Dark Chocolate Berry Swirl Bread
I've been a long time reader of Alexandra Stafford's blog. In fact, we probably cook from it at least once a week. So when her book, Bread Toast Crumbs came out last month, it arrived in my mailbox with not a minute to spare. I've been wanting to be the type of person who bakes my own bread for a while now but unfortunately this whole grad school thing was not allowing that to happen. This cookbook has showed me otherwise. The recipes are simple and fairly quick and make me wonder why it's taken me so long to make homemade bread on a weekly basis because fresh out of the oven it's just such a game changer.
This bread is adapted from one in her book and it teeters on the line of being borderline too decadent. Creamy chocolate ganache with bursting juicy berries swirled together in a barely sweetened loaf that's all too unassuming until you cut it open and BAM - what dreams are made of. My dreams, at least. And somehow it's dairy and egg free. I seriously don't know how that happened but it wasn't hard at all.
Of course you could go ahead and use whole milk in the dough and butter in the ganache, but I've replaced them both with coconut milk to keep that fat content and creaminess factor high. Honestly, you'd never know the difference, plus that subtle coconut smell as you're mixing up the ganache is quite intoxicating.
So maybe make this for your mother on Sunday, maybe make it for yourself and eat the whole thing in 24 hours, maybe bring it to brunch. Either way, food is love, and everyone will love you.
Makes 1 loaf
For the Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour (384 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup boiling water + 1/4 cup room temp water
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
a knob of vegan butter* for greasing the pan
For the Filling:
3.5 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
2 tablespooons powdered sugar
1 scant cup of berries (I used strawberries + raspberries)
Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk and water (both boiling & room temp). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry followed by the coconut oil. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything until it forms a cohesive dough. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough is rising make the ganache. Place the chocolate and coconut milk in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate begins to milk, then stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stirring until the chocolate has melted completely. Remove form heat and set aside to cool completely.
Grease a standard 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan generously with vegan butter. Once the dough has risen de-flat it with a fork and transfer it to a heavily floured work surface. With floured hands shape the dough into a ball (it should be very covered in flour at this point) and let sit for 20 minutes uncovered. Gentle shape the dough into a 10 x 15 inch rectangle (using either your hands or a rolling pin). Make sure you have plenty of flour underneath your rectangle so it doesn't stick to the surface. Spread the ganache all over the top of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin on all sides. Top with berries. Roll the bread from short end to short end into a thick 10 inch log, seam side down. Take a deep breath (you've got this!) and transfer it your buttered loaf pan.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, while you let the dough rise for about 10 minutes until it just begins to crown the rim of the pan. Cook the bread for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and firm. Remove from the pan and turn onto its side to cool (I let it rest on 1 side for 10 minutes then the other side for 10 minutes) before cutting into it!
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies {Gluten-free + Dairy-free}
These cookies smell and taste like a soft gooey version of girl scout's thin mints (without all the chemicals!). They're made with almond meal which makes them gluten-free and surprisingly loaded with protein. They're also dairy-free and made with coconut oil, which makes them sort of healthy, but still ridiculously delicious.
They're great right out of the oven but better the longer they sit. Topped with crunchy sea salt, they're crispy around the edges and soft and brownie-like in the center. I don't mess around when it comes to chocolate so I more than tripled the amount of chocolate chunks from the original recipe. Each cookie is filled with big puddles of chocolatey goodness. Also, they will make your house smell amazing!
Makes 18-20 cookies
1 1/4 cups (137 grams) almond meal
1/2 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (65 grams) brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (I used the frontier brand)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup (120 grams/6 oz) dark chocolate chunks
chunky sea salt for serving
In a small bowl combine the almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil (make sure it's melted but not hot as you don't want scrambled eggs!), peppermint extract, and vanilla extract.
Gentle whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Pour in the chocolate chunks and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate into the dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Note the dough can be made a day in advance.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, place the dough balls onto the parchment then flatten slightly. Cook for 7-10 minutes until fragrant. Sprinkle with chunky sea salt. Best served when cooled completely.
An Announcement + Chocolate Doughnuts with Real Strawberry Icing {vegan}
We're moving to Chicago!!!
I'm starting a doctoral Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology the end of August. I've wanted to do this for what feels like forever, at times the vulnerability of actually admitting it felt overwhelming, but it's been in the works for a very very long time. I get to specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and I hope to one day integrate my work in mindfulness + meditation into working with clients facing mental health challenges.
Aside from loving the program, we were really quite smitten with Chicago, a city neither of us had very high expectations for. The pulse of the city made me feel like I was back in New York, but with a fresh new mid-western perspective. Although reminiscent of it, Chicago doesn't try to be New York. It holds it's own and has a lot to offer. Also it has really good food, costs way less than LA, snows (I know we are crazy, but we miss snuggle/soup weather), and enables me to sell my car and hopefully rely solely on a bike (I've already got one all picked out!), all of which excite me to the point of elation.
