The TBACS! (tempeh-bacon,avocado,cheddar,sauerkraut)

Any acronym variation is fine for this latest sandwich creation. Sara was talking about how she was craving a tempeh “bacon” and avocado sandwich and she made it happen.  Of course, you can add lettuce and tomato to bring it closer to the traditional BLT standard, but standard is boring. ~s*

It’s like a BLT and a reuben fell in love and went veggie. Totally crave-worthy. ~scr

Ingredients

• Sliced bread (we used spelt, but whatever you like will be just dandy: rye, sourdough, gluten-free, maybe even a bagel!)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
• one package tempeh
• olive oil
• tamari
• sauerkraut

How To

1. Slice the tempeh thinly (the short way) and place into a frying/cast iron pan with olive oil and a tablespoon or two of tamari. Over medium-high heat, cook one side until brown and crispy, then flip and repeat on the other side.
2. Meanwhile, cover each bread piece with a thin slice of cheddar, then place in the oven or a toaster oven (oven at around 250F). Once the cheese begins to melt and the bread gets a tiny bit toasted, remove from the oven.
3. Layer tempeh, avocado, and sauerkraut on one piece of bread, then top with another toasted slice.
4. Enjoy with a large black cat on your lap (or not).

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Spaghetti Squash with Garlic- & Onion-free Salsa Fresca

I’ve never been a big fan of jarred salsa. I find them either too sweet or too chunky or too tomato-y or too boring. Perhaps this is a leftover effect of being spoiled by the best Mexican food in the world while living in Southern California in my late teens. When I go out for Mexican, I always gravitate toward the pico de gallo, because it’s fresh and the flavors are so simple. Of course, now that all salsas have been rendered inedible to me, I’ve had salsa on the brain. (And I’m no salsa maker—despite the time I spent in Santa Barbara, I never actually learned how to cook or prepare any Mexican food. At 19 I was perfectly happy to merely consume it.) Lucky for me, I grabbed two tomatillos at the farmer’s market last weekend, and a few of the last tomatoes of the season. I had visions of salsa dancing in my head as I walked home. The question I was asking myself was: How do I replicate that crunchy, spicy goodness I so adore? 

I found the answer in my crisper drawer, where several daikon radishes from the farm share were hiding out. They have the perfect crunch and bite to stand in for onion. As for heat, I rummaged up a tiny jalapeno. A little salt, a little lemon (the closest I had to a lime) and I was good to go. Bonus points if you throw in fresh cilantro.

As for the spaghetti squash, it’s a quick and easy and not-so-starchy squash with flesh that, once baked, shreds into a “noodle” like consistency. It’s good plain or with a dollop of olive oil, but the Salsa Fresca is a perfect pairing. ~scr

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash

Salsa Fresca

• 1½ tomatoes, chopped (with some or most of the seeds removed)
• 1 tomatillo, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped daikon radish (or red radishes if daikon isn’t available)
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped (or more or less, depending on what level of heat you want)
• salt
• juice of ¼ lemon or lime
• cilantro, chopped (optional)

How to

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Split the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and clean out the seeds. Place flesh side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, checking the progress halfway through.
3. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salsa and stir well. I don’t chop my vegetables very finely, but if you prefer a smoother salsa, go smaller.
4. When the spaghetti squash is finished, remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Gently scrape the flesh from the skin into a bowl. Drain out any excess moisture, if necessary. Top with the Salsa Fresca and serve immediately.
   

   

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Vegan Zucchini Bread & Dairy-Free Zucchini Cornbread

***This is an old post that I’m relocating from Life More Lived.***

August 2010

We are drowning in zucchini here, and there are only so many  you can give away or throw on the grill. Barring a stop-action movie featuring bikini clad zucchinis, what in the world else am I going to do with the fruit of the industrious zucchini plant? Last night I set out to bake some stuff. Baking isn’t really my forte, though I’m not terrible at it; I think that, ultimately, I’m just too much of an experimenter to be very good at following exact recipes. Apparently, zucchini brings out the best in me!

First came the shredding:

All I have to say is Thank goddess for the food processor!

