May 14, 2013

"whole grain vegan baking" blog tour + giveway



Let's Bake!

Welcome to the kick-off of "Whole Grain Vegan Baking" Blog Tour!

This newly released cookbook by Celine Steen, of Have Cake Will Travel, and Tamasin Noyes, of Vegan Appetite, is the end-all for vegan baking. Or should I say, the beginning of healthy, vegan baking.

The ladies have come on the heels of their previous cookbook "Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!" and have written a glorious baking book utilizing only whole grains. There is not a speck of white flour or white sugar in the whole book and, what is really the best part, every recipe is delectable! 

Now you can enjoy desserts, snacks, breads, and breakfast treats, and know you are only fueling your body with wholesome ingredients. 

There are 100 kick-butt recipes of goodness in the book. I tested for this book last year and was floored by what they came up with. 

Take a look: 



Souper Bread Bowls



Bagard

Strawberry Sweet Biscuits
Breakfast Pie Pastries

Chipotle and Corn Spelt Muffins




Whole Grain Wonder Crackers


Kicked-Up Chocolate Cookies

Pesto Knots
There are so many wonderful recipes in this book, but this last one was my family's favorite, and believe me, it is hard to pick a "best" one! The Pesto Knots were savory, basil-y, garlicky packages of delight. In fact, Fair Winds Press has granted permission to post this recipe for you, which makes me happy!

Before I do that, I'd like to cover the quality of the book. If you have VSSD!, then you know Fair Winds Press produces a well-made, quality book. I like that. And I love the pictures of the baked goods in there! Celine has done it again with breath-taking photos. 

To wrap things up, it really is not hard to decide: if you want healthy, delicious, vegan baked goods which utilize wholesome, whole grains, your search stops right here. 

Since you've taken the time to read all the above and drool all over your computer, how about entering the contest to win your very own copy of "Whole Grain Vegan Baking?" 
It's really simple; leave a comment and check back May 25th to see if you are the winner. In addition, check out the other blogs in the tour for more recipes and chances to win.
 (Blog Tour dates and sites are posted on both Tami's and Celine's blogs.)

And now for the sneak-peek recipe:



Pesto Knots


1/4 cup (60 ml) lukewarm wate
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
105 g (3/4 cup) whole spelt flour, divided
33 g (packed 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) fresh basil leaves, divided
1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened plain vegan milk, more as needed
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, divided
9 g (1 tablespoon) pine nuts
8 g (1 tablespoon) nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ume plum vinegar
5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 teaspoon white miso paste
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
120 g (1 cup) white whole wheat flour, more as needed
Nonstick cooking spray

Stir together the water, maple syrup, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. Mix in 35 g (1/4 cup) of the spelt flour. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Combine 30 g (3/4 cup) of the basil, milk, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, vinegar, 3 cloves of the garlic, miso, salt, and pepper in a small blender. Process until completely smooth. Pour into the yeast mixture and add the remaining 70 g (1/2 cup) whole spelt flour and the whole wheat flour. Knead for 5 minutes to form a smooth and cohesive dough. Add an extra 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk or (8 g) white whole wheat flour if needed to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. It should not be sticky. Alternatively, the dough may be kneaded by hand on a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball.
Lightly coat a medium-size bowl with cooking spray and put the dough in the bowl, turning it over so the oiled side is facing up. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 hours.
Combine the remaining 2 cloves garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a small bowl.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Deflate the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch (30 cm) rope. Tie a knot close to the center of the dough, tuck under the ends, and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).
Remove the kitchen towel and bake the dough for 13 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles.
Use a spoon to drizzle the garlic oil on the knots. Mince the remaining 3 g (1 tablespoon) basil and sprinkle over the rolls.

Yield: 8 knots

34 comments:

  1. Looks really good. I try to bake for my daughter, but it doesn't always turn out, so more recipes would be helpful.

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  2. Yum! Emailed the recipe to myself!

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  3. I have notoriously bad luck with any yeasted bake goods, but this makes me want to try again!

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  4. Those pesto knots. Oh. My. Word.

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  5. I've been so interested to see what this book is like..and it's certainly looks like it meets my expectations, everything sounds fabulous and those pesto rolls look especially gorgeous.
    I didn't realize the recipes had no white sugar in either. Added bonus!

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  6. All of the pictures look great. I haven't done much baking; I need to get this book and change that.

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  7. Oh man, those pesto knots look incredible!

    gaia (at) cinci (dot) rr (dot) com

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  8. I have no trouble believing that those pesto knots became one of your family's favorite recipes: what a terrific recipe it is! They must be truly delicious.

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  9. Another great collection of Vegan nomness from Tamasin!

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  10. Yum, those knots look great, as does everything else!

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  11. There aren't enough words to express how much I would love this!!!

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  12. Thank you for sharing the recipe! I love these little knots and the more garlicky the better! :)

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  13. Ooooooh I'm lickin' the screen here! Thanks for the chance.

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  14. Those pesto knots look amazing!! Would love to own this book.

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  15. I need to try the pesto knots and the kicked-up chocolate cookies!!

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  16. Already from the first anouncement on Celines blog about her whole grain baking book, I knew I would own it some day - no matter how (bought, won in a contest, begged for, found somewhere in a dark alley ...);

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  17. OMG those cookies and pesto knots look amazing! Really wanna lick my screen

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  18. Those knots look absolutely amazing.

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  19. I have been looking forward to this book since I usually have to adjust recipes to make them 100% whole grain and vegan. Thank you so much for this giveaway :)

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  20. Loving the giveaway and making the pesto knots this weekend. Thank you!

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  21. I'm intrigued by the idea of moving to all whole grains. We bake challah every week and that's usually the only bread we consume. I'd love to find a whole grain challah vegan challah recipe. I've never used spelt, so maybe I'll give the pesto knots a whirl. I do love pesto. I'm curious as to how well these breads will keep. We bake on Friday for eating on both Friday and Saturday and my experience is that by Saturday some breads, especially whole grains, become lethal weapons!!

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  22. Yum! I think its time I take on baking!

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  23. Always looking to expand my vegan and gluten-free baking repertoire!

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  24. I NEED this book! It's been staring at me from my Amazon wish list since long before it came out. :)

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  25. Thanks for the giveaway. This book looks fantastic.

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  26. This book looks fabulous... I can really see myself eating breakfast pie pastries every morning!

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  27. The knots look wonderful. The kicked up chocolate cookies... The breakfast pastries... I need to get this book!

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  28. Will you be announcing your winner today? I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

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  29. Did I miss the winner announcement? I don't see it anywhere.

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    Replies
    1. It is announced on the most recent post, the one above this one. Comment #3 won, I think. Thanks for checking!

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