i love pizza in all it’s forms.  sure it’s traditionally topped with red sauce and gooey strands of cheezy goodness, but also layered with pesto instead, or no sauce at all.  with this recipe i had the idea that rather than worrying about not only making a sauce but also a cheese substitute, i could make a combination of the two.

the sauce is made creamy by a little coconut milk, while all the flavor explodes from the roasted garlic, which permeates the soft chewiness of the crust.  complimented nicely by hints of tangy sweetness from sun dried tomatoes and little bursts of freshness added by thyme.

if you’ve never taken a crack at making your own pizza, what better time than now?

crust
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground coriander
1 c warm water
about 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil

roasted garlic coconut cream
2 heads garlic
1/2 c coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt

toppings
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes
a few sprigs fresh thyme

mix together the dry active yeast, sugar and ground coriander in a large bowl.  mix in the 1 cup of water, which should be warm to the touch.  set aside for a few minutes until it foams.

then toss in the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and slowly sift in about 1 3/4 cups flour until it sticks together into a loose dough.

lightly flour a cutting board and turn the dough out onto it.  lightly knead it for about a minute, then set the ball in a large bowl greased with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  turn the dough over to cover in oil.

then let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, this may take an hour or two.

meanwhile roast the heads of garlic.  chop the tops off to make them easier to extract later.  lay them in aluminum foil and cover with a little olive oil.  roast at 375F for about an hour until light golden brown.

when they are cool enough to handle you can pop the cloves out with your fingers.  blend them with the coconut milk and salt, and set aside.

at least an hour before you assemble the pizza rehydrate your sun dried tomatoes in water, and drain before using.

once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 475F to give it plenty of time to heat up.  lightly flour a large baking pan, then sprinkle the top of the dough and your hands.  gently remove the dough from the bowl onto the pan – it will deflate a little.  lightly flour the dough again if needed and press out to a large oval, slightly thicker around the edges.

lightly pour the cream across the crust, then dress with the sun dried tomatoes and bits of fresh thyme.

bake at 475F for 10 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges and the cream is starting to bubble.

cut up and enjoy immediately!

yields 3-4 servings

i’ve been getting really into baking my own bread lately. why buy loaves for sandwiches or buns for burgers at the grocery store when i can just bake them fresh myself!? in the past few weeks this recipe has become a fast favorite of mine – it is a completely whole wheat roll that is soft, has a nice toasty crust and is filled with sweet shallots, accented with hints of pepper, cinnamon and cumin.

the secret is slow rising the bread, which takes a bit longer but is well worth the increase in quality.  just be aware that this recipe should be started the day before you want to serve the rolls, since i used 2 slow rises and one quicker one at the end so there are several hours of letting the yeast do its thing before they even go in the oven.

bread base
1 c warm water
2 1/2 tsp active yeast
1/3 c maple syrup
3 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 c + about 1 c whole wheat flour

maple glazed shallots
3/4 lb shallots
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 c maple syrup

mix the yeast, warm water and maple syrup a bowl with a large bottom. let the mixture sit in a warm place until it becomes frothy (about 15-20 minutes).  if this is your first time making bread check out some of my other bread recipes.  they go into reviving the yeast and first rises a bit more, and are a bit less complicated.

add in the 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp oil, then slowly sift and stir in the 2 and 1/4th cups whole wheat flour until it forms a soft dough. right around the last 1/4th cup it should become solid enough to spoon out of the bowl onto a well floured surface. cover the top with an additional 1/2 c and gently knead, adding more flour until it no longer sticks to your hands.

coat a large bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and gently lift the ball of dough into the bowl. roll it around so it’s evenly covered in oil. cover with a lid, plastic wrap, or a towel and place in the fridge for the first rise, at least 6 hours.  it’s best to do this at night and leave if until the morning.

several hours later it should have at least doubled in size.  grab the ball of dough as it deflates.  wrap the edges around to the back and pitch them together to make a small, tight, round ball of dough.  coat it in the oil that’s already in the bowl, cover and let sit out for another few hours, at least 4-5.

i’m not exactly sure the science of it, but slow rising is a mark of artesian quality bread.  it has a better texture, crust and flavor.  it takes a lot more prep time but is well worth it.

cut the ends off of your shallots and remove all of the skin.  then slice them so they make several concentric rings.  you could use any type of onion in this recipe, because they are cooked they will become soft and sweet.

heat up the 1/4 cup olive oil on the stove over medium heat in a large skillet.  once warm add in the shallots and spices and cook for about 5 minutes, until the shallots are soft and translucent.   then add in the maple syrup and cook for another 5 minutes until it cooks off a little.

