friday things

My chair post was supposed to be out yesterday, (you know - the whole thirsty Thursday thing and all), but due to some technical snafu, was not.

Nevertheless, here is another random Friday post. Some snapshots from last week:

Roadtripping. 

Iced Chai

   I'm about to share with you a fairly straightforward recipe for something delicious. An iced chai tea.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins [vegan]

   There has been an uncharacteristic dearth of chocolate recipes around here lately. Time to remedy that.

  

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

  

 I’m very picky about bread. So much so, that most of the time it doesn't meet my standards and I’d just as soon not eat it. In fact it recently came to my attention that, probably due to my vegan predilections and the fact that these things tend to go hand-in-hand, a number of my acquaintances thought I was gluten-free.

    I am not gluten-free. At all. I love gluten, and pity the poor afflicted souls who can’t have it.

   I’m just picky about its form. Sandwich bread, hamburger buns and hotdog rolls—basically anything that comes in a bag at the supermarket—I’ve been snobbish about since adolescence, but my love for freshly-baked bread and rolls is unflagging.

    This vegan whole-wheat bread is my own adaptation of the goddess that is Mollie Katzen’s recipe, the same one that my equally goddessy mother based her fantastic homemade bread on.

    I have used this recipe several times, and if you’re new to bread-baking, never fear. It’s pretty foolproof—as in, I’ve only really wrecked it once, and I’m actually known for being bad at making bread. If you’re a little nervy, check out the possibly-helpful tips I’ve compiled below. If you’re totally comfortable with bread-making, scroll down to the recipe and rock some delicious homemade bread. 

the sponge, risen.

• ·         Whole-wheat bread can get a bit crumbly at times. This problem can be fixed by adding some vital wheat gluten to your dough. I’ve never tried it myself, but it is helpful if you plan on making packable sandwiches. If you don’t have that, try half white flour.
• ·         Alternately, give white whole wheat a go. I got some for the first time recently, and love it. All the fibery unbleached goodness of whole wheat with almost the exact properties of average, white flour. It makes great bread, and tastes a little less nutty than regular whole wheat flour.