I don’t bake. It’s not my thing. Occasionally I’ll see a recipe on a blog and I’ll turn on the oven but it’s rare. Last month I spent a few days with my aunt and uncle in Southern California. My uncle has a fascinating bread baking hobby. He’s a connoisseur. I was his challenge; he wanted to make veganized bread just for me. In fact, on my first day in their home he knocked on the door of the guest room and asked “Do you eat honey?” I replied that no, I did my best to avoid it. “I wondered,” he said “because it comes from an animal.” Gotta love him.
One morning we enjoyed this beautiful creation
The day I left for Vida Vegan Con he sent me off to Portland with this fresh-baked, sourdough bread (and a bottle of seasoned-olive oil) for my roommate and I to share.
I got the bug. I want to bake bread.
I bought this book at my uncle’s suggestion. I started thumbing through it. Holy crap. This baking stuff is like science. It requires thought and even math. Eek.
I’m starting slow. I dusted off the bread maker we received 13 years ago as a wedding gift. It had been relegated to a shelf in the basement in 2003 when I began reducing carbs (WTF?). I found an online manual for the relic and looked as some of the recipes to get an idea of liquid to dry ratio and came up with this, my first vegan bread creation.
JL’s Italian Buckwheat Bread
PRINT RECIPE
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 T avocado oil
- 1.5 t Florida Crystals natural sugar
- 1.5 t iodized sea salt
- 1/8 t oregano (dry)
- 1/2 t sweet basil (dry)
- 1 T rosemary (dry, ground)
- 2.5 cups buckwheat flour
- 1.5 t active dry yeast
Instructions
- Place ingredients in bread maker according to manufacturers suggestion (usually wet, dry and then yeast).
- Set the bread maker according to your machine (in my case, I chose wheat, regular loaf).
- Be patient because it takes over four hours (unless you have a newer “express” break maker)!
Though the bread didn’t rise as much as I expected, I was really pleased with the density and the intensity of flavor. I let it cool, just enough to cut it without destroying it, and slathered Earth Balance on two pieces, which melted immediately. Mmm. My husband and I both loved it.
Perhaps I will get brave and try to actually bake a loaf of bread. In the meantime, my bread maker is going to be very busy.
Do you bake bread? Any tips for a bread-baking newbie?
39 thoughts on “I tried to “bake” my first vegan bread”
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Been wanting to bake my own bread for a while, but don’t think I have the patience for it. Best of luck. That pic of your uncle’s sourdough looks amazing.
Wow! Are you sure you need any tips? That is the best gluten free bread I have ever seen. It looks just like German pumpernickel bread.
Thank you! It wasn’t perfect (I think it should have risen more) but we did enjoy it.
It didn’t rise because it didn’t have gluten. Gluten is what makes bread stretch and holds in the gas that the yeast makes. You could try a cup of high gluten flour in place of some of the buck wheat or just add some gluten to you recipe (sold at most markets), the package will tell you how much to add. Good luck, I’m proud of you for jumping in!! I am working on a Vegan recipe for the multigrain bread that will work in a bread maker, I’ll send it when I have it down.
Uncle Jim
Um, thanks to all the people that commented on my bread :>)
Oh, Uncle Jim, I can’t wait to get that recipe! Thanks for the tip on the gluten — and now that I realize I made gluten-free bread (duh!) I’m even more pleased with how it tastes! It reminds me of the very dense gluten-free that I’ve purchased.. so I was right on track! 😉
I thought you meant to omit the gluten for a GF bread. I meant to tell you that I like to add soy flour to my breads (add 1 Tbsp per 1 cup flour) to give the bread some extra rise.
I wasn’t too keen on bread-making until my breadmaker broke, and I had to do it by hand. Something about it makes me feel all rustic and old school. It’s definitely a time commitment, but most of it is non-active time. And I always make Logan help me knead! 🙂 Yay bread adventures!
My bread baking has been completely hit or miss (always in the oven since I don’t have a bread maker). Sometimes it turns out okay; other times the loaves are so dense and hard you could whack them against the pavement and it wouldn’t damage the loaf. I commend you for what looks like a very successful breadmaking maiden voyage! And that sourdough of your uncle’s looks divine. I go a little weak in the knees for a good sourdough. 🙂 Good luck!
Wow, this looks beautiful. You have made me seriously regret getting rid of my bread maker.
I’m not a bread baker, I made it 2 times in the oven. It turned out pretty well but I don’t think it’s as much fun as baking a cake or muffins or cookies… I told my parents that I would make a bread this month though.. Better get into it then :p
I have been wanting to try and make my own bread…love the looks of that sourdough. Yummy!
I was never crazy about any bread I got from my breadmaker, so now I just let my stand mixer do all of the kneading for me and bake it in the oven. My favorite basic loaf is the french bread recipe from La Dolce Vegan, it’s really simple white bread and you’ll quickly memorize the recipe.
Knead, knead, knead some more, and you want to use as little flour as possible!
Oops, I didn’t realize I was signed into the mofo twitter when I posted!
Good tips! My uncle’s tip is to use the bread maker simply to knead — then he takes care of the rest. But I keep forgetting I have a stand mixer. I like that idea.
Instead of baking my own bread, maybe I could just move next door to your Uncle Jim. Maybe he needs another niece??? Just a thought. His breads look heavenly.
