Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (83 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

BOOK: Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
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Dough:
1¼ cups soy milk
¼ cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
⅓ cup warm water
1(¼-ounce) package active dry yeast
4—4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat white
flour or a combo of the two
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
(about 1 large orange)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
 
Filling:
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegan margarine,
melted
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons grated orange rind (about 2 large
oranges)
½ cup raisins, coarsely chopped (optional)
 
Orange icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon soy milk
 
Prepare the dough:
Heat the soy milk and margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the margarine is just about melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until tepid (don’t add the hot soy milk to the dough or it could kill the yeast cells).
In a measuring cup, mix together the warm water and the yeast, setting aside for a few minutes until the yeast begins to foam. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, salt, cardamom, and allspice, and form a well in the center. Pour in the soy milk mixture and the yeast, then stir until a firm dough forms. If it’s sticky, add extra flour a few tablespoons at a time.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes, and form into a ball. Pour less than a teaspoon of any light-flavored oil into the mixing bowl; add the kneaded dough, and turn the dough in bowl to coat the surface with oil. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap, cover with a clean dish towel, and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about an hour. The dough should double in size. When you press its surface and the indentation fills in slowly, it’s ready to shape.
While is the dough rises, line two large baking sheets with lightly greased baking parchment.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and knead it a few times on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough and roll it into a 11 × 18-inch rectangle ¼ inch thick. It helps to use your hands to very gently stretch and pull the dough to shape.
Fill the dough: Combine the melted margarine and maple syrup in a small bowl or measuring cup. Brush the mixture over the dough, leaving about 2 inches unbrushed unbrushed along one of the long edges. In another small bowl, combine the brown sugar, orange zest, and raisins; sprinkle this on top of the area that’s been brushed with the maple mixture.
Grease two baking sheets. Roll the dough fairly tightly, starting from the filled long edge to other bare edge (like rolling sushi or a jelly roll). If desired, seal the seam of the roll with a little soy milk and place roll seam side down on a cutting board. With a sharp, thin, ser- rated knife, slice the roll into 1½-inch pieces and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover the slices loosely with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel, and let rise another 30 to 40 minutes.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. If desired, brush the tops of the rolls with a little soy milk just before baking. Bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
Prepare the icing: In a medium-size bowl, cut the confectioners’ sugar into the margarine to form crumbs. Whisk in the soy milk, orange rind, and orange juice. Ice the cooled buns.
 
➣
Line baking sheets with parchment paper to avoid any sticking issues.
COOKIES AND BARS
 
E
VEN THE MOST jaded vegan can get behind (and into his or her mouth) a perfectly chewy, crunchy, sweet, nutty, chocolaty, or spicy cookie without the addition of dairy products.
We use flaxseeds and starches to create chewy or crispy textures, and sometimes both, so you can toss out that dusty old box of “egg replacing powder.” Instead, invest in the best-quality flours, oils, chocolate, and spices you can buy. Go organic if you can. Of key importance is to get your hands on high-budget, real vanilla extract. Without butter or eggs to get in the way, you’ll really taste every glorious note in these wholesome confections. On that note, why not replace some all-purpose flour with a little whole wheat pastry and boost the fiber content? We love the rich color; light, nutty flavor; and delicate texture that whole-grain flours add to cookies and other baked goods. But if you’d rather keep things traditional, we won’t hold it against you either.
And who can resist the charm of a plateful of bar cookies? This chapter also includes our famous fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies, which is surely the taste combination to usher us into the next decade. We’ve also finally created the perfect lemon bar that shines like a citrus-colored jewel. Meanwhile, apple lovers and peanut butter lovers can finally come to an agreement and end their thousand years’ war once and for all, with our apple bars topped with peanut butter caramel.
 
COOKIE TIPS
 
➣
Cooling racks are great for perfectly textured cookies; this way they won’t brown too much on the bottom. But if, for whatever reason, you refuse to get cooling racks, you can turn the cookies upside down on a plate to cool completely.
➣
Store completely cooled cookies in a tightly covered container and they should last for 3 to 5 days.
➣
Silpat is a silicone baking surface that you can place over your cookie sheet, making greasing the sheet or baking parchment obsolete.
➣
When we direct you to lightly grease the cookie sheet, you can spread a very thin layer of shortening on it or spray with a light coating of cooking spray.
PISTACHIO-ROSE WATER COOKIES
 
MAKES 32 COOKIES
TIME:
35 MINUTES
 
 
Pretty as a picture, these delectable disks are studded with jadelike pistachio nuts and are delicately scented with rose water. These cookies are a miracle of science, really; delicately flavored and somehow light and airy, chewy and crispy all at once. Lime juice and zest add a little citrus kick. A perfect end to your Persian feast, or even just some Middle Eastern takeout.
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup canola oil
3 tablespoons rice milk (soy is okay, too)
1 tablespoon rose water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
¼ cup cornstarch
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
 
 
➣
The easiest way to chop pistachios is to pulse them in a food processor about twenty times. Otherwise, use a chef’s knife on a cutting board and be gentle so that they don’t shoot all over the place.
 
➣
If you are aching to try these cookies but can’t afford pistachios at the moment, replace them with chopped almonds.
PREHEAT THE oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, rice milk, rose water, vanilla, lime juice, and zest. Add the cornstarch and whisk until dissolved.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Mix well.
Roll the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size (a bit smaller than a walnut) and dip the tops into the chopped pistachios. Press down with two fingers; the dough will flatten a bit and pistachios will collect on the bottom.
Place the cookies, nut side up, about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. You should be able to fit sixteen on a standard baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes; they will be soft but that’s okay, they will firm up as they cool.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
CHEWY CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY COOKIES
 
MAKES 2 DOZEN

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