tomato-basil bread •

This bread came about by trying to replicate the Panera Bread® Mediterranean Veggie sandwich. I will need to do some experimenting next time around, (more herbs!) but for the first attempt it is certainly passable. Especially if you use it as a vehicle for the rest of the sandwich components: hummus, feta cheese, roasted red peppers, red onion, cucumber and lettuce. I even roasted my own red bell peppers for the first time!

Tomato-Basil Bread •

2-1/4 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups tomato juice

1/4 cup ketchup

1 cup wet okara

3 tablespoons Sucanat (natural cane sugar)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups white whole wheat flour

5-7 cups unbleached white flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. In a medium saucepan, heat tomato juice, ketchup, and okara until just warm. Stir in Sucanat and olive oil, and yeast mixture. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add cheese, salt, herbs and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Gradually add in as much flour as needed to make a soft dough. Depending on how much moisture is in your okara and flour, this could be anywhere from five to seven additional cups of flour. Knead for ten minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Let the dough rise until doubled, approximately 1-1/2 hours. Punch down, divide dough in half, and shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

english muffin bread •

I really should call this “It Makes Great Toast” bread, because that remark is what I hear the most when I make this for the family. Besides that great feature, it goes together quickly, making it possible to have bread on the table in a little over an hour.

English Muffin Bread •

2 cups milk (dairy or soy, or a combination)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup wet okara (straight from your machine)

4 cups unbleached white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

4-1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Yellow cornmeal for dusting pans and bread

In a small saucepan:

Combine milk, water and okara. Heat until very warm (120 - 130 degrees).

In a large mixing bowl:

Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add warmed liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make a stiff batter. Dust two (8-1/2 x 4-1/2) loaf pans with yellow cornmeal. Spoon in batter, and sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover with a lightweight towel and let rise in a warm area for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

okara olympics •

Today I ran out of soy milk, and realized that I had a container of okara still in the refrigerator from my last batch of soy milk. Rather than chuck another container of okara in there, I took a deep breath and started a baking marathon. I put my KitchenAid mixer, my waffle iron, and bread maker  in service all at the same time. After making a big batch of Buttermilk Waffles, I left them to cool. I wrapped them individually in foil packages, and placed the waffles in freezer bags. The little darlings can now pull them out of the freezer and toast them up in a hurry. I used my KitchenAid to mix and knead dough for Quick Dinner Rolls. I had delicious, warm rolls to accompany our supper that evening, with leftovers for this week’s sandwiches. The bread maker was doing it’s thing with all the ingredients for Multigrain Bread, which we can use for sandwiches or toast. Now all I have left to do is figure out what to do with my new batch of okara. Definitely something chocolate.

Buttermilk Waffles •

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

4 eggs

2-1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup oil

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine, not drained)

In another mixing bowl sift together:

2 cups white unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Make waffles according to your waffle iron’s manual. I use a well-rounded 1/2 cup of batter. Bake until golden brown, about three to three and a half minutes. Makes approximately 14 (7") waffles.

Multigrain Bread for your Bread Maker •

Find Recipe Here.

Quick Dinner Rolls •

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine, not drained)

1/2 cup safflower oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 to 2-1/2 cups white unbleached flour

2 tablespoons yeast

In a large mixing bowl (your KitchenAid bowl if you are using it), stir together 2 cups of flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan, heat soy milk, okara, oil, honey and salt until very warm (125 degrees). Pour into flour/yeast mixture. Beat approximately 2 - 3 minutes with your KitchenAid (or by hand 300 strokes). Switch to the dough hook and add the rest of the flour to make a soft dough. Knead well for 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Pinch off dough into golf-ball sized balls. Place on greased baking sheets and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until lightly browned. Makes approximately 12 - 15 rolls.

cinnamon raisin bread •

Vegan Cinnamon Raisin Bread •

After my success with Multigrain Bread for my bread machine, I wanted to come up with a recipe utilizing soy milk and keep it vegan. This cinnamon raisin bread is not too sweet, is healthy, and toasts up beautifully. Follow your machine’s instructions for layering wet and dry ingredients. All ingredients should be at room temperature or warm. I usually pour hot water into my bread pan first to warm it, assemble my ingredients, then empty the water. I layer my ingredients in this order:

1 cup warm vanilla soy milk

1 cup warm wet okara (this is referring to the okara right from your machine, not drained) or tofu

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 to 1-1/2 cups raisins (set aside)

Use the setting on your bread machine for a large rapid rise whole wheat loaf. When the bread machine starts the kneading cycle, add the raisins a 1/4 cup at a time, until incorporated. After your machine kneads the dough, open the lid and check that it is coming together into a ball. If not, add warm water, a little at a time, waiting a few minutes in between. If the ball looks too sticky in the beginning of kneading, add some flour a little at a time. 

