Vegan Baking

After falling in love with rye breads I became fascinated with developing a bread containing 100 percent rye. I knew that taking all of the wheat flour out of a bread recipe would wreak havoc on the end result and a high-rising crusty bread would not be obtainable. This is because wheat flour is unique in that it contains two proteins in the wheat endosperm called glutenin and gliadin. When these proteins hydrate and undergo friction, they unravel like balls of yarn, bind together into sticky strands and form a structure building network. This elastic web of protein holds in air bubbles during leavening and acts as a structure builder after the bread cools, resulting in a high-rising, fluffy, springy loaf.

Initially I was intrigued by the flavor of rye breads but intimidated by baking them. How was I supposed to bake flavorful, crusty loafs with most of the leavening-enhancing gluten out of the picture? A little research found that although rye flour contains about the same amount of protein than regular flour, most of this protein isn't from glutenin and gliadin, the two protein compounds that unravel and combine to create gluten when water is added and the mixture is kneaded. What rye flour does contain though are natural gums called pentosans which absorb about 16 times their weight in water. This is the puzzle piece of how these breads are crafted.

I haven't yet met anyone who isn't a raging pizza fan. It was one of the hardest foods for me to give up when I lit the vegan torch. Luckily, I've developed a vegan pizza crust recipe that's easy to make and features a rich flavor with a crispy exterior and chewy interior. This has come at a price. The uneven road leading to this crust has made past girlfriends almost dump me over failed pizza prospects. I've lost many highly anticipated meals and wasted lots of time. Yes, the lowly pizza crust depends on some fundamental ingredients and methods that are to be mastered in order to bake itself to crispy perfection.

Curdled soy milk produces a buttermilk tang that's perfect in this Buttermilk Waffle recipe. The cornmeal allows them to attain a nice balance between crispy exterior and moist interior. Avoid making this recipe with anything other than soy milk; other non-dairy milks lack the protein content to curdle effectively which is paramount to rich buttermilk flavor. Try these waffles with a slathering of almond butter, vegan butter, fresh fruit or maple syrup.

This bread is unique in that it sports nine grains and contains 100% whole wheat flour for the rest of the ingredients which adds a  superb flavor and texture not found in many other breads. Baking a bread with both of these features involves a little more effort but I think you'll agree that it's time well spent. This bread differs from a regular bread recipe in two ways: First, the grains are soaked so they soften and integrate into the loaf. Second, since we're using 100% whole wheat flour for the rest of the flour we need to soak it overnight so the bran softens. This softened bran will enable a more efficient rise because the bran won't cut gluten strands. It will also allow for a more supple crumb. These soaked flour and grains are technically referred to as a soaker. I suspect the bread baker who coined this term was having a creativity block the day he used this method.

My favorite part about Easter growing up was when my Mom made the Bunny Cake. This cake is in the shape of a bunny head with a bow tie. That's right. Cake in the shape of a bunny head. it's impossible to not get excited when seeing this cake. Usually a white or carrot cake is slathered in white or cream cheese frosting then a coconut fur covers part or all of the cake. Mom usually used red licorice for whiskers and jelly beans to outline the bow tie. She also colored the inside of the ears with shredded coconut that was dyed pink which gave the bunny an extra cute persona. She didn't bake very often back then so the Bunny Cake was a very special occasion for me and the rest of the family; more important than Easter itself to me on a subconscious level. She would bring out the colorful cartoonish cake that would lay on a bed of coconut which would conceal the crusty old non-stick cookie sheet underneath perfectly. I would always have the ear first in order to get the maximum amount of frosting before the rest of the family.

Several years ago I ate at a world famous garlic themed restaurant in San Francisco and discovered to my excitement that caramelized garlic can be delectable spread on bread the same way as butter. I couldn’t believe how the garlic transformed from a spicy, harshness to a smooth, subtle butteriness with just the application of heat. In later years I became more familiar with this magical trait of garlic and decided to pair it with the creaminess of vegan butter here. Enjoy this Vegan Garlic Butter spread on your toast, baked into your hearth breads or use it as a base for something like puff pastry garlic knots. Either way, it’ll be able to stand up to the complexity of traditional butter.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon olive oil.

