I love to smell fresh bread baking. Carbs are my weakness. I actually have a necklace that I wear often that says “carbs” with a heart engraved on it.
So you can see my love for bread and all things carbs runs deep.
I really, really love a nice big delicious sandwich on fresh baked bread! If you have never made loaf bread, let me tell you, you are missing out.
You do not need a fancy bread machine to make easy and fresh baked bread either! Just a loaf pan and an oven.
I am always amazed at just how many ingredients are in store bought bread, half of which I do not know what they are ,or how to pronounce. So I end up paying $5 or more for a loaf of vegan organic, healthier bread, which will be gone after my family of 6 make a sandwich.
Homemade vegan bread is far cheaper, and much healthier than most store bought options, and its easy to make!
You can easily double this recipe as well, and bake up two loaves at once if you are like us and have a lot of mouths to feed. It also freezes well so you could bake up 2 loaves,and just freeze one for later!!! So to all you other carb lovers out there, may your bread always be fresh, fluffy, and make you super happy!!
INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar or agave
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup plant based milk (I like baking with oat milk, because it browns better than other milks)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons oil ( I used grape seed oil)
corn meal for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a microwave safe container, heat the milk and water to around 110 degrees, You can use a thermometer to test the temp, but if you do not have one, the liquid should feel a little hotter than hot tap water. You do not want the liquid too hot (not boiling) because It will kill the yeast.
Add the hot milk, along with the yeast and the sugar to a large glass bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast. It should get foamy on top. If nothing seems to happen with the yeast, and it does not get foamy on the top, then you may have gotten the milk too hot and killed the yeast.
Add the yeast and milk mixture, along with the remaining ingredients to a stand mixer. I often stir using a wooden spoon just to incorporate the ingredients before attaching the dough hook. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes,. If the dough seems too sticky and is sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add a few more tablespoons of flour. The dough will be very soft though. If you do not have a stand mixer, add the ingredients to a large bowl and mix by hand. Turn dough over onto a clean, floured surface, and knead for 2 to 3 minutes.
Lightly grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom with a little corn meal. Press the dough evenly inside the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough sit in a warm place for about an hour to rise. The dough should rise almost to the top of the pan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake bread for about 25 minutes. Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for about 10 minutes before turning it out onto the rack to continue cooling. I normally run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to help release the bread.
This bread works well for sandwiches. We also like to slice it thick and heat it with vegan butter in an iron skillet to use as Texas Toast.
Serving size, 1 loaf
