across haven't listed that as their sweeteners. I know cane juice is safe though.

[twinkle]

I second the bread machine suggestion. If you don't want to buy one I bet you know someone who doesn't use theirs and will lend you it so you can try it out

You might even be able to get someone to make loaves for you in their machine if you say you'll pay for enough flour so you can both make loaves (and buying flour in bulk is generally cheaper).

It's not even that difficult to make bread without a machine, it just takes a long time, but there's only about 10 minutes of actual work to it.