Next came Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread. I am always on the lookout for easy, yummy vegan baked goods that don’t call for egg replacer or other weird things I would never have in my house. This definitely fits the bill:

Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What To Do:

• First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.
• Next, in a large bowl, mix  the mashed bananas with the oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; stir into the banana mixture.
• Divide batter into prepared pans.
• Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.

While that started baking, I threw together a Dairy-free Zucchini Cornbread, because, well, why not? I love cornbread, and I’ve got plenty of zucchini! Also, most cornbreads call for butter and buttermilk. Being the dairy-free girl that I am, buttermilk causes all sorts of vile, volcanic eruptions in my tummy. There are some good d-f cornbread recipes out there, this is definitely one of them.

Dairy-Free Zucchini Cornbread

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup almond milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to curdle
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp earth balance, melted
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, with extra moisture squeezed out

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together almond milk, egg, egg white, molasses and melted earth balance until smooth.
• Combine both mixtures. Stir until just combined, add the zucchini and stir to evenly distribute.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the bread is springy but not hard.

Around the World Tacos

These tacos will turn everything you thought tacos should be on its head.

We all know the standard taco: tortilla, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and salsa. Pretty boring if you ask this lady. (But if you ask Sasha, she’ll disagree with me. It’s one of the many things we don’t agree on. Along with the importance of making the bed and the proper temperature of a cup of coffee.) Not that I haven’t eaten my fair share of tacos.

And now that I’m more limited in my food choices, I’ve got to put a little more thought into what happens in my kitchen. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s really making me examine what tastes good together and it’s also pushing me outside of my “normal” food choices. In this vein, corn tortillas entered the house last weekend. We occasionally buy corn tortillas, eat approximately 3 of them, and then they go terribly stale, waiting pathetically in the fridge for a second use—which is usually me relenting and slathering them with olive oil and baking them to make “healthy” tortilla chips.

Not so this week. Corn tortillas made a star appearance tonight in tacos that span the globe—Mexico (tortillas, cumin) meets Asia (tofu, ginger, and soy sauce), with a pit stop in Japan (daikon) and the Middle East (tahini!). And let’s not forget the Sara touch (kale, of course).~scr

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Sara wanted me to write something, as I have been noticeably absent from the last few posts. I can sum up my sentiments about this taco creation in three words: I WANT MORE. Or DAMN THAT’S GOOD. Or how about, WHAT A TACO! Now we’re at nine words. ~s*

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas (taco size)
• 1 block extra firm tofu, drained
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2-3 tbsp shoyu/tamari/soy sauce
• 1 tsp ginger juice
• 1 bunch kale, washed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 daikon radishes, cubed (use regular radishes if daikon isn’t available)
• jasmine rice (optional)

Tahini Sauce

• 3-4 tbsp tahini
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• juice of ¼ lemon
• paprika
• salt
• olive oil

How to

1. Cook the rice. We use a rice maker because we have a glass top stove that is impossible to clean when the water boils over. If you do it on the stove, use the 1:2 rice:water ratio, and don’t overcook it. It’s best for the rice to have some texture in this dish.
2. In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat over medium-high the coconut oil, shoyu or tamari, and ginger juice. Crumble in the tofu, stir, and cover. When you start to hear some noise, remove the cover and stir. Keep stirring every couple of minutes until the tofu is evenly browned (maybe 10 minutes total). You may have to scrape the pan occasionally.
3. In a large pan, place the kale, a drizzle of olive oil, and the cumin. Heat over medium until cooked—I like it wilted but not soggy, so that’s about 4-5 minutes.
4. Turn the oven on its lowest setting and place however many tortillas you’re going to want inside to warm.
5. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the tahini sauce and whisk well. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
6. Place the tortillas on a plate and fill with the tofu, rice, kale, and daikon. Top with lots of yummy tahini sauce.

♡

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The Road to Success is Paved with Many Blueberries (A Bread Recipe)

I haven’t baked with spelt flour in a long time, not since I was a novice baker and churned out many a hockey-puck style muffin and dry-as-toast scone. I gave up spelt for whole wheat and all purpose flour, and my baking skills improved (of course, this was probably just time and practice), and while I am still no pro baker, my skill set has increased, and I have a far greater understanding of the science that goes into delicious baked treats.

