I am a huge fan of sourdough bread and rolls but sometimes you just want a super soft and pillowy bun and I have to admit, these vegan buns are absolutely delicious, soft and buttery with a lovely glazed top.
I made these yesterday, after seeing them on the rather awesome @chez.jorge on Instagram.

They didn't disappoint!!

I will be adding this recipe to my family favourites and making these to accompany our summer barbeques!

They were so delicious we ate them all with butter/vegan butter but they will be perfect with any veggie burger or filled with salad / avocado/ houmous/ sprouted seeds for a lovely lunch.

They are almost like a brioche but not so sweet,  and I imagine they would be great with jam and some whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar! Although I guess I would make them smaller for a sweet version.

This recipe makes 6 decent sized rolls, so without further rambling here is the brilliant recipe from George Lee, a 19 year old Taiwanese vegan chef @chez.jorge . He has 634K followers on Instagram, and his recipes are fantastic. He shares lots of wee videos too which are most entertaining, so he is well worth a follow!

He is also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chezjorge/

Vegan Milk Rolls

Ingredients

• 380g strong bread flour
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar (30g)
• 1/3 cup boiling water (80g)
• 200g warm organic soya milk
• 7g sachet instant yeast
• 60g vegan butter, at room temp

Glaze

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons organic soya milk

Method 

1. Heat the soya milk in the microwave for 20 to 30 s, until warm, around 40C. Add the dried yeast to the warm soya milk and allow to activate for 5 mins.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt.
3. Slowly add the boiling water while stirring continuously.
4. Add the yeast/soya milk and start mixing by hand. The dough will feel relatively sticky but mix until it just comes together. You may need to add a touch more soya milk.
5. Add the vegan butter in small spoonfuls and start kneading until all the vegan spread is incorporated and you have a smooth ball of dough.
6. This will take around 10 minutes, its quite oily and difficult to work with at first but soon becomes easier as the butter is incorporated into the warm dough.
7. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to prove at room temperature until doubled in size. This can take between 1 to 2 hours depending on the temperature.
8. Knock the dough back by punching it down to knock the air out.
9. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
10. To shape each roll, turn the dough over and fold each corner toward the middle to create a ball, then turn the dough over, cup your hand over it and move it in a circular motion to create a tight ball.
11. Place the shaped rolls on a lightly greased and floured baking tray, spacing them out evenly.
12. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave at room temperature for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are 1.5 times the original size.
13. Preheat the oven to 180C /350F 
14. Make the glaze by mixing together the maple syrup and soya milk in a wee dish.
15. Brush each roll with the glaze and bake for around 25 minutes, until nicely browned.
16. Cool for 10 minutes before scoffing!!

 

So its been a while since I posted anything on my blog! I've been very busy ​with Fermenting Workshops and just generally fermenting everything and having lots of fun experimenting and trying out new recipes and techniques.

I was sent a bag of organic tiger nuts recently from the awesome Tiger Nut Company so I've added that to the heady mix! I've made tiger nut milk, tiger nut kefir,  spiced raisin tiger nut scones and wee Beetroot Bliss Bites using the dehydrated tiger nut pulp!

I have also acquired some water kefir grains so I now have the full gamut of ferments!
I can honestly say that ferments are taking over my life and my kitchen! 

But of all the things to be addicted to, its a good one!! So many amazing health benefits  and a whole new world of flavour!

I posted a photo of my rather delicious fermented dinner a few weeks ago on UK Fermenting Friends and 200 people liked it and I had lots of requests for recipes! These are all people who already know about fermented foods and drinks but I think the foodie side of me is taking simple ferments to new levels!!

I've certainly had a lot of interest in my workshops recently, mostly thanks to my wonderful friend Katrina of the awesome Body Toolkit Juicing Retreat, who shared my post with her juicing group with a glowing recommendation! My April workshop is fully booked and I only have one place left on 19th May, so I will add a few extra dates!

​Contact me if you are interested in learning how to make all sorts of amazing fermented goodies and would like to add your name to my waiting list!

So off the topic of fermenting and back to this brilliant recipe!

