by Erin McKenna
makes 12
BUTTER SQUARE
1¼ cups (280 GRAMS) Butter
2 tablespoons (18 GRAMS) white spelt flour
CROISSANT DOUGH
3 cups (420 GRAMS) white spelt flour
¼ cup (56 GRAMS) vegan sugar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⅓ cups (300 GRAMS) room-temperature rice milk
2 tablespoons (28 GRAMS) melted unscented coconut oil, plus more for brushing
Make the butter square: Remove the butter from the refrigerator and let it soften for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter and the flour and work them together with your hands. Loosely wrap the butter mixture in plastic wrap and press it into a 7-inch square. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Make the croissant dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder. Pour in the rice milk and coconut oil and, using a rubber spatula, stir until a sticky dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the dough and the butter square from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough out into an 11-inch square. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Put the butter square diagonally on top of the dough. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter square and seal the edges together. Starting at the edge nearest you, using a rolling pin, press down and forward on the dough every inch so the butter square spreads evenly inside. Roll the dough out into a 14-inch square. Fold the dough over in thirds vertically, like a business letter, and then fold it in thirds horizontally to create a thick square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and repeat the process above. Refrigerate for 1 more hour.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and cut it in half. Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll out each portion into a rectangle that’s about 18 inches by 6 inches. Remove the parchment paper and trim off the rough edges of the dough to create 2 clean rectangles. Cut the dough into 6-inch rectangles, and cut the squares diagonally to make triangles. Roll the two widest points toward the top of the triangle and curve the dough to create a crescent shape. Place the croissants on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the croissants with oil, cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake the croissants for 12 minutes, and rotate the baking sheets 180 degrees. Bake until they are golden brown, 6 minutes. Let the croissants cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before serving.
pain au chocolat
My seven-year-old nephew and longtime BabyCakes super-representative, Oliver, is among the world’s fussiest eaters. Two things he’ll never pass over are the chocolate chip cookies from my first book and chocolate croissants. “I like the chocolate with the soft bread on top of it,” he explained when asked about his love of pain au chocolat. A quick note: Now is not the time to use cheap chocolate—not that it ever is, but especially not now. Trust me. I use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips.
makes 14
¼ cup (56 GRAMS) melted unscented coconut oil
2 tablespoons (44 GRAMS) agave nectar
1 recipe dough for Croissants or Spelt Croissants
1 cup (160 GRAMS) semisweet vegan chocolate chips
⅓ cup (70 GRAMS) vegan sugar
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small cup, combine the coconut oil and agave nectar and set aside.
Prepare the dough and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, put it between 2 pieces of parchment paper, and roll it out into a 10 by 18-inch rectangle. Remove the parchment paper and cut the dough into 6-inch rectangles. Put the rectangles on the prepared baking sheets, with the long ends facing you. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the chocolate chips vertically down the middle of each rectangle. Fold the right edge of the dough over the chocolate chips and seal about two thirds of the way from the left side. Sprinkle 2 more teaspoons of the chocolate chips along the seam of the folded dough. Fold the left edge of the dough over just beyond dead center and pinch the dough to seal. Flip the dough so the seam side is down. Cover the croissants with a dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the pain au chocolat with the oil mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes, and rotate the baking sheets 180 degrees. Bake until they are golden brown, 6 minutes more. Let the pain au chocolat cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before serving.
socca
I learned of this beautiful, deliciously exotic (to me anyway!) recipe from my great friend David Lebovitz, the indomitable author of The Sweet Life in Paris, Ready for Dessert, this book’s foreword, and many other gorgeously written things. As an American expat living in Paris, France, David explained to me that socca is a savory, crepe-like recipe that the French make using chickpea flour—a naturally gluten-free recipe that I obviously needed to Erin-size! Abroad, these are made a bit thinner than I prefer; if you like them even more substantial, cut the rice milk in half and you’ll be set. Top a socca with some caramelized onions, sautéed kale, or roasted vegetables and you’ve got a perfectly delicious and rewarding lunch.
