Silken Tofu Bagels (Vegan)

Recipe by https://mrsslimonplants.com/ 
Makes 4 bagels
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I first learned how to make bagels from Julia Child’s Baking with Julia cookbook and tv series.  They were absolutely fantastic!  However, they were a joy and a pain to make.  If you like baking, you understand the joy part.  The pain was that it took quite a while to make them and there was always a mess to clean up. I was scrolling and this recipe popped up.  I watched the video and saw how easy they were to make.  I had the ingredients and gave it a go.  It took me 45 minutes from start to finish.  They came out nicely.  While they don’t have the complex flavors of Julia’s bagels, they are good enough for me to make when I’m hankering for a quick homemade sandwich bread.

For the dough: (I would highly recommend using a kitchen scale for measuring the flour and tofu.)
300g all-purpose flour (~2 cups / 10.6 oz)
290g soft silken tofu (~1 ¼ cups / 10.2 oz)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon water (only if needed)

For boiling:
4 cups water
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup (The original recipe calls for corn syrup.)

For topping:
2 Tablespoons soy milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning (or topping of choice)

Directions
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mash the silken tofu until smooth. Add it to the dry ingredients and gently knead with your hands until a dough forms. If the dough feels dry, add about 1 tablespoon of water to help bring it together.
Let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Lightly flour a clean surface and knead the dough briefly until smooth. Divide into 4
equal portions and shape each into a ball. Use your finger to create a hole in the center and gently stretch into a bagel shape.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add baking soda and syrup. Boil each bagel for about
30 seconds per side, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray.
Mix soy milk with maple syrup and brush over each bagel (this helps create a golden finish).
Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning or other favorite topping. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the bagels cool completely before slicing.

No-Knead Swedish Cardamom Braid

Makes 2 loaves

Recipe from Vegetarian Times

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is just downright wonderful, especially considering that it’s a snap to make, mimics perfectly the wonderful texture of a traditional brioche, but without the eggs and butter. I especially loved the hint of cardamom in every bite. Make a batch of this dough and then you’ll have one loaf for yourself and one to give to a friend who is vegan. If you’d like, you can even use it to make a very nice French toast.  (French toast is traditionally made with eggs and milk, so preparing French toast with this bread will make the bread non-vegan.)

Ingredient List

• 2 cups almond milk, plus more for brushing loaf top

• 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal (We buy whole flax seed from the bulk section and grind it ourselves in a spice grinder. This makes flaxseed “meal.” My husband puts this on his oatmeal every day.)

• 1/3 cup agave nectar or organic brown rice syrup (I used the brown rice syrup.)

• 1/3 cup canola oil (I used sunflower oil because that's what I had in my pantry. It's flavorless.)

• 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

• 1 ½ teaspoons whole cardamom seeds, coarsely ground with a mortar and pestle

• 5 ¼ cups unbleached white flour

• 2 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (This is available in the bulk section of Lost River Market & Deli.)

Directions

1. Stir together almond milk, flaxseed meal, brown rice syrup, oil, yeast, salt, and cardamom in plastic bowl with lid. Add flour, and mix thoroughly with wooden spoon or a wet hand. Cover with lid that is not air tight. Allow to stand 2 ½ hours at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator, and let rest overnight. (Dough will keep in refrigerator up to 5 days.)

2. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Remove half of dough from refrigerator; reserve remaining dough for second loaf. (Dough will keep in refrigerator up to 5 days.) Divide dough into 3 equal pieces, and gently roll each piece into 18-inch-long rope on floured work surface. Place dough ropes side by side spaced 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Pinch ends together on one side, and tuck under. Loosely braid dough ropes, and then pinch tail ends together. Cover braided loaf loosely with kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rest 30 minutes. (The braid will rise just a bit and will puff up even more while it’s baking.)

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Brush top of braided loaf with almond milk, and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Nutritional Information

Per slice: Calories: 233, Protein: 5g, Total fat: 6g, Saturated fat: <1g, Carbs: 40g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 233mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 8g