Kimchi adds a layer of spicy tang to vegan butter due to it's fermented goodness. You can use mild or spicy kimchee depending on how much spice you'd like to have come through. I recommend medium to spicy kimchi for a complex Vegan Butter that's great on toast or other savory items. You could even make a mushroom turnover using this as your butter block!

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon canola, safflower or sunflower oil.

This Vegan Butter is enhanced with sweet, white chocolate undertones. Spread White Chocolate Vegan Butter on chocolate muffins, crusty toast or feature it in white chocolate tart crust. A white chocolate danish dough with dark chocolate in the center could be particularly interesting.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the cocoa butter with 1 additional Tablespoon canola, safflower or sunflower oil.

Banana Vegan Butter doesn't utilize curdling so it's great for people looking to avoid soy. It can also be made raw. Try Banana Vegan Butter on pancakes or make banana croissants. Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon canola, safflower or sunflower oil.

This is the ultimate Vegan Butter because three fresh herbs are infused into it, resulting in multiple layers of buttery goodness. Feel free to mix up the herbs to add your own special flavor profile. Slather this butter on crusty artisanal breads for an amazing flavor combination. You can also use Three Herbed Vegan Butter to make buttermilk biscuits or a savory pie crust. This is currently my best attempt at making a vegan butter that rivals real butter.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 additional Tablespoon olive oil.

Coconut Vegan Butter is similar to Vegan Butter but involves unrefined coconut oil and agave syrup to accentuate the coconut flavors. The result is a spread that celebrates the richness and smoothness that only coconut can offer. Since this Vegan Butter is slightly more sweet than a regular vegan butter, it's recommended to add another layer of complexity to things like pancakes, toast or a baked item where coconut would enhance flavor. Also use this to make things like coconut pie crust or coconut lime scones.

Vegan Butter is designed to mimic real butter in vegan baking applications. Like real butter, Vegan Butter is more solid than tub margarine and not as spreadable. This is so it can perform optimally in vegan baking applications. If your goal is to have a conveniently softer, spreadable Vegan Butter, swap out 1 additional Tablespoon of the coconut oil with 1 Tablespoon canola, safflower or sunflower oil.

Butter is one of those ingredients that can be so central to baking that as soon as some people hear the term vegan baking they wonder aloud almost in a panic, “what about the butter?!” Many vegan baked items get along great with fats like canola, coconut oil or even olive oil. These types of fats work wonders for cakes, cookies, bars and breads. When designing recipes where we need something to act like butter, things start to get complicated. Solid fats like butter and margarine are integral to things like puff pastry, pie crust, shortbread, croissants, danish dough and certain cakes. This is because in these cases the fat is used to coat the flour so gluten doesn't develop too much and also trap air bubbles to enhance leavening and texture. The only option in these instances is to turn to a margarine or similar vegan butter that is solid at room temperature and gets soft as it melts so it blends to one cohesive mass of dough. I make Vegan Butter in large batches and store it in my freezer.

Toppings can really add depth to a dish. I remember the cheesy kick of grated parmesan cheese and how effective it is at adding another layer of flavor to things like pasta, garlic bread and pizza. I set out to make my own cheesy topping and borrow some concepts from grated parmesan but also attempt to build a flavor that rivals it in it's own way. I used pine nuts (also known as pignolis) that are freshly toasted for maximum rich flavor. Toasting the pine nuts yourself ensures that their rich flavor compounds are freshly infused and haven't had a chance to diminish. Pre-toasted pine nuts can frequently lack their toasty essence due to the amount of time that has passed since they've been toasted.  Nutritional yeast flakes are used for their cheesy notes. Fleur de Sel is a rare salt that is selected by hand from the coast of Western France. I utilize it in this recipe for the fascinating flavor depth it adds.

My grandmother used to make the best cookies I've ever tasted. They were oatmeal raisin cookies that had a barely crisp exterior that gave way to a chewy, rich center that would release the most amazing oatmeal flavor. I asked her for the recipe once and she said she just made them by heart. How did people ever do that? It's amazing to me when something as exact as baking can be done without a recipe and be consistently amazing every time.