Basics of Bread (an e-book of simple recipes)
Basics of Bread is a beautiful e-book from Madeleine Olivia and her husband Alex, on how to make 20 simple plant-based bread recipes for beginners. The book features the basics of how to knead bread plus recipes for pizza dough and bagels, to focaccia, hot cross buns and cinnamon rolls.
Keep fresh dough and other bread ingredients (salt, onion, garlic, dried fruits etc) away from pets. Read more on food safety for people and pets. Just bin allium scraps (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) and tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures (they are okay to go in food waste bins, as this is made into biogas).
For tinned foods, rinse then remove lids (pop in cans) or pop ring-pulls back over holes. Pinch or flatten cans, to stop wildlife getting trapped.
If you like making homemade bread, check out US author Shane’s two books:
The Vegan Bread Machine Cookbook has 65 recipes, and his book Baking Vegan Bread at Home has simple recipes for:
- White or Wholewheat Sandwich Loaf
- Rapid-rise White Bread
- Sprouted Wheat Bread
- Jalapeno ‘Cheese’ Bread (above)
- Oatmeal Bread with Sunflower Seeds
- Rosemary & Thyme Gluten-Free Bread
- Speedy Herb Focaccia
- Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
- Walnut Cranberry Artisan Loaf
- Celebration Challah
- Panettone Christmas bread
You’ll also find expert tips on how to get the best performance from your bread machine, especially when working with vegan ingredients. Plus tips on how to store and freeze your homemade bread.
In the UK, look for strong white bread flour (it has more protein than plain flour, so it builds better structure). Wholemeal flour works too, but it benefits from being blended with white flour at first. Yeast is the engine, salt brings flavour and strengthens the dough, and water controls texture.
