dough in a six strand braid

Challah may possibly be my favorite thing to bake. The process of mixing, kneading, braiding, and baking is something I find to be quite enjoyable. However trying to make a vegan challah recipe was a bit of an ordeal this summer. The problem is because challah is traditionally made with eggs, the first thing I did (and I’m assuming other vegans do too) is immediately try to replace the egg with a substitute in order to mimic a recipe more closely. I made numerous challah loaves this summer using flax seed, Ener-G egg replacer, so on and so forth. Needless to say, there is something to be said about simply removing said animal ingredient.

Vegan Challah Recipe (1 loaf)

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached, bread flour*
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
• ½ cup water (4 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons)
• 2 ½ tablespoons oil

Equipment

• Oven at 350°F.
• 1 large bowl.
• 2 medium sized bowls
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Something to stir with, like a fork.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. If you’re using a baking stone have that preheat in the oven as well (though I suggest purchasing quarry tiles if you can, they work just as well and they’re a lot cheaper).
2. In a bowl mix 4 tablespoons warm water with a tablespoon of sugar. Let the sugar dissolve and then sprinkle your yeast on the water. Mix gently and let sit for approximately 10 minutes.
3. While you’re proofing your yeast, sift together your bread flour and the vital wheat gluten in one of the medium sized bowls. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, pour the oil.
5. Boil the remaining 4 tablespoons water and dissolve the salt and remaing sugar (1 tablespoon). Add this to the oil in the large bowl and mix thoroughly.
6. When this mixture is warm, but not hot, add the yeast and stir until incorporated.
7. Add the flour in 1/4 cup installments until mixed.
8. Knead the bread on a floured surface until it creates a tight ball. A good way to check if the dough is thoroughly kneaded is it you take a small bit of the dough and stretch it into a small square. If the dough tears easily when you do this it’s not done. The dough, when stretched should be elastic and create a semi-transparent film (called a “gluten window”).
9. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm place (like a warm, preheated over that is NOT on). Allow the dough to rise for at least two hours.
10. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and allow to rest for another 30 minutes to an hour.
11. Separate the dough into balls (anywhere from 3 to 6), and knead each one briefly for about 15 seconds.
12. Roll the balls into strands and braid.
13. Let the loaf rise for another 10 minutes.
14. Place into the oven and let bake for about 32 minutes. Check to see.
15. Bread is done when you can tap on both the bottom and top, and it sounds hollow. The challah should be medium golden brown.

*You may be tempted to substitute regular bread flour with whole wheat, I generally suggest against it. I have made this recipe using whole wheat flour and it generally burns because you have to cook the dough a lot longer. If you double the recipe and decide that you want to use whole wheat flour, I suggest a 1:3 ratio of whole wheat to bread flour.

I love chocolate chip cookies. Loving chocolate chip cookies seems to be the consensus among most of the US population. I’m sure the statistics run in the millions of chocolate chip cookies sold and consumed each year, the amount of chocolate chips sold, etcetera. I always like baking chocolate chip cookies. They wicked easy to make and taste really damn good. It was something I could do with my brothers, who would sit and eat the dough (my brother Anderson, also took to eating a spoonful of brown sugar every time I made cookies… something I also did… ah my youthful days). It was something I could do while talking on the phone, which is what I did last night while I spoke on the phone with Amy (Luxenburger). I haven’t made regular chocolate chip cookies for awhile, as I generally prefer the texture of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and like to fool myself into thinking that they are healthier. I still haven’t rewritten the cookie recipe named after Katie, and I knew that my brothers might not like them for various reasons. So, I had prepared to mess around with the original Toll House recipe until I opened, as fate would have, directly to Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s own chocolate chip cookie recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance. Feeling lazy, I opted to do her recipe as opposed to recreating my own, I tweaked with it a little however to suit my own personal preferences. I like these warm and gooey with a class of cold soy milk or ice water depending on my mood).

Recipe for Isa Chandra’s “There’s nothing healthy about these…”* Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, at room temperature. (Use Earth Balance if you can get it)

*This isn’t the actual name of the cookie, but I added that to highlight that they aren’t something you’d get at a health food store. I titled these after what she had written about them along with the recipe. They aren’t healthy, but sometimes you need to indulge and/or play with fire a little. I just suggest not eating them for breakfast like I did this morning.

My attention has turned from cupcakes to bread making. I enjoy making bread a great deal, but I am having a bit of difficulty with it for whatever reason. This bread, while looking lovely when it came out had an odd flavor. I used a starter and I think I may have let it ferment too long… oh well. Also, I used what I thought was extra virgin olive oil (which will never be referred to as “E.V.O.O.” as I hate Rachael Ray with a fiery passion) which ended up being just really cheap, not so good good olive oil.

