Vegan bread recipe

[kate11605]

First off, let me apologize. I didn't do a real thorough search of the website. When I do a "search" for vegan bread through the McD website, I get 1898 hits. It shows me every single thread where the words "vegan" and "bread" are used. I've tried some whole wheat vegan bread recipes before, and I'm not overly impressed. They were dry, and as dense as rocks! In fact, I could have done without them....tasteless!!!

Does anyone have a nice, light, airy recipe for semi-nutritious vegan bread/roll recipe?

Thanks, in advance. Kathy

[kalehi]

Hi Kathy,

Your question is one that is near and dear to my heart. However, it is complicated.

For example, French bread, with a thick and chewy crust, was originally created without oil, eggs, or butter because it was the food of peasants, who only had flour and water (and yeast, of course). And by the way, original French bread was made from whole wheat flour.

I have tried a lot of different things for baking healthy bread. I even bought a grain mill to grind my own flour! My experience has been that it is not easy to make really good vegan bread. It is totally possible, but it takes a lot of time and effort. It takes a long rising time to condition the dough to make really great bread if you are not using oil or butter to lubricate the dough strands. There is a famous kind of bread made in Belgium that is made from only wheat, water, and salt (using the natural bacteria in wheat to make it rise). I have tried to duplicate it, but I am at 100% total failure on that.

Luckily for me, an obsessive man from Japan got interested in bread, and invested years in Europe studying how to make great bread. He opened a shop here in Honolulu, so I can get great vegan bread here. (P.S. It is not actually that lucky since it costs about $10 for one loaf.) (PPS. Well worth it, in my opinion.)

Anyway, my experiences with making bread led me to go with whole grains such as rice. I love wheat, and Mary McDougall's recipe for wheat berry stew changed my life. I love bread, but it is really a hard way to go (if you are trying to make it yourself).

Thanks,
Lynn

[kate11605]

Thank you so much. As disappointing as that is, it's just the answer I needed to get me away from bread, as least for now. Thanks so much for your in-depth response.!!!

[kmisz]

When I do a "search" for vegan bread through the McD website, I get 1898 hits. It shows me every single thread where the words "vegan" and "bread" are used.

Try this search: http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/search.php?keywords=%22whole+wheat+bread%22+recipe&terms=all&author=&fid%5B%5D=5&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search.
I searched for "whole wheat bread" and "recipe" (with quotes) in this forum and got some interesting posts in the results you might want to check out as well.

[kate11605]

Thank you so much! I will do that this morning.

[Joseph65]

Kate,

Why not just make it easy on yourself and buy Panera whole grain bread? It seems unless you mix whole grains with enriched but not bleached flour the bread will come out like a brick. I noticed that many of the wheat recipes from The Starch Solution produced by Mary combine whole grain with the refined. I on the other hand love bricks being raised on a farm in Poland. My Grandmother and mother made seven loafs of whole grain rye on Sunday to get us through the week. That bread combined real unprocessed whole wheat and rye with salt, yeast, a bit of sugar and water to produce very heavy and dense loaves. I currently make mine in a bread machine and sub honey for the sugar and add 1/2 cup of oat flour. I end up with a heavy two pound loaf that gets me through the week.

"Whole Grain Panera

Water, unbleached enriched wheat flour (flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), grain blend (cracked wheat, rye meal, whole spelt flour, whole amaranth, oats, flax ground, citrus fiber), whole wheat flour, honey, special blend (organic wheat sour, whole wheat flour, guar gum, defatted soy flour, malted barley extract, soy lecithin, enzyme, wheat gluten, ascorbic acid), wheat gluten, rolled oats, salt, yeast (yeast, sorbitan monostearate, ascorbic acid)."

The taste is fine but certainly heavier than white bread or even store bought rye.

[Gianni]

I've made no-kneading bread many times in the past, though recently I've been trying to limit refined flour from my diet.



See here: http://www.steamykitchen.com/168-no-kne ... sited.html
or here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dinin ... .html?_r=0

[kate11605]

Thank you everyone. Not sure where to get Panera bread. Honestly, if its just "bread" I want, I will usually go with Ezekiel sprout breads. However, I don't eat a lot of sandwiches and primarily wanted the bread recipe for making things like dinner rolls, bread sticks, burger buns, etc., because I just plain ol' like the flavor/taste better of home baked bread. My problem is that I need to find the time to tweak the recipes enough such that I come out with a light and airy loaf (like white bread) instead of the heavy/dense loaf that comes with trying to make whole wheat/grain breads. There has to be a way! I think I will try by increasing the yeast a bit at a time, along with a little bit of honey to give the yeast something to eat, and then possibly adding some vital wheat gluten, or doing a bit more research. It's not a "make or break" deal. LIke I said, if I'm desperate, I can use Ezekiel, or even use plain ol' all purpose flour. I know its nutrient deficient, but we're talking about a dinner roll here, so I don't think it will put me in the danger zone health-wise so I'm not going to stress about it. Thanks for all the input. I did check out of some of the links you've provided and will do a bit more research into those. Thanks again!

