Vegan Effect

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 25th of November 2024 Christmas is the time for baking!  If you would like to have a little treat that is like a Christmas cake, but much quicker and easier, this cake is for you.  It is full of flavour and different texture to delight the senses with every bit. It is full of fruit such as figs and cherries has nut too and looks great dusted with a little icing sugar.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of November 2024 Focaccia is great Italian bread that is easy to make and will impress any dinner guests.  It is light and soft with amazing bubbles, texture, and taste.  I have made a wholemeal version before using strong bread flour.  This time, I thought I would try the more common type using plain flour.  I was pleasantly suppressed on how it turned out. Hydration is at 84% Baker's notes Flour 100% (500 g) Water 80% (400 g) Yeast 1.4% (7 g) dry  [Fresh is 4% (20) g]  Salt 1.8% (9 g) Makes one 800 g focaccia Ingredients Plain flour 500 g Instant dry yeast x 7 g Salt x 9 g Water x 420 g Olive oil x 2 tbsp (you will need another 3 tbsp to grease the pan and more for on top) Apparatus Dough scraper Danish dough whisk Spatula Large mixing bowl Large baking dish  Method  Mix all the dry ingredients together and add the lukewarm water.  Use the Danish dough whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredie...

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of June 2024 No need for kneading makes it so easy! All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together and leave it overnight before baking it the next day. Adding in some folding will improve your bread no end while the salt and sugar help to preserve it for longer although it's not likely to be around long if you know what I mean. Waste Short term waste: Zero  Long term waste: Flour packaging Yeast packaging Sugar packaging  Salt container  Mix the dry ingredients together. Sticky dough. After 12 hours, put into a big pot. Notes Hydration is at 80%, but you can go higher. Baker's notes Flour 100% (500 g) Water 86% (430 g) Yeast 1.4% (7 g) dry  [Fresh is 4% (20) g]  Salt 1.8% (9 g) Makes one 800 g loaf Ingredients 250 g white strong bread flour 2 50 g wholemeal strong bread flour 1 tsp of sugar (optional, but advisable) 9 g Salt   ...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 11th of March 2024. This is very tasty and packed with nutrition and.  The bread has a beautiful crust and a dense crumb and is traditional for st Patrick's Day, which is coming up.  Even if you are just looking for an easy bread, this is quick and simple to make.  It takes less than an hour and is perfect for soups, stews, sandwiches, or toast. You could even just have it with butter and jam.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of January 2024 I love this loaf because it needs no proofing since it contains no yeast.  Once you have mixed all the ingredients together, you can put it straight in the oven.  This banana bread has a warm spiced flavour due to the mixed spice and rum soaked raisins.  Notes I used stevia to reduce the calories. Make sure you use really rib bananas.  Most recipes will tell you to mash with a folk; however, I use a masher, it's much quicker. I used dark rum to soak the raisins.  Check the rum is vegan.    Ingredients 3–4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 400 g – 500 g peeled) 1 tbsp of caster sugar or stevia 200g of self-raising flour 100g of strong wholemeal flour 100g raisins soaked in rum or other flavouring 2 tsp ground mixed spice 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp of vegetable oil  120 ml of water Apparatus H 6 cm x W 11 cm x D 21 cm loaf tin Large mixing bowl Wooden spoon Ba...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of December 2023   This is something I have heard of, but never tried before.  Usually, we have traditional Christmas cake in my house, but last year I wanted to try something different and this was it.  Rest assured, I will be having it again this year too! At first, it seems like a lot of effort, but you will soon see that it is straight forward to make and definitely worth it.  However, it will need proofing and the dried fruit will need soaking, which will all take time, so plan ahead.  Notes I used French Brandy Marzipan and so used brandy to flavour the raisins and cranberries. I used almond milk. A good tip is to dust the soaked fruit with a little flour before adding the dough. You have 3 options with the marzipan:  Roll it out  Chop it up Have a thick bar of it running through the centre I soaked the dried fruit in brandy, but you can make it without the alcohol is you wish or use rum instead. ...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 27th of November 2023   Whatever the occasions, this is a great treat to be had.  The rum soaks into the raisins and results in a perfect infusion of flavours. The rum adds flavour to the raisins while the raisins add sweetness to the run.  This beautiful bread as a great bready texture, yet is fruity and warming to the soul. Although it doesn't need it, you can choose to dust it with icing sugar.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 23rd of October 2023   This is a simple no yeast bread that goes great with soup or as a lunch box filler.  You can cut it open and fill it with anything you like.  This tasty bread is so easy to make and is finished in under 35 minutes.  Because it doesn't use yeast, it needs no time to proof. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of May 2022 Pitta bread is so good and very easy to make.  You can make white or brown pitta bread then cut it open and stuff it with any filling that you like.   You can make it with any kind of flour, but I find it is best with strong bread flour because it gives a better texture.  This recipe is for the wholemeal bread, if you want the white, just replace the strong wholemeal with strong white bread flour.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 25th of April 2022       Looking for a bread you can have on a Daniel fast?  This simple unleavened bread will do for the fast.  Since no sugar is permitted on a Daniel fast, I used sultanas to sweeten it up a bit and added some herbs for more flavour.  If you don't know what a Daniel fast is, read the blog Daniel Fast Handbook .

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Update 10 of March 2023     This modern English bread is like a combination of Hot cross buns and Italian Raisin Bread.  It has big fat juicy sultanas with a subtle mixed spice flavour of Hot cross Buns and, let's not forget, a wonderful crust.  The bread is light and fluffy.  As it bakes in the oven, it releases a fantastic aroma into the kitchen and beyond.  Once you have made this bread, you can just cut a piece off and have it as a snack with some butter and jam.  Enjoy!

  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 21st of August 2023. Why not try this traditional Irish bread for St Patrick's Day? Soda bread gets its name from the bicarbonate of soda, which is used instead of yeast. This bread is great on its own, with some jam or just with some butter. St Patrick's Day is on the 17th of March this year (2022).