makes 8
1 cup (92 GRAMS) chickpea flour
2 tablespoons (28 GRAMS) vegan sugar
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (226 GRAMS) rice milk
1 garlic clove, minced
Olive oil, for the skillet
Place 2 paper towels on a large plate and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, xanthan gum, paprika, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the rice milk, add the garlic, and stir until a pancake-like batter forms.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a wide skillet set over medium-high heat. Using a ¼-cup measure, pour the batter into the skillet (there should be room to cook 2 at a time) and tilt the pan slightly so that the batter spreads. Cook until the bottoms are browned and the top is bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side has browned, 2 minutes. Transfer the socca to the prepared plate. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Serve immediately.
french toast
I fell down the research rabbit-hole when learning about French toast. The gist: The dish dates back to about the fourth or fifth century (!), it has since been re-created in one form or another by all the big bread-eating cultures, and you can really do anything you want to it. No rules. Mine is savory, because you can always add sweetness but it’s tough to remove it.
serves 6
½ cup (50 GRAMS) gluten-free oat flour
2 tablespoons (15 GRAMS) arrowroot
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (169 GRAMS) rice milk
1 tablespoon (22 GRAMS) agave nectar
1 tablespoon (14 GRAMS) Butter, plus more for serving
6 (1-inch-thick) slices day-old Sandwich Bread
In a small bowl, whisk together the oat flour, arrowroot, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Pour in the rice milk and agave nectar and whisk until smooth.
In a sauté pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Dunk a slice of bread in the milk mixture, coating both sides. Put the bread on the pan and cook until browned and crisp, 2 minutes. Flip it over and cook until the second side is brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately with butter.
french toast four ways
Crunchy French Toast: Take a heaping handful of the gluten-free cereal of your choosing and smash it with … something. Let your kid do it. After you’ve dunked your bread in the French toast batte
r, roll it in the cereal crumbs before tossing it into the sauté pan and cooking as you would regular old French toast. Keep an eye on it as it cooks! I find that giving your pan a bit of a shake here and there prevents singed spots.
Baked French Toast with Fruit Compote: Make a quick compote by simmering your favorite berries or stone fruit in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of sugar or agave nectar over medium heat until the fruit becomes soft. Place the prepared French toast on a baking sheet, top with the fruit, and bake at 350°F until brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Top with vegan powdered sugar and serve.
Cinnamon-Sugar French Toast Rolls: Once the French toast is cooked, spread a teaspoon of Butter on top, sprinkle with however much cinnamon and sugar you prefer, and roll it up like a jelly roll. Growing up, my sisters and I were convinced it tasted better like this, and I’ve yet to uncover evidence proving us wrong.
Maple French Toast, Hold the Syrup: To get the same flavor of maple-drenched French toast without the extra sugar, add 1 teaspoon maple flavoring to the French toast batter and proceed with the recipe.
english muffins
The English muffin–eating techniques you learned from the beloved Thomas’ brand during childhood apply to my knockoff: Split them with a fork, pull the sides apart gently while monitoring that they are proportioned equally, and spread on that Butter quickly so it seeps deep inside those “nooks” and “crannies.” Or make a pizza out of them if you want! You can also dust the top and bottom with coarse cornmeal before baking so your children can authentically make a mess of your table and floor with crunchy enjoyment.
makes 5
2 cups (452 GRAMS) warm rice milk (about 100 to 110°F), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (32 GRAMS) vegan sugar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (192 GRAMS) potato starch
1 cup (100 GRAMS) gluten-free oat flour
½ cup (70 GRAMS) brown rice flour
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (56 GRAMS) melted unscented coconut oil, plus more for the skillet
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup (33 GRAMS) cornmeal
In a small bowl, stir together the warm rice milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until it bubbles, about 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the potato starch, flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Pour in the yeast mixture, oil, and apple cider vinegar and, using a rubber spatula, stir until a batter-like dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add additional warm rice milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it loosens up. Cover the dough with a dish towel and let it sit on the countertop for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a wide skillet set over medium heat. Brush the insides of 4 (3-inch) muffin rings with oil and put them inside the skillet. Sprinkle the bottom of each ring with cornmeal and fill each two-thirds high with batter. Cook for 3½ minutes or until browned. Flip the muffins and cook until the second side has browned, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the muffins to the reserved baking sheet. Carefully run a butter knife around the sides of each muffin and remove the ring. Repeat this process with the remaining batter. Once all the muffins are browned and arranged on the baking sheet, bake until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the muffins cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving.
breads
Here we go! Savory breads are the Mount Everest of vegan and gluten- free baking. They are the intimidating peak that sends brave bakers home shell-shocked, with crushed dreams and battered egos. Unlike with desserts, there’s no relying on frosting for cover. I didn’t even try to make a savory bread for my first eight years as a baker. I admit I was afraid. Eventually I locked myself in the kitchen and did battle.