I used to bake a honey whole wheat for my son. I don’t own a bread machine but this one particular recipe turned out well for me using the oven. I haven’t made it in about 2 years. I do, however, make a mean whole wheat pizza crust.
Your bread looks amazing. I love a dense bread. I want to feel more comfortable making bread too; I am a bit afraid of yeast. It’s all too science-y for me! If you can do it, I can too. Thanks for the inspiration!
OMG, I love this post and your new endeavor. I also have a bread making machine from my wedding registry that mainly takes up a lot of space in my pantry. I’ve tried a few vegan recipes but they didn’t turn out that great. I can’t wait to try this buckwheat version that is so awesome because it has no white flour, yay!
I used to bake bread a lot, then stopped eating it over the last few months. Now you’re making me want tot bake, again. The bread book you bought is my favorite, along with Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. My bread machine broke, and the vat of sourdough in the fridge ready to bake at a moment’s notice (from Healthy Bread in 5), replaced it. Did you use only buckwheat flour to make the bread? And it worked?
Thanks for the book recommendation– I will look into that!
That buckwheat bread looks good. I’ll have to try making it without a bread machine since I do not have one. Kneading bread by hand is relaxing for me.
Great job on your first bread!
I’ve baked bread quite a few times from bagels to hot dog rolls to a chocolate stout loaf. I think you just have to have some patience or a great breadmaker that let’s you “Set It and Forget It.” I do prefer baking by hand than machine, especially artisan breads. I get really excited after the dough rise.
I definitely recommend Jeff Hertzberg’s Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I’ve used it a lot. I also love Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Julia, which has some great recipes, which can be modified where necessary. I also like Kris Holechek’s The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes. I made her Chocolate Stout Bread recipe, which was really good.
More great book tips! Thank you!
Uncle Jim’s breads look incredible! I got a bread machine for Christmas that I’ve used twice. You’re inspiring me to break it out!
All of these breads look really good and comforting. Love the ingredients in your bread. Great photos, thanks for sharing. =]
Good for you JL!
It looks like you did a pretty awesome job yourself – that is an amazing ingredient list. I have taught some classes on sourdough in the past and have even done a rye version that is totally gluten-free. It doesn’t rise a lot but it packs some pretty intense flavour.
I’ve found my breads don’t rise well in the breadmaker either – I usually use the “dough” setting, then take it out and bake it in the oven. Definitely going to try the buckwheat recipe though!
Thank you for posting this! I’m wondering though, what is the difference between “active dry yeast” and the yeast that one typically uses for bread machines?
oh my….i love bread and these looks so delicious!! my sister made me vegan cupcakes for my birthday and at first she was a little apprehensive (she’s a wonderful baker), but they were wonderful. Now I’m going to have to have her make me some bread!
great pictures by the way 😉 fab!
What a great uncle! I used to love to bake bread. And I, too, went through carb avoidance for a period: “WTF” is right! But now that I am living at 7,000 feet, bread baking (and baking in general) is an exercise in frustration. If you think the math in standard baking is bad, try doing that along with the high altitude adjustments!
The sourdough round looks divine (and would be great with that stew you posted the other day). I use the breadmaker to make burger and hot dog bun dough b/c I can’t find a decent store-bought vegan bun. And I love ‘Healthy Bread In Five Minutes A Day’ b/c traditional bread with the mixing and the kneading and the rising just takes too much time.
Gluten- free too? Wow I was prepared to not be able to eat the creation. Can I come over for a slice? Gf baked goods won’t rise without silly things like tapioca flour and such but I think dense foods are fine.
You asked if I ever baked bread. Yes, when I first went gluten free I tried with a bread maker. It was pretty hard and then veganizing it was even tougher. Ive learned to live without bread. Sad life I know.
Hi JL, As a person new to the vegan world (8 mos), I have perused these blogs for months now, taking in every morsel of wisdom I could. Your discussion of bread making has prompted me to write for the first time. I have found vegan recipes for bread making that look like your Uncle Jims! It’s the best bread I ever had, and it comes from Jim Lahey’s book My Bread. It is an old fashioned way of baking bread, very easy albeit the process is long…instead of kneading the bread, it is allowed to rise for 12-18 hours, with a second 2 hrs rise. The ingredients for a whole wheat bread are bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, dry yeast and water! I have made this bread to rave reviews!
Thanks for your comment, Karen!
Oh I want to make this Italian Buckwheat Bread so badly now after reading today’s post. But I do not have a bread machine and all the gluten free breads that I have ever made do not rise well. Any directions on baking this in an oven and having it turnout well?
Hi Gina! I don’t personally know but awhile back I asked readers to help with suggestions on alternative cooking methods to what I use – check it out: https://jlgoesvegan.com/alternative-ways-to-make-beans-bread-and-crackers-or-why-i-consider-blogging-a-community/
I followed your recipe but it was an epic failure! I can’t even put a finger on why. I have used my bread machine many times although this was the first time I used buckwheat flour. Very strange.
Oh no, @e1db620554a509ab3ef4cf28ee82845c:disqus! Of course, remember that this bread felt like a fail to me – until I realized it was almost vegan free! It didn’t rise at all but it did have a lovely, dense texture.
In about 4 hrs we will be able to enjoy this delicious recipe thank you!! Spelt/Buckwhewat/Brown rice Flour, and coconut oil were used in place of just buckwheat flour, and vegetable oil ♡♡♡♡♡namaste
@TheRockyMountainHighApothecary:disqus, I hope it was tasty!