Bread Without Butter

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 19:54:00 +0000

Hi, all. Before officially returning from an epic blogging absence, let me just say a couple of things: 1) I've had a mess of a time trying to access blog-related email, so if you've emailed me at all in the last few months, I apologize for not getting back to you; and 2) you can in the meantime find food-related happenings (if you're still interested) on my Instagram account, @xo_tiffmt. Thanks!

[UPDATE 4/29/15: My Instagram account is no longer accessible to public viewing.]

Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:43:00 +0000

I should probably start growing, harvesting, and milling my own wheat. It's probably safe to assume that the amount of whole wheat flour I go through to satisfy that urge to bake--bread, namely, but also a plethora of sweets--is substantial for the average kitchen lurker.

So I've been keeping at it: firing up the oven, dusting my hands (and everything in a three-foot radius of them) with flour, and turning out the usual range of yeast-risen goodies. Having managed to keep the sourdough starter alive, I generally opt to put the "discard" to use whenever I do actually refresh the starter. But for the sake of doing something a little different, I used active dry yeast in my most recent batch of bread: whole wheat bagels.

These beauties were made from 100% whole wheat flour--something I really look for in anything that claims to be "whole wheat" or "whole grain"--and boasted wonderful flavor and texture, thanks to the use of a biga and soaker. Although something made entirely with whole wheat flour will never quite have that same, comforting flavor and softness of bread made with refined flour, these bagels do have that hearty, wheaty bite I love in a whole grain bread, while still retaining that must-have, characteristic bagel chewiness.

Note: I adapted the recipe to vegan by using agave nectar instead of honey. I also boiled the dough rings in water with a touch of barley malt syrup, rather than baking soda, because using the latter is more of a pretzel thing (not that I don't love pretzels, of course). The use of white whole wheat flour made these bagels lighter in color and subsequently, deceptively reminiscent of a regular bagel. The photos show the results of a double-batch. Sure, they could look a little better, but they tasted just fine.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:53:00 +0000

It's officially spring. Here's to something a little different.

Same ol' pretzels, alternatively shaped.

Fruit tree blossoms.

Engaged!

Life is moving and changing in many ways--accordingly so, it seems.

Wordless Wednesday: All [We] Need

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:39:00 +0000

Wild, wild yeast

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:33:00 +0000

Even during a slow week in the kitchen, I usually manage to turn out at least one batch of homemade bread. It's a routine sort of thing that brings me a unique sense of calm and joy. Sourdough has been the bread of choice lately, usually manifesting as pretzels, my go-to use for would-be "discard" starter, albeit a somewhat involved and unusual route. (I've made the same version so many times, I don't even consult the recipe anymore. My freezer always has pretzels in it. I am not complaining.)

This week, my oven has not seen the likes of a single pretzel. In truly unusual fashion, I deviated from what has become my bread norm--pretzel-making, obviously--in favor of something different, which is, in fact, probably quite normal in terms of at-home bread baking: I made actual sourdough loaves.

Wanting to find a recipe for a hearty, whole wheat, sandwich-style loaf, I found that this recipe for Sourdough Honey-Whole Wheat Bread (over at Heartland Renaissance) quite fit the bill. I adapted it ever-so-easily to suit my vegan needs, using almond milk for dairy milk, milled flax seed and water for eggs, vegan margarine for butter, and agave nectar and molasses for honey. Although my resulting loaves were not nearly as perfect as Sarah's--I let my unbaked loaves over-rise, which yielded rather flat tops--the bread's tender crumb was more than acceptable. I had expected the density that so often results from bread made without refined flour (such as this one), but instead discovered a measure of lightness that made up for the disappointing unevenness of my misshapen top crusts.

The actual flavor also surprised me. Having expected the amount of sweetness from the agave and molasses to mask any trace of sourdough, I was pleasantly surprised by the noticeable tangy bite the bread retained; it makes me oddly happy to be reminded of my ability to keep my sourdough not only alive, but appropriately sour. There was a slight sweetness to offset the sourness, the interplay amounting to flavorful bread. I couldn't ask for a more satisfying conclusion to another bread baking session.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Months later...

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:35:00 +0000

Time goes by and the cooking never stops.

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Pie from Vegan Pie in the Sky.

Tempeh Meatloaf and Golden Gravy from the Real Food Daily cookbook.

Malasadas!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pillows from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

One batch of so, so many.

There has been no shortage of adventuring, either.

Low-fuss camping in Big Sur.

First sandwich break of a three-day cycling trip along the California coast.

Expert packing of a weekend supply of PB&J sandwiches, made from an entire loaf of sprouted-grain bread.

Here's to more time spent doing the things we love with the people we love.