I ran a series of healthy eating workshops this week at St Pauls Youth Forum Community Group in Provanmill, which was great fun, with lots of healthy food made and scoffed!
Our last session was Indian themed and I came across this great recipe for flatbreads on cafedelites cool website.
I normally make sourdough flatbreads, which are great but these ones are so soft and pliable and easy to roll, perfect for a fun workshop with kids and adults. Everyone loved them so I thought I'd share the recipe!
I'm off to Berlin next week and I'm most excited, its the best city for vegan food, and although I'm not exclusively vegan, its my favourite food and what I eat most of the time!
These flatbreads could easily be made vegan by substituting Soya yoghurt for the Greek yoghurt. Aldi sell delicious thick and creamy Greek Yogurt, which is what I used for these along with unsweetened soya milk.
So I hope this recipe becomes your favourite flatbread recipe, its definitely a keeper!
I made them last night and we had them for dinner with coconut spiced potatoes and mango chutney, simple and delicious!!
The addition of garlic powder gives these a lovely flavour. A teaspoon of cumin seeds would also work well!
The combination of greek yoghurt and olive oil make these flatbreads  so soft and pliable and easy to roll out and also if you use a non stick pan, they hardly need any oil and its so easy to flip them over!
Please leave me a comment if you try these!!
​
So here is the recipe....


Easy Garlic Flatbreads

Ingredients makes 8 flatbreads

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 6 level tablespoons ( 75 grams )plain Greek yogurt or soya yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 280 ml  plant based unsweetened milk  or normal milk

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, garlic powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yogurt, oil and milk.
2. Knead for about 1 minute until a soft dough is formed (it doesn't need long). Cover bowl with wrap or a plate and set aside to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
3. Dust a clean work surface with a light coating of flour. Divide dough in half, then divide each half in 4 equal-sized pieces (you will have 8 pieces in total). Roll the pieces into balls; flatten them out with the palms of your hands, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece 2mm thick and about 3 1/2 inches or 10cm in diameter.
4. Lightly grease a nonstick pan with a small brush of oil, and heat over medium heat. Cook one piece for 2 minutes on one side. Lightly brush the top over with oil again before flipping. Cook until golden. Repeat with remaining flatbread.
5. Keep the flatbreads warm in a clean tea towel.
6. These will freeze well and also reheat in a hot oven sprinkled with some water! 

                               ......your health in your hands........




​

I love bread fresh from the oven and this bread is delicious. It's so simple and doesn't involve any hanging around for hours waiting for the dough to prove and its yeast free, so all good!

I made this for lunch at the weekend. I had just made some lovely watercress and pea soup and wanted some bread to go along with it, so this fitted the bill perfectly. 

It's all mixed in the bowl and only requires 5 minutes of kneading and 35 to 45 minutes in the oven.  I just slashed the top of the loaf into rough quarters which I then served  in big rustic chunks! You can just shape the loaf into a round shape, then serve it in slices if you prefer!

I buy all my flour from Locavore and I used a mixture of organic rye flour and strong white flour and the bread turned out perfectly, with a wonderful texture.
Wheat is heavily sprayed with pesticides so its most definitely worth buying organic flour for your home baking. See organic blog post for more details here

This bread was one of the many we tried at the Vegan Cooking Retreat so again big thanks to Lee Watson at the beach house kitchen for the recipe.
The recipe is vegan and uses soya milk but you can use organic dairy milk if you do dairy.

I'm off to Portugal for a wee family holiday tomorrow, with hopefully lots of sunshine, great food and moderate amounts of exercise! We have our own pool although I don't think its heated so not sure how much swimming I'll be doing. but I'll be doing some yoga and possibly running!
​
I will return feeling wonderfully relaxed and raring to go with new workshops and lots of new ideas for the blog! That's positive thinking right there!!

If you haven't made bread before then this recipe is a great place to start. I hope it becomes a regular part of your repertoire!

​
So here is the recipe

SIMPLE SODA BREAD

Ingredients
500g strong wholewheat flour (use 200g strong white flour and 300g wholewheat flour for a lighter loaf)
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
150 ml plant based milk ( soya is good)
2 teaspoons vinegar
200ml warm water
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Add the vinegar to the milk and stir. Put aside for a few minutes to curdle.
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl with the bicarb of soda, salt and sugar.
4. Stir in the soya milk and water until a dough forms.
5. Knead the dough for 5 minutes to give the bread a good texture. You can do it in the bowl, its less messy! Oil your hands if the dough is sticking. Shape into a round shape and slash the top crosswise with a sharp knife to give a nice rustic look.
6. Place on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
7. Check for done ness with a skewer to see if the centre is cooked. Tapping on the bottom is not a good gauge of done-ness for this bread.
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack and enjoy !

I don't know anyone who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread!
Any bread will do and it always tastes better than shop bought stuff, which is generally full of additives and does nothing for your health!