multigrain bread for bread machine •

I have been trying to come up with an okara recipe that I could use in my bread machine for quite some time. I have been making bread since I was in art school many (many) years ago. It was a wonderful stress releaser, spending all afternoon tending to that dough. Kneading and punching my way through my (as it turns out now) very small problems, which seemed catastrophic at that time. How I wish that my problems were that small and that I had all afternoon to tend to bread dough. Responsibilities change, and life throws you a curve ball (or two or three).  One of your children is diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease, your talented and creative husband is unemployed, your two used cars need major work, no health insurance. So you take on as much extra work as you can, your blog gets pushed to the back burner, and you start cutting deep corners on the grocery bill. Starting with a loaf of bread. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time paying $4.00 on a loaf of healthy bread when I can make it myself for so much less (and it tastes so much better)! Since time is at a premium, I find myself in the kitchen every evening using my bread machine to bake those healthy loaves. One drawback - it is hard to resist that aroma rising out into the atmosphere. We have been known to tear into that steamy goodness right out of the machine, leaving us with a mangled mess. Over the past year, I have tried to increase both the whole wheat flour and okara with less than stellar results. However, this recipe will yield a loaf that is not too dense or stunted. Follow your machine’s instructions for layering wet and dry ingredients. All ingredients should be at room temperature or warm. I usually pour hot water into my bread pan first to warm it, assemble my ingredients, then empty the water. I layer my ingredients in this order:

Multigrain Bread for your Bread Machine •

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara right from your machine, not drained)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons honey

2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

2-1/4 teaspoons yeast

Use the setting on your bread machine for a large whole wheat loaf. When the bread machine kneads the dough, open the lid and check that it is coming together into a ball. If not, add warm water, a little at a time, waiting a few minutes in between. If the ball looks too sticky in the beginning of kneading, add some flour a little at a time. Enjoy!

what’s in a name? the slug •

As much as I would like to introduce this dinner as something else, I can’t. You know how nicknames come about. The little darlings start bantering and the hubby chimes in. They think they are being terribly clever, and the next thing you know, the lovely dinner you chopped, minced and sautéed over is affectionately called “The Slug”. Just because it was a tad longer than the baking sheet I chose, and I had to slightly curl it into a *gulp* worm shape. Despite the handle that it carries, this dinner a wonderful cheesy conglomeration rolled up in a yeast bread made with okara. Serve it with a crispy, green salad. I promise that it won’t be slimy at all.

The Slug • 

The Dough

1-3/4 cups warm water

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

4 cups white unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

In a large mixing bowl sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let it sit and dissolve for about 5 minutes. Stir and add the oil, salt, okara, and 2 cups of white flour. Beat well until gluten forms; the mixture will become stringy. Gradually add the rest of the flour until it forms a soft but firm dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise until double (about 1 hour). While the dough rises, prepare the filling. This recipe makes enough dough for 3 thin-crust pizzas, or 1 thin crust pizza and 1 Slug.

The Filling

1 cup dehydrated tomatoes 

Place dehydrated tomatoes in a bowl and cover them with warm water.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup sweet yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups white button mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Sauté the  bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms until mushrooms are reduced and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Drain the tomatoes and add to the skillet, sauté briefly. Add salt. 

Oil a baking sheet with olive oil. Dividing dough into thirds, use two-thirds for your Slug. Using your fingers, press the dough flat onto the baking sheet. Spread your filling evenly across the dough. Sprinkle dough with mozzarella cheese, the herbs and the spices. Starting at long side of your dough, roll up and tuck in the ends, seam side down. Curve the roll slightly to form your Slug. Let rise in a warm area until double, approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the Slug for 35 to 45 minutes.

okara pita bread •

One dinner that is a favorite at our house is Felafel. Since Okara lends itself to bread so easily, I thought I would try and adapt my favorite pita bread recipe. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Most of the breads formed the necessary pocket for Felafel, those that didn’t— got eaten anyway. The little darlings think it is pretty nifty that you can make a pita bread from scratch. 

Okara Pita Bread •

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup warm wet okara (or substitute mashed soft tofu)

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 to 5 cups unbleached white flour

In a large mixing bowl mix the water, yeast and honey well. Let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Mix in salt and okara. Add one cup whole wheat flour and two cups of the white unbleached flour. Beat well to develop the gluten. Continue to add the rest of the white flour until you get a stiff dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 1 hour. After the hour, punch the dough down, and knead a few times. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 portions. Roll the portions into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, take a ball of dough, and flatten it to 1/4". Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remainder of the dough, placing two to a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes until browned. Move to a wire rack to cool while you flatten and bake the rest of the dough. Makes approximately 10 - 12 pitas.

okara skillet corn bread •

This corn bread is quick, and develops a nice crispy crust. I will usually bake it when we have Okara Chilli. It is a mild corn bread that would be at home at breakfast with a little honey, lunch or dinner.

Okara Skillet Corn Bread •

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease skillet (I use vegetable spray) and place in oven as is warms up.

In a large mixing bowl sift:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sucanat (natural cane sugar) or other sweetener. If you use honey, adjust the amount of yogurt or okara to compensate for the extra moisture.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together:

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons oil (canola, safflower, or light olive oil)

1 cup wet okara (this is referring to the okara straight from your machine)

Spread batter into the Very Hot skillet. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 375 degrees. Bake corn bread until browned and center tests done, approximately 20 - 25 minutes more.