Vegan Challah Bread

  

The fragnance of a fresh baked bread in the house is just so satisfying, And more satisfying is eating it piping hot just baked!!

The only thing that keeps me away from baking breads at times is the time factor to proof it. But the day i give up on my constant laziness i feel proud of myself.

Challah is a special Jewish braided bread. The aroma of this freshly baked challah was really enticing.

I have used flax seeds as a substitute of egg which added amazing nuttiness to the taste.

Flax-Seed Challah Bread (Vegan)

2 1/4 tsp. or 1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbs ground flax seed meal whisked with 5-6 Tbs of warm water.
2-2 Tbs olive oil

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp sea salt.

Mix the yeast and the warm water and set it aside for 5-10 min to activate it.

In a bowl add the all the ingredients and add yest to it, If using a stand mixer knead on medium for about 10 min or by hand for about 15 min.
Once the dough is well kneaded brush with olive oil, cover with a wet kitchen cloth and keep it in a warm place to proof for about 2-3 hours.

After 3 hours punch down the dough and knead again for a few minutes. Make a ball, cover and keep it aside for another hour. The dough should double. 

Divide the rested dough into 3 parts and make rolls. Dust them well with flour and braid them.

Transfer on a baking sheet and bake for about  30 min or until the top is golden brown at 160 deg C

This post is off to Bake Fest- The Pumpkin Farm, Vardhini's -Cooks Joy, & Kalyani’s ”Kitchen Chronicles – Only Vegan” event @ Cook's Joy.

Bluberry Almond Crumble.

A crumble is a dish of British and Irish origin that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common. (Wikipedia)

Fresh Blueberries were not quite easily available around where i live,.... recently Ive been finding them a lot around and got hooked on to the lil purple balls :)

These Sweet and tangy berries are a amazing snack, there are a lot of thing you could try with this lil fruit. I decided to do a Blueberry Almond crumble, and the result was a yummy subtle delicate dessert.

Almond Blueberry Crumble. (Optionally Vegan)

3 Cups fresh Blueberries*(check note)
1/2 cup Sugar
Few drops of Lemon juice
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs hot water
21/2 cups Oats
11/4th cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
11/2 stick Butter/ 1/2 cup Vegetable oil *(check note)
1 cup silverd  roasted almonds
Pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C, and grease you ramekins or you dish that you are using.

In a saucepan set over medim heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook untill the berries are tender. This might take up to 10-15 min.
Whisk in your constarch mixed with warm water until a smooth paste is formed. Cook for about a minute.
Cool this sauce covered, to avoid a skin forming on top.

In a bowl stir in oats, flour and sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Cut in the cold butter with the above ingredients. If making it Vegan and using oil pour in oil little by little to make a crumbly texture. You might need more or less of oil.

Press 2/3rd of the mix on your prepared pan. Spread the cold blueberry mix over the top and sprinkle some roasted almonds.
Sprinkle with remaining mixture of the flour and roasted almonds.
Bake until golden brown or about 45 minutes.
Decorate with fresh blueberries or blueberry sauce. I swished on some caramel sauce too which tasted yum!

You could serve this warm or cold. Choice is your.

*NOTE:  
*If you donot get fresh blueberries you could defrost frozen ones. And if you using a readymade bluebery sauce just cut down on you sugar and boil untill thick.
*Opt for oil instead of butter to make this recipe Vegan.

This Post is off to- Tamalapaku Fruit/Veggie of the Month (This months choice is Blueberries.),  brain child of Priya 

Vegan Almond Coconut Cookies.

You sometimes need motivation to get something kickstarted in your life, and cooking vegan for me was totally inspired by my adorable brother Abhinav. Being Vegan can be difficult... but cooking Vegan really isnt. Since really long Ive just been thinking of trying my hands on some Vegan recipes , and atlast i did it today just for you abhi.

This recipe is super easy and hardly takes any time, Almost all the ingredients will be in your shelf. While they were baking in my oven the house smelt buttery, coconutty, almondy.... In short Heavenly.

Vegan Almond Coconut Cookies.

2 cups Unbleached Flour
2 cups Roasted Almonds
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Cane sugar
1 tsp Coconut essence
1/2 tsp Baking pwd
1/4 tsp Salt.


Pre-heat your oven at max temperature for about 10 min, Spread your almonds on a baking try and roast for about 5 min until crunchy. Cool down to room temperature.


Add your roasted almonds, Maple syrup, cane sugar, coconut essence in a chopper/grinder n blend to a coarse paste.
In another bowl sieve the dry ingredients and then add the wet paste to this. This should turn out to be a sticky dough like consistency.

Spread a sheet of parchment paper on your baking tray,  make balls out of the dough and press them down with the help of a fork to make them little flat. Spread them at a distance to give them space to expand.

Bake a 180 deg for about 10 min.

Enjoy them with a hot cuppa coffee or tea  :)

This post is off to Cookie Mela @Cooking 4 all seasons. & Cooks Joy - Kalyani’s ”Kitchen Chronicles – Only Vegan” Event.