Not Your Traditional Ciabatta Bread

Tonight for dinner we are having BBQ Seitan and Coleslaw Sandwiches. You really shouldn't use regular ol hamburger buns for this sandwich...but I was not feeling up to searching in the local markets for the "right" bread. So I thought, "I can do this myself." I used my pizza dough recipe and inadvertently omitted the oil, without consequence!



I think these will be perfect with tonight's dinner.

5 cups whole wheat flour

2 packs active dry yeast (or 4.5 tsp from the jar)
1 tsp salt
2 cups warm water

Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour and other dry ingredients until combined. Add warm water. mix with mixer on high for 3 min. making sure it is mixing well.

Slowly add more flour and mix with a spoon. Then turn out on counter and knead while mixing in as much of the remaining flour as you can until dough is stiff and smooth.

Divide dough and cover with towel. Let rest ten minutes. Roll dough out in a rectangle shape. Not to thin. You want it to be thicker that pan pizza dough.

Spray two cookie sheets and transfer dough. Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 and bake for 20 minutes. Cut into desired sizes. Mine are generous. Slice like you would a bun.

Made 8 generous rolls.

Double Chocolate Vegan Cake

Birthdays can be a little more challenging when you can't fall back on your tried and true cake recipes. It's all new this year, as I seek vegan recipes that are special enough for that special day. This cake definitely fits in this category. Its got a great depth of flavor which makes standard cakes taste like sponges in comparison.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup raw sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1 cup Veganaise (vegan Mayonnaise)
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F.
First mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cocoa in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, Veganaise, applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Once the wet ingredients are mixed together, add them to the dry ingredients and blend with a mixer for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides as you go.
Once the dry and wet ingredients have been well mixed, pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. When a toothpick poked in the center of the cake comes out dry, it’s done. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting

3/4 cup raw sugar
6 tbsp Soy milk
6 tbsp Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

Melt together the sugar, soy milk, and buttery spread in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute and take off the stove. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Stir in until the chips are completely melted. If your frosting is too runny, let it sit on your counter for about 20 minutes or refrigerate for 5-7 minutes until it's reached a good spreading consistency.

This cake is very rich, moist and full of depth. In the past (pre-vegan), I would usually have to throw out extra birthday cake. This cake was almost gone the night of the birthday. The next day it was polished off!