Some Tips on Making Great Bread

I know I promised the orzo risotto recipe tonight, but the picture is being held captive on my memory card while the camera battery recharges. So, I thought would share some sagely advice on baking bread from my, uh, weeks of experience as proprietor of a home bakery. It seems that so many people are afraid of making anything leavened, no doubt because the first loaf they ever tried to bake turned out as as dense as a brick and just as tasty. Bread really isn't that hard to make, but it does take some practice to make a really good loaf. The more bread you bake, the better it will be. Here are some tips to help you on your way.

Your bread is only as good as your ingredients. Chuck out that yeast that's been kicking around the fridge for the past year and buy a fresh container. Get some organic flour.

Get a few tools. A baking stone is essential for making artisan breads. An instant read thermometer will tell you when your bread is done. Speaking of tools, a stand mixer helps bring dough together quickly, especially if you are making a lot of bread. But don't let the mixer do all the work. Kneading the dough with your hands will give you a feel for the dough and will let you know if it is too wet or too dry. Find a good place for your bread to rise. Bread will rise even in the fridge, but it goes a whole lot faster in warmer temperatures. I have found the top of the radiator works well in the winter. You can also see that I cover the bowls of dough with plates--no need to use plastic wrap. You will also notice the cookbooks. Get a good cookbook. I really like Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice.Above all, keep on baking. You will undoubtedly crank out a few losers, but you will soon develop a feel for the perfect dough, know when a loaf is baked, and be able to make more complicated breads.

Seitan Scaloppine Marsala

I was in the mood for Italian tonight, but really wanted to do something without tomatoes for once. When I saw Susan's post today on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen for scaloppine with a lemon-olive sauce, I knew what to do. I'm not a big fan of olives (they honestly make me gag) so I used her cutlets to make a faux veal scallopine based on a recipe from The Sporanos Family Cookbook. I was very pleased with the results, and I think this is a meal both vegans and non-vegans will enjoy since it seems that most non-vegan will agree that veal is particularly cruel. In the background of the pic you can see what I am calling an orzo risotto. I will post it tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 recipe seitan scaloppine with the following changes:

- add 1 tsp sage

- add 8 dried shitake mushrooms, finely ground (about 1/4 cup)

- use water or veggie broth instead of "chicken" broth

- 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 6oz thickly sliced cremini mushrooms

- salt and pepper

- 3/4 cup marsala

METHOD

1. Prepare seitan as per the recipe above.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of the margarine and 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for about 10 mins, until nicely browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

3. Add remaining margarine and oil to the pan. Dredge seitan in the flour, then fry in the pan for about 1 min per side, until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

4. Add marsala and let bubble, stirring constantly to thicken. Add mushrooms back to the pan and stir. Right before serving, and seitan to the pan, turning to coat with the liquid. Add a splash of water, if needed. Serve immediately.

Chinese Dumplings

If my kids aren't watching WALL-E these days, they are watching Kung Fu Panda. The upside of this is that they are more receptive to all sorts of Chinese food. If you have seen the movie, then you will understand why they were very keen to try some dumplings. The question was what to fill them with. The boys are not crazy about the tempeh filling in the Chinese Tempeh Buns I made last week, so I went with pulsed chickpeas. That was a good move. These are awesome! I based them on a recipe from an old Martin Yan cookbook which called for the dumplings to be boiled, but I am sure you could steam them as well.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 15 dumplings

Filling

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 2 green onions, sliced

- 1/2 cup dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped

- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

- 1 tbsp light soy sauce

- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce

- 1 tbsp sherry

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1 tsp sesame oil

Dough

- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1/2 cup boiling water

METHOD

1. Make the dough by mixing the boiling water into the flour with a fork. Knead on a floured surface, adding enough flour to make a soft dough that is not sticky. Shape into a 15" cylinder, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 30 mins. Use the extra water from the kettle to soak the mushrooms.

2. While dough is resting, get 12 cups of water on its way to boiling in a large pot.

3. While dough is resting and water is heating, pulse the chickpeas in a food processor. Place in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

4. To make the dumplings, cut a 1" slice off the dough cylinder and flatten on a floured surface into a 3-4" circle. Place some filling in the middle, then fold the circle in half and seal the edges. Cover with a damp cloth, then repeat with remaining dough and filling.

5. To cook the dumplings, add as many dumplings to the pot as you can without crowding. Stir to keep them separated. When water returns to boiling, add 1/2 cup of cold water. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until dumplings float. Remove with a wire strainer and serve.

I made a peanut sauce that I wasn't to happy with, but you could try this peanut sauce I made before. Or, use a sauce of your choice.

Pasta and Potatoes with Tofu Pancetta

We still had half a loaf of ciabatta to finish, so it was more Italian food tonight. I leafed through The Sopranos Family Cookbook and veganized this recipe. I'm pretty sure the tofu tastes nothing like pancetta, but it does provide a burst of smoky and salty flavour with a chewy texture. Actual pancetta is not smoked (it is salted pork belly which is hung and left to go moldy), so I guess this is more like bacon. I think it would taste good in a BLT.

INGREDIENTS

Tofu Pancetta

- 1/2 cup water

- 2 tsp seasoned salt

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1/8 tsp nutmeg

- 2 bay leaves

- 1/4 tsp thyme

- 1/2 tsp rosemary

- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

- 1/3 pkg extra firm tofu, sliced (see pic below)

- 1-2 tbsp oil

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients except the tofu and oil in a small pot and bring to boiling. Simmer for 10 mins.

2. While that stuff is simmering, place tofu slices in a non-stick frying pan and place over med-hi heat. Once it starts to sizzle, strain liquid into the pan. Let liquid reduce down, gently turning tofu to coat.

3. Once liquid has completely reduced, add 1 tbsp of oil (more if needed). Fry 3-4 mins per side, until crispy and browned. Reduce heat a bit, if tofu is browning too much. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pasta and Potatoes

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 carrot, chopped

- 1 rib of celery, chopped

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 garlic clove, chopped

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 6 cups water

- 1 small can tomato paste

- salt and pepper to taste

- 12 oz dried macaroni

- 2 cups boiling water

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 recipe tofu pancetta

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and parsley for 5-7 mins, until softened. Add potatoes, water, and tomato paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 mins, until potatoes are softened.

2. Add macaroni and boiling water and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is cooked and sauce is absorbed. Add more water, if needed.

3. Add nutritional yeast and tofu pancetta and mix well. Serve.

Tofu Cutlets in a Lemon Sauce

One of the great things about running a bakery is that you get to eat the leftover bread. One customer ordered a loaf of ciabatta today, leaving the other loaf for our dinner. Excellent. I made a batch of pasta fagioli (you can see it in the back--I only had penne on hand), Vegan Mom made the vegan Ceasar salad from Vegan Planet, and I made these cutlets. Mmmmm . . . lemony.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into 8 pieces

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 3-4 tbsp margarine

- juice of two lemons

- 1/2 cup dry vermouth

- salt and pepper to taste

- strips of lemon zest

- chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Mix together flour, yeast, and salt and pepper and place in a small paper bag. Add a few slices of tofu to the bag and shake gently to coat tofu. Repeat with remaining slices.

2. Heat margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry tofu slices 4-5 mins per side, until golden. Add more margarine, if needed. Remove from pan.

3. Add vermouth and lemon juice to the pan, stirring frequently. Once sauce has thickened, add tofu back to the pan and coat with sauce.

4. Serve garnished with strips of lemon zest and parsley.