let the shallot mixture cool thoroughly until it’s cool enough to handle.  turn the ball of dough out onto a floured surface and dust lightly with additional flour.  press evenly into a rectangle and put a spoonful of the shallot mixture in the center.  dust with flour and begin folding the dough over and over, and pressing it out.  if any little pockets of shallots squeeze out simply cover with a little flour and fold them back into the dough.  continute until the dough is managable, then repeat with another scoop of the shallots, leaving about a 1/2 cup of the mixture to put on top of the rolls.

finally, pull the edges of the dough back and pinch together so it’s an even, round ball.  cut through the dough in half, then again, until you have 8 even wedges of dough.  you’ll notice pockets of the shallots mixture, this is great because those will stay delicious sweet pockets of flavor in final product.

carefully pull the solid floured edge of the dough over the rest of the roll so it is a small, evenly round little ball.  repeat with all 8 of them, then top them off with the remaining shallots.

let them rise again, this time in a warm place, for about an hour.  once they are fluffy and large, bake them at 400F for 12-15 minutes, or until starting to brown to your liking.

they are best just out of the oven; warm, soft and full of delicious, sweet shallots.  but keep them in a air-tight container if you don’t plan on using them right away.  they would make great buns for burgers!

yields 8 rolls

i first learned how to make my own bread when i worked in an italian restaurant in portland.  i would make pizza dough fresh every morning so it had plenty of time to rise before we topped it with sauce, cheese, and toppings and popped it in the oven for lunch time.

sure it takes hours to let the yeast do its thing, but i was surprised by the simplicity of the recipe.  it’s really just a little warm water, sugar, salt, yeast, oil and flour.  variations of that simple combination create most every type of bread.

you can add herbs and bake it flat for a crispy foccacia bread, divide the dough into small pieces to make rolls or bread knots, or sweeten it with extra sugar to make something sweet like i have here. by just mixing up a cinnamon and brown sugar concoction and spreading it over the dough before i rolled it up, i created a cool cinnamon swirl in the middle of my loaf, reminiscent of a cinnamon bun.

cinnamon swirl bread
1/3 c sugar
1 tbsp active yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
2 tbsp oil + some for greasing
about 2 c white flour (i used organic)
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp oil (canola works well)
1 tbsp cinnamon

anytime you make bread you have to begin by activating the yeast.  a little water and sugar will bring the dried yeast back to life so they can start making CO2 bubbles.  i use a bit more sugar here than in regular bread recipes because it’s a sweet bread.

add the warm water, sugar, salt and active yeast together in a medium-sized bowl.  let sit for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

add the oil, then slowly mix in the flour until it is just firm enough to knead.  add a little more if it’s still too sticky, or a little less if it’s too firm.  turn out onto a floured surfaced and flour your hands.

knead for about 5 minutes, sprinkling more flour if it sticks to your hands.  this step helps activate the flour’s gluten, which is the protein in wheat.  gluten sticks together in long strands inside the dough, giving it elasticity.

when you are done kneading pull the edges of the ball of dough to one side, so the opposite side is even and smooth.  with a few tablespoons of oil grease a large bowl, along with the ball of dough.  leave it sitting smooth-side up in the greased bowl, then cover the bowl with a lid, plastic wrap, or a towel.  leave in a warm place – like in a sunny window sill or near a warm stove – for its first rise until it doubles in size, which should be about 45-60 minutes.

grease your hands and take the dough out of the bowl.  don’t be afraid to deflate it a bit, it will be rising again.  flatten the ball of dough into a rectangle shape, as wide as the bread pan you’re using and at least twice as long.

mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and oil to make the sweet filling.

spread evenly across the rectangle of dough, then roll the whole thing up.  if you wanted to make cinnamon buns with this same recipe you could cut strips of the dough, roll them up individually and cook them in a cupcake pan.

grease your pan and lay the rolled dough in it for the second rise, i topped mine off with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  once again, leave it in a warm place until it doubles in size, which should take about 30-45 minutes.

bake at 400F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.  let cool thoroughly before slicing and serving.  this would make a sweet french toast!

when i think of pumpkin cranberry bread i think of a christmas party i threw 3 years ago – it involved a chirstmas tree, christmas music and a full spread of seasonal treats.  probably one of the most popular items on the menu was pumpkin cranberry bread. 3 years on, i’m going back to that successful recipe and making it vegan friendly – the result is a gooey, delicious loaf that goes well with all types of holiday treats.

gooey pumpkin cranberry bread
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c soy milk
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 c whole wheat flour
1 c cranberries

add the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.

in a large bowl mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar and vanilla.  once the soy milk mixture is thickened add that in too and slowly start to incorporate the flour.  this recipe came out a lot more gooey than i thought it would, so if you want more of a true bread texture add an extra cup of flour.

rinse and add the cranberries last.

grease and flour a bread pan.

