I'm going to a party in a couple of weeks. I make a really good honey wheat bread, but the host is vegan. What can I subsitute for the honey that will not offend my friend. Also I want to cut out white sugar, what can I substitute for it in other recipes. Kathi
Aguave nectar, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup. to get rid of processed sugar, you can simply replace it with fructose crystals, or even evaporated cane juice (florida crystals is one brand) or use one of the liquids above. as long as your yeast has some carb to grow on, you should be good. I'd do a test run, though.
aguave is on par, comes raw or processed I get Madhava out of Lyons, CO. the others depend on your location.
Why not try your hand at une baguette... I call it prison bread. Recipe French Bread Sponge 1 cup cool-lukewarm water 1/2 tsp yeast 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour. 1/4 cup white or whole wheat flour Stir ingredients together to make a thick mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let set at room temperature overnight, or for 2-16 hours. Dough for French bread All of the sponge starter (above) 1 cup lukewarm water 3/4 tsp yeast 1 tbsp sugar 3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached flour 1 tbsp kosher salt Stir sponge, add water, yeast, 3 1/3 cups of the flour and salt. Mix. Dough will be loose. Let rest for about 12 minutes, then knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the held-back flour as needed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with both lightly greased plastic wrap and a damp cloth, and rise until almost doubled. After rising, deflate dough but be gentle so as to retain some of the bubbles. The bubbles will make the holes that you want in recipe French bread. Rise the dough for on a cookie sheet sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. Tip: For better results, and to get that authentic recipe French bread with deep ridges and a dusting of flour around the middle, I recommend that you use a dough rising basket (lightly dusted with flour.) Rise the dough for recipe French bread until almost doubled and puffy looking. When risen, make slashes across the top of the bread -- but gently, so as not to deflate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, placing your baking stone in the oven to preheat also. When ready, gently place recipe French bread dough on the stone, seam side down. Spray water into the oven. A plant sprayer works fine. Place your bread in the oven, reduce heat to 475 degrees, and spray with water every few minutes for 15 minutes. Stop spraying and bake for an additional 10 or 15 minutes, or until done.
Evaporated cane juice is just a fancy name for unprocessed brown sugar. Just use brown sugar in your bread. btw: Yeast is technically fauna and not flora so if you really want to split hairs over things like honey you shouldn't use yeast either.