Since I was just diagnosed with wheat, egg, and milk allergies, I’ve been thinking a lot about baked goods—mainly that unless I learn to make some of my own, I’ll never eat any again. Veganizing baked recipes can be somewhat tricky, but for basics like milk, butter, and (sometimes) eggs, I’ve mostly got a good handle on it. Dealing with with non-wheat flours (spelt is not gluten-free, just FYI, and gluten-free baking is a whole different ball game, which someday I may attempt, but today is not that day), however, gave me fearful flashbacks to my tiny studio apartment kitchen, choking down lumpy, dry, or just plain tasteless “things” fresh from the oven. But I’m older and wiser now, and I still f*ck things up in the kitchen, which just goes to show it’s a long learning curve and that if you want to learn you’ve got to be willing to make mistakes; all this is to say, I decided I was just going to try. No expectations for my first creation.

I also realized that replacing eggs was going to be a little harder than I previously thought for certain things. My old standby for eggs has always been banana, but then you have the banana taste to contend with. I’ve made a few attempts with silken tofu as an egg replacer, and while it’s worked out fine, I already eat a lot of soy, and  I rarely, if ever, have silken tofu on hand. I’ve tried ground flax seeds mixed with water, but the taste/texture of the end result doesn’t appeal to me. Lots of vegan recipes use Ener-G egg replacer, but given the long, and unpronounceable, ingredient list, I think I’ll stay away. What else is there? Well, there are chia seeds. I was on a raw food website when I discovered that 1/4 cup “chia gel” replaces one egg. Chia gel? Well, apparently, you add the tiny seeds to water and they very quickly produce a thick clear gel. Chia is high in omega-3s, and is all natural, relatively inexpensive, and can be used in smoothies, soups, and a few other things. So I figured, Why not?

I chose a sweet bread recipe, because sweet breads are something I’m very comfortable making. With the exception of muffins, I find sweet bread to be the easiest baked good out there. Quick survey of ingredients in the house led me to Jeanne Lemlin’s “Blueberry Almond Bread” in Simple Vegetarian Pleasures. While not always simple, I’ve never gone wrong with one her recipes.

And, even veganized and allergy-friendly, this bread is a knock out. Rich, buttery taste, moist, almost decadent. I made one tiny misstep—and that is, I went a little crazy with the blueberries (and really, is that such a problem?). The result of this was so many blueberries in the middle of the bread that I couldn’t get it out of the pan without it pulling apart. Not that the somewhat messy look stopped us. We scraped the bottom of the bread pan with spoons, and then ate the entire bread in one day. ~scr

Ingredients

• 1½ cups whole spelt flour
• ¼ cup oats
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 6 tbsp coconut oil (at semi-solid state)
• ⅓ cup agave nectar (we use Amber because we like the richer flavor)
• ½ cup chia gel**
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup soy or almond milk
• scant 1 cup frozen blueberries (not 1¼ cup, as I did)

How to

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk well to mix evenly.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the coconut oil with the agave for 2-3 minutes, until “light and fluffy”. Add the chia gel and the vanilla and almond and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until well incorporated, with no lumps.
4. Add ⅓ of the dry mix and ⅓ of the milk to the wet ingredients, mix gently, then repeat in two more batches until everything is mixed.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 55 minutes or until the center is firm but not hard when pressed gently.
7. Cool for 15 minutes, then slide a butter knife around the edges and carefully turn the bread out onto a plate or serving dish.

**To make chia gel: Combine ⅓ cup chia seeds with 2 cups water. Shake well and let sit for a few minutes. No need to strain the seeds out of the gel—they’ll disintegrate into the baked good and you’ll never know they were there. Store extra gel in the refrigerator for up to one week.

♡

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Vegan “Tuna” Salad from Gluten-Free Goddess

This post is about following instructions—something I almost never do when it comes to recipes. But I found this Almond spread/Vegan “Tuna” Salad on Gluten-Free Goddess and I was immediately intrigued. I wanted to make it exactly as she did, because it looks so *damn* good. I even went out and bought celery, thank you very much.

