Vegan Bread & Butter – Reed Family Linen

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Vegan Bread & Butter

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard

Some of my earliest memories include the smell of bread baking in the oven and the cool screed kitchen floor under my feet. My grandmother would have me on a stool, gently pressing together the dough for scones while our lunchtime loaf baked.

Warm bread with farm butter and homemade apricot jam was a South African staple. It’s still a simple and nostalgic meal for me, the only difference being, it would now be nut butter slathered onto my slice and an almond latte on the side, in place of sweet tea.

I love the following recipe for two reasons, it’s requires minimal effort and makes my home smell like an Italian bakery on a cold winters day. It’s as easy as mixing three ingredients together in a large bowl, shaping your loaf and baking it. 

The sound of a crispy crust being torn over a steaming hot bowl of soup, might just be one of my favourite parts of winter.

Vegan Italian Loaf |

A couple of tips for a great crust are, a preheated pizza stone or cast iron dutch oven lined with parchment paper, with a lid, a fiercely hot oven, a tray of water to create steam and always allow your loaf to cool in the oven.

Ingredients |

  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose organic GMO free flour + more for sprinkling
  • 1 1/2 cups of warm water
  • 2 tsp of instant dry yeast
  • 1 tsp of Himalayan salt ( some extra for sprinkling on top )
  • Olive oil for brushing onto your loaf
  • Fresh rosemary
  1. Add the all purpose flour, yeast and sea salt into a large mixing bowl or your kitchen aid mixer. Mix in the water and stir well until incorporated. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. ( you may leave it overnight as well, but it is not necessary )
  2. After 2 hours check the dough and you should notice the surface is dotted with bubbles. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle it with a little flour. Shape it into a round loaf by folding it over on itself a few times. Work gently, don’t knead the dough.
  3. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 225C with a pizza stone inside, if you don’t have a pizza stone preheat a cast iron dutch oven with the lid on instead. Place a baking dish with a couple of inches of water in it on the bottom rack to help create steam inside the oven for that crispy crust.
  4. Sprinkle a wooden board with some flour and place the bread loaf on top. Allow it to rest for 45 minutes while your oven warms up. Using a serrated knife make a few slits on top of the loaf.
  5. Sprinkle the pizza stone with a little bit of the semolina flour then gently slide the bread dough onto it just like you would do with a pizza. Brush the top of your loaf with olive oil, allow the oil to pool in the crevices and slits, push some fresh rosemary sprigs into the slits and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool down before slicing. For an even crispier crust allow to bread to cool inside of the oven with the door slightly open.

 

If you don’t have a pizza stone you can still bake the bread inside a preheated cast iron skillet or a dutch oven lined with parchment paper, with the lid on. Don’t preheat the parchment paper with the dutch oven.

Warm bread with farm butter and homemade apricot jam was a South African staple. It’s still a simple and nostalgic meal for me, the only difference being, it would now be nut butter slathered onto my slice and a Rooibos latte on the side, in place of sweet tea.

Enjoy your loaf, fresh and warm with vegan butter. When shopping for vegan butter, do your research and avoid products laden with soy, GMO’s and palm oil. There are many organic options these days made from clean ingredients.

This loaf can also be used stale for this fantastic warm Panzanella salad.

You’ll need |

  • 1x pint of cherry or rosa tomatoes
  • good exrtra virgin olive oil
  • Himalayan salt 7 freshly ground black pepper
  • 3–4 cups sourdough focaccia, torn into small pieces
  • 2–3 tbsp aged white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet red onion
  • A large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
  • A handful of pitted black olives
  • A sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
  1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
  2. Add the tomatoes to a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes just begin to burst. They should be soft, but not collapsed.
  3. Meanwhile, place the torn bread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and the fresh rosemary and garlic. Toss to combine. Bake on the center rack until lightly golden, about 20 minutes.
  4. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, add them with their juices to a large bowl. Add the bread, onions, white balsamic vinegar and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
  5. Toss the salad with your hands, gently breaking up the tomatoes to release some of their juices (you still want their shape mostly intact)
  6. Taste for seasoning and add the fresh basil.
  7. Let the salad sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

I also make a dense, moist and nutty vegan health loaf, which we’ll definitely share with you this winter!

Happy baking & munching,

Karen Reed

 

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