Anyway, I have been working on a new vegan challah recipe that I will post when I get the kinks out. I have made two loaves so far one being a success, the other attempt being a sticky mess (so much so that I even braid it).

I also think my oven has a problem. Well, I know there’s something wrong with it.

The Katie Jones Spicy Oatmeal Cookie

These cookies are a particular favorite of mine, but seem to be more a favorite of Katie Jones, hence the name. I devised these while we were in London, they were a fluke really that became a hit not only at our house but apparently at London 21, an environmental action group that Kathryn worked at. I can’t include the recipe quite yet because I can’t bear to part with it (which is silly). Also because the house we lived at was lacking in measuring cups and spoons, large bowls, and an oven that measured temperature in Celsius. So, I’m not quite sure the IKEA® mugs to cups ratio. I’ll also have to make them using real bowls as opposed to the salad spinner I found in a cupboard above the stove. Having dedicated most of my time to cupcakes as of late, I’ll have to make these soon.

Late Night Cinnamon & Almond Vegan Pancakes.

My brother Anderson, about two weeks ago, was home sick with some sort of childhood ailment–it was the flu or something like that. He had been in bed all day and hadn’t had much of an appetite until about 10:00 PM that evening. He knocked on my door and asked if I would make him dinner. I agreed and asked what he would like, his answer was pancakes. He seemed intrigued by the idea of vegan pancakes, though not so intrigued by the pancakes containing bananas. So, I found an easy recipe online and tweaked it a bit. .

My recipe is continued on the next page.

1. You should have all of your ingredients ready.
2. Place your skillet on the burner and turn it on to medium heat.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
4. In another bowl mix wet ingredients: the soy milk, sugar, and almond extract. Whisk together until the sugar is well mixed in.* If you have a large enough measuring cup, you can save yourself some time and energy by mixing the sugar and the extract with the already measured soy milk.
5. Pour about half of the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until it makes a sticky mass.
6. Mix the rest of the wet ingredients in until it is a batter and most of the large lumps are gone. [The batter doesn't need to be super smooth, the small lumps will cook out. If you over beat the batter, you'll have tough and chewy pancakes because of all that damn gluten that is produced. Good for bread, bad for pancakes (and sadly, not so good coeliacs).]
7. Take the batter and spoon out a pancake onto the skillet. It’s easier to do one pancake at a time, and it’s also easier if you happen to have a relatively small ice cream scoop or a 1/3 size measuring cup.
8. Flip the pancake when the edges are stiff. I have found that if you just go by the bubbles being formed you jump the gun and flip the pancake when it isn’t ready to get flipped. You end up making a mess, and in my case amusing the hell out of my brother with ugly pancakes.
9. Continue until the batter runs out.

This makes about 8 pancakes, and can be easily doubled to make more. Serve with whatever you like.

When they were finished cooking, Anderson declared them good enough to eat without syrup and proceeded to eat them with some cinnamon and dark brown sugar sprinkled on. If you do use syrup, stick with 100% pure maple because it just tastes so much better than the 2% which is mostly corn syrup–gross. I tried them with a little bit of vegan cream cheese on them and fresh strawberries.

General Tao’s Tofu

I found this recipe on VegWeb. It is currently the most rated recipe on the website and I thought I’d attempt to make it. I’ve made it twice already, and each time it’s been quite tasty. I didn’t stick to the recipe the entire time, so if you’d like to check out the original website where the recipe can be found, click the link above. I’m going to post my variations, because I think it yielded a better result (personally, though Drew liked it too). I’m a big fan of ginger and garlic. Also, this dish takes bit of time to make, despite the time given on VegWeb. I have found that this dish is well worth it if you take a lot of time to prep and have all of the correct ingredients. I’ll be the first to admit that my method is a little more labor intensive… perhaps “labor intensive” isn’t the phrase to use. We’ll go with slightly inefficient. But this recipe isn’t about efficiency, it’s about flavor and substance. The recipe is on the next page…

Ingredients:

For the Fried tofu and marinade:

Sauce:

Directions:

1. Drain the tofu thoroughly. My method is wrapping the entire block uncut with a large cloth, placing it on a plate, placing another plate on top (upside down, it’ll form something that looks kind of like a UFO), and then placing some sort of weight on it (I used a thing of salt, don’t make it too heavy in case it squishes the tofu). It is really, really, really important that you drain it, or else you’ll get really wet, gross tofu. I cannot stress the importance of draining and drying enough.
2. Cut the tofu and place it in an air tight container overnight to freeze. You actually don’t need to do this, but it is really worth it. Freezing gives it a chewier texture that really works for this recipe. [Note: Your tofu will look bizarre when it is frozen--mine looked like lemonade tea ice cubes. Don't fret, your tofu is fine and will return to its normal color.
3. The next day, thaw the tofu by running it under cold or lukewarm water. Drain the excess water and pour the marinade of soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger powder into the container and allow to marinade for at least 45 minutes. I had mine marinading all day, but I also get up early.
4. When you're ready to get to frying, place a heavy frying pan on the stove with the oil. Turn to medium heat and allow to get good and hot. (I do this early because frying anything in semi-warm oil is no good, your food will suck up the oil and you'll get a greasy mess.) This doesn't mean you can ignore the oil though, keep checking on it to make sure it's not smoking. If so, turn down the heat. I also turn the oven on to a really low temperature, about 170° F (76° C) and place a shallow dish in it, I'll explain in a moment.
5. While the oil is heating up, get your marinaded tofu and cornstarch. Let the excess marinade drip off into the container that it was just in, or in another dish. Don't let it drip in the cornstarch, though the tofu will be a little wet still. Coat one piece at a time, and set aside on a plate. [This is a major variation from the original recipe which calls for the marinade to be dipped in an egg replacer, such as Ener-G. Because this recipe calls for the tofu to be marinaded, it doesn't really require another liquid medium to have the cornstarch stick. In fact, I think it's unnecessary for this recipe]. Coat each piece twice.
6. Fry three or four pieces of tofu at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by dumping all of the tofu in at the same time, it’ll cool of the oil and just be too much to deal with. Have a plate with some paper towels ready. When the tofu is medium golden brown on all sides, place on the plate and dab off excess oil. Place in the shallow dish in the oven to keep warm [this serves a dual purpose of not only keeping it warm, but if you live in a humid area (like me) the tofu will lose its crispiness if left out]. Continue this process until you get through all of the tofu.
7. While the tofu is in the oven, heat the teaspoon of oil and sautée the green onions (saving about a tablespoon for garnish), ginger, and garlic. Don’t let the garlic burn or the sauce will have a bitter taste. [You can chop the vegetables the night before to save time and refrigerate].
8. Add the vegetable stock, red peppers, soy sauce, sugar, sherry, and vinegar to the mix. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely and stir constantly, don’t let the sugar sit at the bottom of the pan to burn.
9. When everything is mixed and dissolved, add the cornstarch mixture (listed above) and stir constantly until the sauce has a thick consistency.
10. Coat the tofu completely until covered but not soggy.
11. Serve with rice, broccoli and extra sauce. Sprinkle with sesame oil if you have/like it. Wait until the end, or the flavor will get cooked out.

Please note that the sauce recipe makes quite a bit of sauce! If you double it, you’re essentially quadrupling it.

I became a vegan last autumn for various reasons, but by becoming a vegan I had to cut out a lot of food. No more tiramisú or traditional egg challah. Nor could I partake in one of my favorite desserts, the cupcake. I can’t think of anything more indulgent than a personal cake that you don’t have to share with anyone. It was fate then that the ladies over at the Post Punk Kitchen should pen a book entitled Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. During winter break I searched in vain for this book, sadly it was no where to be found. I’m not entirely sure how many vegans live in Elkhart, Indiana–or in South Bend for that matter–and I wonder if perhaps I am the only one. Needless to say, there obviously wasn’t the demand for the book or else Walden Books, Borders, or Barnes & Noble would have had at least one in stock. Even during my four months in London, I was unable to find a copy: It wasn’t at W.H. Smith or Waterstone’s . I finally received it as a gift this May and haven’t stopped baking since. I suggest purchasing this book if you’re interested, it’s well worth the investment to be sure.

Here are some photos are my various attempts and processes (with my assistant and 10-year-old brother, Anderson):

To see the finished products, click on ‘continue reading’…

golden cupcakes with vegan chocolate frosting.*

chocolate cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting.

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter and molasses frosting.

guinness stout chocolate cupcakes with a crumb topping.**

*this was my first attempt using a pastry bag with very stiff frosting.

**i made guinness frosting on a whim, that didn’t taste half bad (though you have to admit, beer frosting sounds nasty). It tasted kind of like lemon and smelled like bread dough. i am going to experiment more with it and post the recipe eventually.

I am a big baking and cooking enthusiast, especially vegan baking and cooking. One might think that with the absence of eggs, dairy, and meat cooking would be difficult and tricky. I was lucky enough to have little to no idea how to cook before I became a vegan, and subsequently the only type of cooking I know how to do is vegan. Sure, I had made brownies from a box and cookies from the Nestlé Tollhouse recipe but that was really the extent of it. By becoming a vegan I had to teach myself how to cook and fast. My family isn’t vegan or even remotely vegetarian, which is all well and good until you come home for Thanksgiving break and turkey and pie is a no-no. All in all, I don’t regret becoming a vegan in the slightest and this is a blog dedicated to various cooking experiments.