pour the batter into the pan and garnish with more cranberries and dust with sugar.

bake at 375F for 1 hour 20 minutes.  if you added extra flour you probably will only need to bake for an hour and if you poke a toothpick in the center of the loaf it would come out clean.

let cool completely before taking it out of the pan and slicing.

i love making my own bread.  there really isn’t any comparison between a fresh, out of the oven, loaf and store bought varieties.  but bread can be tricky to get right -  either it is too dense, the crust isn’t thick enough, or it comes out lopsided.  focaccia is a simple bread to make that’s always soft on the inside with a crunchy crust.

adding italian herbs to focaccia is fairly normal, but i stepped it up a notch by adding whole cloves of roasted garlic to the bread, and lots of it.  i used 3 heads of garlic in one batch, but you can use more or less according to your taste.  keep in mind when you roast garlic the taste mellows out significantly to a savory and almost sweet caramelized flavor that isn’t pungent in the least.  for most, this means you can eat a lot more of it.

roasted whole clove garlic focaccia bread
3 heads of garlic
1 c warm water
1 tbsp active yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp olive oil + more to brush over
2 c unbleached flour + some for kneading

roast the garlic ahead of time.  peel the head, chop the bottoms off each clove and remove the papery skin completely.  loosely wrap all of the cloves in a piece of aluminum foil and cook at 400F for about an hour, until they are soft and starting to brown.

activate the yeast in a large bowl, with the water, sugar, salt and spices.  let stand for about 10 minutes until it’s frothy.

then add the 1 tbsp of olive oil, all of the cloves of garlic and mix in the flour little by little, until it’s doughy enough that you can lift it out of the bowl with floured hands onto a floured surface.

knead gently on a floured surface for about a minute.  dust more flour if it’s too sticky, but try to keep the dough as soft as possible.

lightly cover your hands and the inside of a large bowl with more olive oil.  pick up the ball of dough and turn it over in the bowl so it is lightly coated in oil too.

cover with a lid, plastic wrap or a damp towel in a warm place for 20-30 minutes until it has at least doubled in size.

lightly coat your hands and a cookie sheet with olive oil and lift the dough out of the bowl.  don’t worry about deflating it.  gently knead the dough in your hands for a minute, then press across and into the corners of the cookie sheet.  it should be somewhat even all the way across.  randomly press down with your finger tips so the dough is evenly dimpled.

brush more olive oil across the top and let rise a second time in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

bake at 400F for 18 minutes until starting to toast golden brown on top.

slice up and enjoy!

i didn’t grow up eating corn bread at thanksgiving, but the past few years i’ve tried to make it a habit.  it has a wonderfully hardy taste and texture that pairs nicely with the other (heavy) foods we stuff ourselves with on the holiday.  and as i discovered, just like everything else on the thanksgiving table, it goes well with gravy.  keep an eye out for my recipe for super simple vegan gravy coming up early next week.

cornbread muffins
1 1/2 bananas
1/4 c earth balance or other butter substitute
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 c soy milk
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c yellow corn meal
1 tsp salt

mash the bananas with a fork until smooth.  add the earth balance and brown sugar until completely mixed, then the soy milk.

in a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.  i used mostly corn meal and the finished product was denser than most corn bread i’ve had in the past.  if you like it lighter just substitute more flour for corn meal.  and if you want it wheat and gluten free just use corn flour instead!

then add in the wet ingredients to form the batter.

spoon into a greased bread pan or a cupcake pan.

bake at 375F for 15 minutes until starting to toast nice and brown.

with most fruits and vegetables, it’s a sad time when they start to get too brown or soft to eat.  but when that happens to bananas it means i get to make banana bread!

peanut butter banana bread
1 c soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c earth balance
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c unbleached flour
1/2 c peanuts
1/2 c natural peanut butter
1 1/2 c water

the soy milk and vinegar act as an egg replacer, mix them together first so the mixture can start to thicken.

cream the earth balance and both sugars, add bananas, vanilla and the soy milk mixture.

add in the cinnamon and cloves, i like to fresh grind my spices with a mortar and pestle so they are as fresh as possible.  it smells amazing.

then slowly add in the flour to achieve the ideal consistency.  it should be a slightly thick batter.

the peanuts are the last thing to add before it goes into the pan. pour it into a 4×8 bread pan that has been greased and lightly floured.

heat up the peanut butter and water over medium heat on the stove. let it melt into a liquidy substance so it can be easily poured.  if it’s too thick just add more water, if it’s too thin cook a bit longer.

after the peanut butter is all melted you have to work quickly because it will thicken once it’s off the stove.  pour into the center of the batter, then mix in with a chopstick, toothpick, or knife.  try to make it fairly even so there aren’t any giant patches of peanut butter.

bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375F.  let it cool completely before attempting to cut or take out of the pan.  it’s gooier then normal banana bread but will solidify when cool.

it smells awesome when it’s cooking, and the little swirls turned out really nice.

ever since my bout with a chest cold earlier this week i have been majorly craving garlic, and there’s a good reason why.

garlic is a natural antibiotic.  after a few days of having whatever bug i caught floating around in my system, my body told my brain that i needed something to kill it off.  i quickly responded by eating lots and lots of garlic, sometimes 2 or 3 heads a day.  i’m feeling much better, but i probably don’t smell too great.

garlic knots
1 c warm water
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
3 tbsp chopped basil
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 c unbleached, unenriched flour
6 cloves minced garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp earth balance

in a large bowl mix the warm water, sugar, active yeast and basil.  i find the yeast is most effective when kept in the refrigerator.  it stays alive much longer than when kept out.

after about 15 minutes the mixture will start to froth at the surface.

at this point add the oil and salt, slowly mix in the flour.  eventually the dough will start to form a ball, flour your hands and lift the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.  it should still be really soft but just dry enough not to stick to your hands.

gently knead for about 5 minutes

the final result should look something like this.

after kneading, oil your hands and a large bowl. lift up the ball of dough and pull the edges to one side and pinch them together.  the opposite side should be smooth and even.  lay the ball in the greased bowl with the smooth side up so it will rise evenly.

cover with plastic wrap or a large plate and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.  if you have a gas oven, put it in there while it’s off works because the pilot light keeps it warm.

the ball should double in size.  you know it’s ready when you can stick 2 fingers in and they come out clean, leaving an indentation.

take the dough out with greased hands and lay it on a cutting board.  punch it down to get some of the air out of it.  cut into evenly sized pieces and roll them out with floured hands to long, stringy pieces (about 4 inches). tie them in a knot and put on a tray lined with parchment paper.

let rise a second time in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  they should get slightly bigger.

in a small bowl mix together the minced garlic, half of the olive oil and half of the earth balance.  brush or spoon the mixture over the knots of dough before putting them in the oven.

i also threw some cloves of garlic on the pan because it makes a warm and savory spread when they’ve cooked a while.

bake at 375F until the edges start to brown, about 15 minutes.  when they come out brush them with the rest of the olive oil and earth balance mixed together and add salt on top.

they are absolutely amazing tasting when they are fresh out of the oven.

yields 30 knots

i love making things from scratch, especially you have to put as much physical energy into someone as kneading bread dough, you can really let your energy become part of the food.

for just that reasons i have been making my own bread lately. it’s relaxing, fun and really makes the taste difference. i would highly suggest playing around with your own recipes to see what you can cook up.

maple coriander rolls
1 c warm water
2/3 c maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp active yeast
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c white flour
2+ c whole wheat flour

mix together warm water (i use the warmest that will come out of the tap), maple syrup, yeast, and coriander. you want to let this mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to let the yeast hydrate, come back to life and even start to convert some of those carbohydrates you introduced (the syrup) into carbon dioxide (CO2)–you will see a few bubbles start to form on the surface.

this is how bread works, the yeast eat up sugars and gives off CO2 bubbles, which make the bread light and fluffy. that’s why it’s always a good idea to start with some sort of sugar to help reactivate the yeast. if you don’t use maple syrup just sprinkle in some sugar to wake them up.

next add the olive oil and begin to add in the flour. i find that a little bit of white flour helps the bread from getting too tough, so add this in first. the rest of the whole wheat flour will not be exact. add it in slowly until it forms into a doughy ball. at this point you should be able to pick it up with floured hands and lay it out on a floured surface without it sticking too much.

and now we begin to knead, add more flour as needed if it’s too sticky. this step is to build up the gluten–the protein found in wheat–into long strands so the bread is elastic.

nowadays, when i say “gluten” a tinge of fear runs across most people’s faces as they say, “isn’t gluten bad for you?” well, yes, if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivities then you should avoid gluten. but if you don’t then whole wheat is great for vegans because we can synthesize most of our essential amino acids from whole grains.

after kneading for 5-10 minutes (don’t let the dough get too tough) it’s time to separate into roll-sized pieces. i made 6 rolls, which is easy to do this by cutting dough in half and then thirds so the pieces are all about the same size.

the goal is then to give them into nice little even tops so when they rise they stay round. with bread dough the best way to do this is to pull the edges of the ball with greased hands around to one side and pinch together. the top should be smooth and then you can plop them down on a lightly floured cookie sheet

let them rise for about 30 minutes or until they are about the size you’d like them and then pop them in the oven. if you’d like them to have a little pattern on top, like a simple X, just run smooth-edged knife along the top mid-rise.

bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. let cool and enjoy as little sandwiches or at dinner!

yields 6 rolls