When I emerged a year or so later, bruised and bewildered and with burns up and down my arms, I wore a large smile and bore many of the recipes found in the following pages.
Before we begin, though, let’s do some of the background stuff. Gluten, as you probably know by now, is the thing that gives bread its unmistakable bread-ness: the spongy, airy, and chewy texture. Without it, baking—and baking bread in particular—is extremely difficult. But in some ways I find this fact liberating. As a rule, I seriously hate rules. But if we were to remove bread’s most fundamental ingredient (gluten), and also its off-limits conspirator (egg), well, that just about entirely opens the field. I hope you find this exciting like I do. (Perhaps you are slightly less masochistic.)
rye bread CINNAMON-RAISIN BREAD brown bread
PUMPERNICKEL BREAD sandwich bread SALTY-SWEET SESAME BREAD
wrap bread FLAX MEAL BREAD spicy vegetable cornbread
CARROT BREAD sweet potato and sage pull-apart rolls SEEDED ROLLS
rye bread
For many years I confused this bread as being strictly for grandfathers who eat it toasted and dry with black coffee while reading the newspaper and looking grouchy. Then I moved to New York and thought of it as belonging exclusively to the pastrami sandwich. Now, having actually tasted it, I think it is for everything, on every occasion.
makes one 7 by 4 by 3-inch loaf
2 teaspoons melted unscented coconut oil, plus more for the pan
2¼ cups (508 GRAMS) warm water (about 100°F)
2 tablespoons (44 GRAMS) agave nectar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (100 GRAMS) gluten-free oat flour
½ cup (60 GRAMS) millet flour
¼ cup (30 GRAMS) teff flour
¾ cup (144 GRAMS) potato starch
½ cup (60 GRAMS) arrowroot
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tablespoons (16 GRAMS) caraway seeds
1½ teaspoons salt
Lightly grease a 7 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan with oil.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut oil, warm water, agave nectar, and yeast. Stir once and set aside until it bubbles, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, xanthan gum, caraway seeds, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir until it is the consistency of cake batter. If the dough is too thick, add additional warm water one splash at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, cover with a dish towel, and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes, and then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour before slicing.
cinnamon-raisin bread
I am on the record as one who dislikes cooked raisins. A fake poll reveals that I represent 41 percent of the population. My dad loves them, for example. But even I can admit that there are combinations that cannot be denied. This is one of them.
makes one 7 by 4 by 3-inch loaf
2 teaspoons (9 GRAMS) melted unscented coconut oil, plus more for the pan
2¼ cups (508 GRAMS) warm rice milk (about 100°F)
2 tablespoons (44 GRAMS) agave nectar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (100 GRAMS) gluten-free oat flour
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (114 GRAMS) brown rice flour
½ cup (60 GRAMS) arrowroot
1 cup (192 GRAMS) potato starch
2 tablespoons (28 GRAMS) vegan sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅔ cup (84 GRAMS) raisins
Lightly grease a 7 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan with oil.
In a small bowl, combine the warm rice milk, agave nectar, and yeast. Stir once and set aside to proof until it bubbles, about 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together
the flours, arrowroot, potato starch, sugar, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and raisins. Pour in the oil and the yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir until it is the consistency of cake batter. If the dough is too thick, add warm water one splash at a time. Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan, cover with a dish towel, and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes, and then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour before slicing.
brown bread
This will be easily mistaken for wheat bread. In fact, it so closely mimics a wheat bread that if you made it for an unsuspecting gluten-free friend who has never had it before, she or he would think twice before trying a slice for fear of all the presumed wheat. It remains one of my absolute favorite breads, but even in its splendor I still can’t make any sense of how it works exactly. That makes me love it even more.
makes one 7 by 4 by 3-inch loaf
1 tablespoon (14 GRAMS) melted unscented coconut oil, plus more for the pan
1½ cups (339 GRAMS) warm water (about 100°F)
3 tablespoons (42 GRAMS) vegan sugar