VMF 6-31: One mo MoFo

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Happy Halloween, all! I suppose I should have saved yesterday's candy/cookie post for today, but it just didn't work out that way. Blogging for Vegan MoFo for the fourth consecutive year at 31-straight posts each time has been somewhat of a challenge, with myriad distractions causing sometimes lackluster participation on my part. But I've had fun and enjoyed reading so much of what other bloggers have shared for the event.

On that note, I leave you, perhaps befittingly, with a final comfort food meal that may not be much to look at, but is really quite delicious and hearty: Two-Bean Meatless Meatloaf with Golden Gravy. Inspired by a delightful dish I'd tried over the weekend, I couldn't resist attempting something similar. In lieu of tempeh, I went for this two-bean loaf--a fine substitute (although I'd love to try a tempeh version in the future). The gravy had a nutty, almost "cheesy" quality and replaced the glaze entirely, as I'm not keen on sweet, ketchup-based sauces. In a final act of making the most of what was on hand, I served the hearty, savory loaf with a leftover roasted sweet potato that I mashed with a bit of almond milk and roasted garlic. As much as I love regular potatoes, the combination of savory and sweet with the sweet potato mash was perfect and rounded out the meal in rib-sticking style.

VMF 6-30: Candy fail, cookie success

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:23:00 +0000

The caramels looked promising, although the deep color of the molten sugar and brown rice syrup made me wonder whether they had cooked too long. No matter, as I'd followed the directions as closely as possible, cooking the sugars to what seemed a high temperature of 155C (310F). Despite having made candy before--including caramels, although not the same recipe--I wasn't about to pretend I was some sort of expert on the subject. But I trusted that the thermometer was accurate and I could follow a few, simple steps.

Perhaps I should have erred on the side of caution, because the caramels turned out not "slightly firm," but almost brittle-like; indeed, they must have heated to too high a temperature, beyond the chewy caramel stage, encroaching on teeth-breaking territory. That, in turn, ruined any chance of a successful outcome for homemade turtles (a confection composed of chocolate, toasted pecans, and caramel); no one wants to bite into chocolate only to discover that what was supposed to be a melt-in-your-mouth caramel was instead a rock-hard block of sugar.

Considering the epic failure of the candy-making venture, I persisted in salvaging what I could of the mess. (That's too much candy and chocolate for me to comfortably let go to waste.) Because I seem to be on a baking binge lately, particularly when it comes to cookies, I turned my attention toward that familiar route. Failed turtles had a date with a sharp knife, resulting in nutty candy bits fated as chocolate chip replacements in a batch of turtle cookies. I did, of course, add mini chocolate chips to the dough, just for good measure.

When all was said and done, the cookies baked up well enough: doughy, chocolaty, gooey blobs, with no trace of the mistakes they were meant to remedy. Instead of too-hard sugar, softened pockets of chewy caramel dot the cookies. The high proportion of chocolate makes the cookies quite messy, but at least they won't break any teeth.

Cookies, by the way, are especially delicious with a hot cup of black tea or coffee.

VMF 6-29: Toasty

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:20:00 +0000

Avocado toast is not something I ever thought to eat, despite growing up eating copious amounts of bread (toast included) and living in the land of avocados (i.e., California). Until a few years ago, the only way I would eat avocados was in the form of avocado con hielo, a Filipino dessert consisting of avocado, milk, and brown sugar. The thought of savory avocado was simply unappealing, although my relatively newfound love of guacamole shows a change of opinion.

My mom makes a good batch of guacamole and I was fortunate enough to snag a bit for guacamole toast. Using guacamole instead of plain avocado, as well as a thick slice of sourdough walnut bread, make for a hearty, flavorful snack.

(Almost) Wordless Weekends: Cosmo's Apple Pie (VMF 6-28)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Slightly adapted from Vegan Pie in the Sky (Moskowitz and Romero, 2011).

(Almost) Wordless Weekends: More backyard sweets (VMF 6-27)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:05:00 +0000

First fuyu persimmon of the season.

VMF 6-26: Survey Time (Again)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:31:00 +0000

I've completed and posted some sort of vegan survey each time I have participated in Vegan MoFo, but it's always interesting to revisit the questions. This is most likely a survey I've already completed, but each year brings change and new perspectives, so surely there is no harm in going at it again.

I found these survey questions at Little Clover Salad; the answers are my own (obviously).

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

unsweetened almond milk for cereal and standard baking, coconut milk for richer baked goods and homemade ice cream

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
roasted seaweed snacks
sourdough pizza crust
beer floats (not cooked and made vegan, of course)

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
just salt, sometimes a bit of nutritional yeast and/or roasted seaweed

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
It's a tie between using macadamia nut "cheese" for lasagne (flavor was overwhelming) and canned mock duck in stir-fried noodles (disgustingly rubbery texture).