This post is also about making one very special lady of mine happy. You see, the one thing she misses about being vegetarian…get ready for it…is tuna fish sandwiches. Yes, seriously. The woman misses canned tuna mixed with mayo and celery (and maybe pickles) spread on toast. There are several veggie versions of tuna out there using tofu, but we’ve never encountered one that inspires us. Until now. Now I can happily provide my veggie bébé with her long-lost “tuna”. ~scr

(By the way, just so there’s no confusion, this recipe is swiped from Gluten-Free Goddess. The credit is all hers. And even though I’ve got ingredients and (slightly rewritten) steps here, go check out her site, because the pictures are marvelous, and she has about a zillion other delicious recipes to browse through.)

Ingredients

• Soaked almonds (1 cup raw almonds + pinch of salt, soaked in cold water for about 10-12 hours, then rinsed)
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk, or pickle juice
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Cashew Cream or vegan mayo, as needed (I used 3 heaped tsp Nayonnaise)
• Pinch of sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• Fresh minced herbs: dill, parsley (or paprika**)
• Dab of raw organic agave, to taste

How to

1. Place the soaked almonds in a food processor. Cover and pulse a few seconds until broken up but not too small. Add the liquids, agave, and salt and pepper (out of order from the original recipe, but that’s okay), and pulse again.
2. Add the cream or mayo. Pulse again for a few minutes, until you get a texture you like—but not too smooth.
3. Taste test for texture. Add more anything.
4. Season with fresh herbs. **Here’s where I erred just a tiny bit, readers (old habits die hard): lacking fresh herbs, I used 1 tsp paprika. It was a good choice.**

Serve with crackers, on bread, over salad, with pickles, or straight out of the bowl with a spoon. Enjoy!

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Iron Lady Skillet with Tofu and Bok Choy

A few weeks ago, I had about a gazillion vials of blood taken after visiting the doctor in my quest to discover a reason for my chronic digestive problems. One of the things that came back was that I’m anemic, which has been the case off and on for most of my life (usually related to how badly my digestive tract is behaving—seems that the worse my stomach feels, the less likely I am to be absorbing any iron). I’m not crazy about iron supplements, as they tend to cause even more stomach problems, which puts me in a bit of a bind (the one exception to this is Isotonix Multivitamin, which is powdered and goes down pretty easily, unless I’m having an acute attack).

I consulted with Courtney, and did some research on the Internet, and since we didn’t have any blackstrap molasses in the house, I decided to whip up this easy dinner that steams itself to deliciousness. Bok choy and tofu are both pretty good sources of non-heme iron for the veggie set and since both were in my fridge, it seemed like a good place to start  (make sure you drink the broth to catch some of the iron from the bok choy). Our taste buds were pleasantly surprised by this simple, warm dish.  ~scr

Ingredients

• 1 block firm tofu, sliced
• 2 heads baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3 harukei turnips, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• marjoram
• bay leaves
• two pieces laver
• salt

How to

1. In a cast iron skillet, drizzle a little olive oil, then place the tofu along the bottom of the pan, overlapping as little as possible. Cover with 1 cup water, the soy sauce, a sprinkle of marjoram and crushed bay leaves (or whatever herbs you choose), and turn the heat to high. Let simmer, covered, while you prep the veggies.
2. Add the turnips, red pepper, and laver. Turn the heat down just a little, replace the cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Then, add the bok choy and a tiny sprinkle of salt (I mean tiny, because the soy sauce and laver are already salty), recover and let cook/steam for about 10 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat. Remove the cover and “slice” the contents of the skillet, just like you would a pie (you’d be amazed at what the tofu has done under there). Scoop out the slices, then pour over some broth, and serve as is. If you really want to up the iron ante, top with tahini or lima beans.