I bought some lovely organic Ciabatta flour from Locavore a few weeks ago, along with organic rye flour and spelt flour. I'm always full of great intentions of baking bread every day but reality kicks in and sadly I don't get around to it as often as I'd like.
​
Now I'm no ace bread baker and like the majority of us, I like a nice simple recipe that doesn't involve lots of kneading, proving and rising time, but these resting times are actually essential and lots of things start happening, given some warmth and time, all important for the flavour and texture of the finished loaf. . Kneading is a vital step in bread making as it develops the gluten in the flour which gives the bread structure. You can however cheat and just use a mixer with a dough hook if you are fortunate enough to own one!

Commercial breadmaking is all about producing the cheapest loaf in the shortest possible time. Time means money after all and the more loaves that can be produced, the happier the producers are.
So more salt gets added for flavour, which would develop naturally given enough time! More yeast gets added, along with flour improvers, assorted enzymes, emulsifiers and preservatives to achieve the desired rise, texture and shelf life.
Again these things would happen naturally, given the right conditions and enough time, without the need for added chemicals!

Interestingly I came across an article a while ago about gluten and its effect on the gut, which can cause bloating, IBS type symptoms and general discomfort.
A questionnaire asking people with gluten sensitivity found that the majority of them could eat bread on holiday without symptoms, especially in Mediterranean countries where the bread is generally baked fresh every day, without additives or preservatives, and given enough time to prove and rise naturally.
So it could actually be all the additives in commercially produced bread which cause digestive issues. Have a look at the label the next time you buy bread, the list of ingredients is shocking!
So, on that note, if you always suffer with digestive issues after eating bread, then try making your own with good quality natural ingredients.
Always use organic flour for baking since wheat is one of the worst crops for pesticide residues,, check out my organic blog post. Also spelt flour has gluten with a different structure so its generally easier to digest and worth switching to. 

So back to the baking, this Foccacia bread is delicious and since I've been craving a bit of sunshine, warmth and signs that spring is coming, I decided to add some Mediterranean flavours to the bread, to remind me of summer! 
A wander round the garden yielded some lovely smelling rosemary and thyme so along with some dried oregano, sun dried tomatoes and a good dollop of pesto, my recipe was complete.
You could add some sliced olives, fresh basil, caramelised red onion and garlic or some chopped walnuts. I'll definitely be making this again and will share any good combinations I try.
I guess this bread would be just as nice with just some coarse sea salt and herbs and along with some quality oil will taste delicious.
Jenna made this bread with all ciabatta flour and used the mixer with the dough hook, resulting in light and fluffy bread.
I used 2 cups ciabatta flour and 1 cup of Spelt flour and kneaded mine by hand which gave a denser loaf which was still utterly delicious. We scoffed it last night with some lovely pasta!
So whatever method you choose, and whatever flour you use, your bread will smell and taste delicious, especially served warm straight from the oven and is sure to impress your family and friends!
​
I really hope you give this recipe a go, it's really possible to make the most delicious bread without too much effort and its miles ahead of shop bought bread! A perfect treat for the weekend!

I will be sharing lots more bread recipes as I try them so watch this space...
I have a brilliant simple flatbread recipe which I'll share soon...!

So here is the recipe...
Fabulous Focaccia
Makes 1 large loaf
Ingredients

• 3 cups strong white bread flour 
• 2 tsp fast action dried yeast
• 1 cup warm water (approx. 250ml)
• 4tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 1 level tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp pesto
• 1 tsp dried herbs or a good tablespoon of fresh, rosemary, oregano, thyme & basil all work well
• 4 to 6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped small.
  
• Method

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the salt, make a well in the centre and add the yeast then slowly add the half the water and oil.
2. Mix, gradually incorporating the flour and adding the rest of the water and oil to make a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes until you have a nice smooth dough, put it back in the bowl then cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm place to rise. Kneading is just pressing and stretching the dough, using the heel of your hand and turning the dough frequently.
4. Put dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead again for 2 or 3 minutes incorporating the herbs, pesto and sun dried tomato. It will get a little wet so you can add a bit more flour but you want the dough to be nice and oily
5. Shape the dough into a rough oval and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Dimple the surface all over, drizzle with extra oil, sea salt and herbs.   
6. Place in a warm place for 30 minutes, the oven on a low setting works well if your kitchen is cold
7. Bake at 190 C/ 375F/Gas 5 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden on top and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.
8. Enjoy warm straight from the oven!

    .......your health in your hands.....