5. Favorite pickled item?
Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrot

6. How do you organize your recipes?
Online recipes are bookmarked in folders, but my own are haphazardly scribbled on loose paper, if written down at all. At best, they're typed into a Google document as I'm cooking.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
compost and recycle when applicable, with trash only when necessary, and garbage disposal when small plant material falls into the sink

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
rice, lentils, dinosaur kale

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
baking and decorating sugar cookies with my mom and older sister during the holiday season

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
coconut milk-based ice cream, homemade or store-bought (particularly Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss)

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
toaster

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
red pepper flakes

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Venturesome Vegetarian by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
blackberry jam

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
some type of rustic bread

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I like them all and probably eat tofu the most frequently, but I do really enjoy tempeh.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
any time of day, any meal, as long as I have control of the kitchen and whatever I'm cooking :)

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
boxes of cereal, containers of dried beans and lentils, empty drink pitchers and food containers, liquor

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
sliced brown rice cakes, peeled ginger, blueberries

20. What's on your grocery list?
arrowroot powder, active dry yeast, cumin seeds

21. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
marshmallows / marshmallow fluff

22. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Vegansaurus! (not all about the food, but definitely list-worthy)
seitan is my motor
it will stop raining*

23. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
72% cocoa Trader Joe's Pound Plus bars

24. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
It's been awhile since I've purchased anything I'd consider "extravagant," but I suppose bottled kombucha could count as something I purchase only on occasion.

25. What did you eat today?
Peanut Butter Banana Cinnamon Roll; roasted, peeled chestnuts; leftover dal and tofu saag over brown rice; wee slice of homemade apple pie

VMF 6-25: PB + Banana

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:01:00 +0000

I'm suddenly a little fixated on baking cinnamon rolls, or something like them. The latest attempt involved overripe bananas (a seemingly never-ending, albeit minor and silly source of frustration) and peanut butter, the result of which is aptly named Peanut Butter Banana Cinnamon Rolls. I adapted yet another online recipe--I say this because I see my two-dozen cookbooks glaring at me, bitter from my relative inattention in their regard--using vegan counterparts to the non-vegan items listed.

These are probably the richest cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They are delicious, after all--rich and nutty, featuring soft, banana-flavored bread oozing with the salty-sweetness of its roasted peanut butter filling. It's definitely something to eat in moderation.

VMF 6-24: No lack of carbs

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:33:00 +0000

Yesterday's cookery-related happenings involved baking giant cookies (inspired by/liberally adapted from this recipe) to kick off the day. (Breakfast, lunch, and snacking were nothing to speak of--primarily random leftovers and handfuls of roasted, peeled chestnuts that I can't seem to stop eating.)

Much later, a last-minute-decision dinner consisted of whole wheat pasta with dark red kidney beans, cauliflower, kale, scallions, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried basil, and the tiniest pinch of nutmeg. A little bit of salty pasta water made somewhat of a temporary sauce.

(Photos recycled from Instagram. Find more of my stuff @xo_tiffc.)

VMF 6-23: True loaf, round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Leftover sourdough walnut bread demands at least one round of French toast-making. Today is that day.

My go-to method involves whipping together non-dairy milk (unsweetened almond is my favorite), milled flax seed, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon for the coating. Dip up a thick slice of bread, pan-fry it in an oiled pan, drizzle with or dip in maple syrup, and enjoy.

VMF 6-22: True loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Silly wordplay aside, I do really have a "thing" for homemade bread (obviously). Since creating a new barm, I've baked a few loaves of bread each week. The most recent batch was courtesy a recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice (2001). I adapted the Basic Sourdough recipe--using a portion of whole wheat flour and adding toasted walnuts--to produce two beautiful loaves of sourdough walnut bread.

The original inspiration for the bread was one the beau and I devoured over the course of a single day: a delectably sour, nutty vin santo walnut loaf we picked up from a local farmers market a few weekends ago. Although my homemade bread isn't nearly as perfect as the aforementioned inspiration loaf, it's certainly more than edible. We've gone through one of the 1.5-pound loaves already (in two days, not one), with the second loaf soon to follow.

(Almost) Wordless Weekends: Hey, Swirl. (VMF 6-21)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:00:00 +0000

The last batch of vegan ice cream was unexpectedly disappointing (or rather, not to our tastes). But it wasn't anything the melted ice cream cake treatment couldn't fix.

A little ganache may have saved the day.

Wordless Weekends: From the garden (VMF 6-20)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Asian pears are delicious.

VMF 6-19: Enchiladas

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:04:00 +0000

This batch of black bean, smoked tofu, and brown rice enchiladas was definitely a success. I so long for the weather to be more casserole-appropriate, so I can bake up comforting dishes like this all the time.