[kate11605]

Gianni!

Yum-O! I'm definitely going to try the no-knead bread. Your son (?) is adorable! K

[ajhondrngal]

Here are my favorite recipes. If you don't want to use honey just use sugar instead. I usually reduce the honey by 1/3 when converting from sugar.

I have not tried the whole wheat bread recipe with low fat or no fat yet. However, I cut all the oil out of the white bread recipe and it works great. I've used both the whole wheat and white recipes for dinner rolls. I have a dinner roll recipe, but it doesn't qualify as low fat. All I did on it was use Earth Balance instead of butter and rice milk instead of milk.

Whole Wheat Bread

6 cups warm water 1/3 cup gluten flour
2 T. yeast 1 T. lemon juice
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey 16 cups whole-wheat flour
2 T. salt (approx.)
Preheat oven to 400°. Blend water, yeast, oil, honey, salt, gluten and lemon juice in bread mixer with about 9 cups of the flour. With mixer on, continue to add more flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium to high speed 10 to 15 minutes, until gluten is formed and dough becomes elastic. Mold and place in greased bread pans. Let rise until about an inch above the pan. Put bread in preheated oven and lower the temperature to 350°. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 5 loaves.


Northern Maine Oatmeal Bread
3 c. boiling water
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 T active dry yeast
3/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. molasses (or ½ c honey)
1 T. salt
8-9 c flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water, and rolled oats. Let stand for 30 minutes. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add yeast mixture, molasses, salt, and as much flour as you can to the oat mixture. Mix thoroughly. Knead on lightly floured surface 6-8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in greased bowl, turn once to grease surface. Cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double (about 45 min.) Punch dough down. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rise 10 min. Shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans. Let rise until almost doubled in size (35-40 minutes) Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Remove from pans. Makes 4 medium sized loaves.



White Bread
3 1/3 c. water, hot from tap
4 t. yeast
1/3 c sugar
1 T salt
8 c flour

Combine water, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix in 4 c flour. Add 4 more cups and mix well. Let raise until double. Form loaves. Let raise until double again. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn out on cooling rack or cupboard. Let cool on side of loaf.

Dinner Rolls
1 ½ c hot water
4 t yeast
2/3 c sugar
1 T salt
1 ½ c scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm (rice milk)
½ c butter, melted in the milk (Earth Balance)
8 c flour

Put water in bowl. Add yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Mix. Add milk mixture and more flour. Mix well. Add remaining flour. Mix well. Knead wheat flour until elastic-y. Cover and let raise until double. Form rolls and let raise until double. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen rolls.
I also use this one to make cinnamon rolls.

[Gianni]

Gianni!

Yum-O! I'm definitely going to try the no-knead bread. Your son (?) is adorable! K

Thanks, Kate, but that's not my website and kid. I just remember reading through that tutorial when I first made that bread.

The convenient thing about that is that you don't need any grease or oil if you use one of those Le Creuset type enamel covered cast iron pots. You just leave it in the oven while you pre-heat your oven and then throw your dough in there when it gets nice and hot. The crust starts forming immediately on the bottom and so it doesn't stick. Be careful not to burn yourself though.

[AlwaysAgnes]

Just came across this recipe this morning. I haven't tried it, but looks interesting. You can make rolls with it too.

http://www.veganricha.com/2014/03/white ... vegan.html

You could probably use part whole grain flour (I'd add some vital wheat gluten flour if I did--about 1 Tbsp per cup of whole grain flour). Part oat flour or white whole wheat or spelt would work, I think. I haven't made bread in quite some time. Usually I'd go half whole grain and half regular or bread flour, but you could use whatever ratios you like. I think using the beans in this would make up for the nutrition/fiber lost with regular flour. It looks like a nice loaf, anyway.

[kate11605]

Thank you, everyone. Time permitting, I will probably try all the recipes and see which one "fits the bill". For now, I'm doing Rip Esselstyn's 28-day vegan challenge (a la McDougall) and staying off the bread for now. I will be checking my labs on day 29, and see what happens. If my numbers improve dramatically, my BF is on board so he can get off his Crestor.

[Joseph65]

Gianni,

Made your recipe yesterday. Wow! Nice and chewy with a great crust. Plus it was easy to make, no fuss or bother. The only addition was a tablespoon of honey.

[kate11605]

Joseph, was that the no-knead bread? If you did, what type of pan did you use? Thanks, K