I knew in my gut right after the interview this is where I'm supposed to be. I found out I was accepted just over a month ago, felt like the weight of the world had lifted, and have been riding the high ever since. I submitted my deposit and made it official a couple days ago and I am so so excited.
That being said, we have less than four months left in LA, which somehow feels daunting and exciting at the same time. It's an odd feeling to know that your current life has an expiration date. I've found myself both "checked out" and trying to savor these last months here. We made a bucket list of all the things we need to do before we leave, most of which just includes restaurants. But this I know for certain, my students will be the thing I miss most about my time here in LA. They fail to mention two things when you do a teacher training. 1. That you pretty much take a vow of poverty when you commit to a career as a yoga teacher. and 2. That you will absolutely come to love your students, they will inspire you, push you, and teach you more than you could ever know.
Also, my husband will most likely be sailing for the first year we're there, which means he'll be gone for weeks at a time. If you have the secret to making two careers work simultaneously, please let us in on it, because it's been rough. Ultimately it's going to be a good move that brings us both closer to the life we want, even though we have to take one step back in order to take two steps forward.
And although I'm totally terrified and excited, I think a lot of what being an adult is is constantly working to fill shoes larger than our own. I remember a couple years ago not even being able to admit to people that I secretly wanted to be a yoga teacher. It felt big, scary, and vulnerable, and when I first attempted teaching full-time I felt like I was awkwardly trying to "fake it until I made it" in shoes that were way too big for me. Flash forward a couple of years and those same shoes are snug and comfortable.
Then I started the whole application process, took the GRE, awkwardly asked for letters of recommendation, and poured my heart into my essays; I felt like I was once again awkwardly trying to fill those giant shoes. And starting classes this August, then working in the field through practicum and internships will probably feel the same. But I'm learning to be okay with it. To accept that the awkward, unsure, "fake it till you make it" phase is a part of growth. It's a sign that you're moving into a new level of power. And I think patience is the greatest thing we can offer ourselves as we stumble to figure it out, because those shoes that felt enormous, we'll eventually grow right into.
I think ultimately Brené Brown says it better than I ever could:
“The bottom line is, if you’re going to go into the arena, you’re going to get your butt kicked. But as scary and dangerous as that sounds, I don’t think it’s as scary and dangerous as spending your entire life on the outside wondering what if I would had shown up. To me that’s far more dangerous. And I know it’s seductive to stand outside the arena, and think to myself ‘I’m going to go in there and kick some ass when I’m bullet proof and when I’m perfect.’ And that is seductive. But the truth is, that never happens. And even if you got as perfect as you could, and as bullet proof as you could muster, when you got in there that’s not what we want to see. We want you to go in and we want for ourselves and for the people we care about and the people we work with to dare greatly”
So I made doughnuts to celebrate moving to the city that makes the best dang doughnuts I've ever had. They are simple, baked, and vegan and they have a strawberry coconut glaze made with real strawberries, because duh, it's April, so why not?
Oh and if you're wondering I still have every intention to keep this little space on the internet while in school, because honestly there are few places I'd rather escape to than in my own kitchen. I'm hoping this new city will only channel a greater sense of foodspiration. So now I'd love to hear from you. Have you been to Chicago? Maybe you're from there or have family there? Where should we live? What should we do? Where should we eat? Seriously give me everything you've got!
Chocolate Doughnuts with Real Strawberry Icing {vegan}
makes 18 doughnuts
For the doughnuts:
2 cups bread flour (see notes)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 can full-fat coconut milk minus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons lemon juice (~1 lemon)
2 flax eggs (1/4 cup water + 2 tablespoons flax seed meal + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder ) OR chicken eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1/4 cup (1.5 oz) chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the icing:
1/2 pound strawberries (~1 heaping cup), quartered
1 teaspoon coconut oil
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon canned coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small prep bowl, prepare the flax eggs by combining water with flax seed meal and let sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients. In a medium bowl combine coconut milk with lemon juice and let sit. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Warm the coconut oil until melted and very warm. Stir the chocolate chips and instant coffee into the hot coconut oil until the chocolate melts and the mixture is cohesive. Add baking powder to the flax eggs and stir. Combine coconut oil mixture, coconut milk, flax eggs and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until completely combined.
Spray your doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray (I used Trader Joe's Coconut Oil Spray) and scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each doughnut mold. I used a cookie dough scoop to do this. Cook each batch of doughnuts for 14-17 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes then invert the pan over a cooling rack. They should come out pretty easily.
While your doughnuts are cooking, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, cook strawberries, salt, and coconut oil for about 5 minutes over medium/low heat until strawberries have softened and their juices have thickened. Blend strawberries, coconut milk, and powdered sugar in the a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
After doughnuts have cooled completely, dip each doughnut into the icing and serve.
Notes:
Here's the thing with the bread flour. I tried this recipe with a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour the first time around and the resulting doughnuts were light and fluffy like sheet cake. The problem was they were so light and fluffy you could barely pick them up, let alone dip them in icing, without them completely falling apart. They hold together much better with bread flour and also taste much closer to traditional fried cake-style doughnuts.