We ate them too fast to provide a money-shot of the inside. Sorry. Maybe next batch...

VMF 6-18: Convenience

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:51:00 +0000

Prepackaged food items are not as common on my grocery list as they once were. While I still stock my pantry with canned beans and shelf-stable cartons of almond milk, things like bread and faux meats just are not staples in my kitchen. I prefer to eat homemade food whenever possible, particularly meals with whole grains, fruits, and veggies. On rare occasions do I dine out, although I'm not entirely opposed to it, either. Nor am I some beacon of clean eating; I've been known to munch on white rice, bread made with refined flour, and a piece (or two or three) of dark chocolate now and then.

That said, I do still have some convenience foods scattered about the stores of food in the kitchen, back from my days of eating a good amount of them. My aversion to wasting food compels me to occasionally delve into the hodge-podge of prepared or semi-prepared goods, usually integrating one or two of those items into a dish at any given time. The last attempt was probably one of the most convenience food-laden dishes I've made in awhile. I don't even know what to call it. I must say, though, that it was pretty good--not good for me, but good to my taste buds.

Let's go ahead and call the dish "cheesy" sausage millet and hashbrowns. I'm apparently enjoying the vegan sausage and potato combination. As one might guess, this mash-up contains vegan seitan sausages (beer brats, specifically), hulled millet (mistakenly purchased instead of whole grain millet), and hashbrowns. Sauteed onion and garlic went into the mix, with salt and pepper to season. Leftover hubbard squash puree ended up in the mix, too, leading to something of a thick mashed potato effect. A little bit of nutritional yeast gave it a nutty, cheesy flavor. It was definitely a rib-sticking dish--one that goes nicely with a cold beer and nap.

VMF 6-17: Minestrone

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:12:00 +0000

I am officially sick of summer squash; that's been the case for at least a month. As wonderful as it is to have homegrown, seasonal produce on hand, there is, with most things for most people, a point at which burnout hits. Frankly, I was never a huge fan of summer squash, anyway (winter varieties are more to my liking). Alas, determined not to let the last of the beastly yellow squash go to waste, I have tried, over the course of a week, to use it effectively.

The latest and greatest so far has been minestrone, or at least something inspired by the classic Italian soup. (Please excuse the use of poor-quality phone photos.)

For interested parties, these are the ingredients used, arranged in no significant order: garlic, kale, heirloom tomatoes, carrots, onion, yellow squash, vegetable broth, whole wheat noodles (fusilli), dark red kidney beans, thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The soup was incredibly flavorful--a definite win. It seemed an appropriate dish for transitioning from summer to autumn.

There's maybe a pound of squash left, so perhaps another batch of soup is in order. I just hope the weather cools accordingly, because I am definitely over the summer heat.

VMF 6-16: Put a ring on it.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:32:00 +0000

Happy World Bread Day! To commemorate this occasion, I baked a swirly pumpkin pecan ring (adapted from this recipe). My love of yeast-risen bread knows no bounds.

VMF 6-15: Saucy

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Here's another recently-posted recipe I opted to immediately try for myself: Vic's Double Mushroom Cream Sauce. It appeared on my radar just as the crimini mushrooms in my fridge teetered on the verge of decline, so I used those in place of the portabello and shiitake indicated in the recipe. In lieu of spaghetti squash, I tossed the sauce with whole wheat penne. The creaminess of the sauce derives from the cashew base and also benefits from the pureed mushroom blend (which also lends the sauce an appealing depth). I've rediscovered that I don't really care for the squeaky, almost rubbery texture of cooked mushrooms, but still enjoy their unique flavor.

The sauce even made my mom, a dairy devotee, approvingly suggest that I use the same approach for making creamed spinach. Not a bad idea.

(Almost) Wordless Weekends: Almond-y (VMF 6-14)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 16:35:00 +0000

When I spotted this recipe for DiSaronno Cookies on one of my longtime favorite blogs, it was already a given that I'd be baking in the very near future. With leftover blanched almond meal from another food project, a newly-opened bag of miniature semisweet chocolate chips, and just enough amaretto at the ready, I couldn't pass up the chance to try the cookies. I'm a sucker for almond-flavored goodies and these certainly did not disappoint.

Did you know that October is National Cookie Month? I just found out, but "better late than never," right?

(Almost) Wordless Weekends: Never gets old. (VMF 6-13)

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:40:00 +0000

A fresh, hot, chewy, homemade pretzel is one of my all-time favorite foods, if not the all-time favorite. I've written so much about this bread-lover's snack of choice already, that stating my everlasting attraction to those twisted bundles of sourdough magic would just be redundant.