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Fall Farm Pasta

What I really wanted for dinner last night was takeout. Pad thai, a veggie burger, taquitos, it didn’t really matter what, I just didn’t feel like cooking. Of course, Sasha and I don’t eat out all that often, and with that song “You can’t always get what you want…” playing in my head, I ceded to the notion that we had plenty of food in the house (following a really exciting farmshare pick up that included broccoli and leeks) and there was no need to go spend any money or waste any take-out containers. Thus, this simple veggie pasta was made. The nutritional yeast gives the pasta a nice golden hue, and the flavors are really wonderful, despite not using any spices. Easy weeknight dinner at its best. ~scr

Ingredients

• 1 smallish eggplant, cubed
• 1 head broccoli, cut into pieces
• 1 quart green beans, broken into 4-inch pieces
• 1 leek, white and some green, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 pound linguini (or noodle of your choice)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp capers
• olive oil
• salt

How to

1. Combine the eggplant and broccoli in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Shake or mix well to coat everything. Place on a baking sheet and roast in a 350F oven for about 1/2 hour, turning halfway through. (The eggplant may take a little longer than the broccoli, so remove the broccoli to a bowl and return the eggplant to the oven.)
2. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
3. Steam the green beans and leeks for about 5 minutes (the beans should be bright green and soft, but not mushy). You can do this in a separate pan, or by setting the steamer over the pasta while it’s cooking. Set aside when done.
4. Drain the pasta. Before returning it to the pan, add about 4 tbsp olive oil to the warm pan and pour in the nutritional yeast (the burner should be off). Mix together until you get a creamy consistency (you can add more olive oil if necessary). Add the pasta to this sauce and mix well to coat. Stir in veggies and capers. Add a little salt if desired.

Voila! Enjoy all by itself and give yourself a pat on the back for avoiding take-out.

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Herby Butternut Squash Soup

Nothing says that fall is coming like a hearty bowl of butternut squash soup. It’s like your favorite warm, cozy orange sweater, except this won’t leave lint in your mouth. Bon appétit! ~s*

One of my favorite things about fall and winter is soup. Butternut soup especially. There are lots of different ways to prepare it, but this one is my favorite: the natural sweetness of the butternut comes out, but is tempered with the savory herbs. If you’re going to be dealing with the whole butternut, make sure you’ve got some good sharp knives in hand, and wield them carefully. ~scr

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 5 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1-2 bouillon cubes (optional, if you’re not using vegetable broth and you want a little extra flavor—Rapunzel brand is our mainstay, but it isn’t GF)
• 3-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• 3 sages leaves, chopped
• 1 bundle of sage leaves, tied together if necessary to facilitate easy removal
• several fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp olive oil (or all olive oil if you want vegan)
• salt

How to

In a large soup pot, combine garlic, onions, and butternut with the spices and butter/olive oil. Heat over medium for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything becomes fragrant and coated with the oil.

Add the water or broth, and/or bouillon. Turn the heat up to high and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium again, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the squash is soft.

Remove the bundle of sage leaves. All the soup to cool a little bit, then transfer to a blender or food processor (be careful not to add much of the liquid if you go this route) and puree in batches. (Or if you have one, use an immersion blender and eliminate the transfer.) Return the soup to the pot, stirring well, and reheat to desired temperature.

Serve warm, with salad and bread.

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Simple White Bread

Oskar licks his chops in anticipation of carb-goodness.

Before we go any further with this post, I want you all to know that I am a bread-making newbie. This is only my second attempt at producing a loaf of bread in-house. (The first was a rosemary-olive oil loaf that, while good, wasn’t blog-worthy.) I’ve always shied away from learning this skill because it seems so time-consuming. And while it does take some time (and some learning), it’s also pretty fun, and for the most part, the time is spent letting the bread do its thing under cover, so you’re free to roam about the house and do laundry and read blogs.

I picked this recipe because a) it seemed simple enough, and b) I had all the ingredients on hand. It’s possible (though I haven’t tried, so I don’t know for sure) that you could veganize this by substituting olive oil or earth balance or coconut oil for the butter, and if you’re anti-sugar, perhaps honey or agave or stevia would work in its place. I may experiment with that in the future, provided my allergy tests don’t come back saying I can’t eat wheat anymore.

If you’re a bread-making newbie too, this is a great place to start. The dough comes together pretty easily, and doesn’t need quite as much kneading as some other bread recipes I’ve seen. I found the recipe on Slashfood, but it is originally from Baking with Julia (and I halved it, because I wasn’t sure my skills would be up to par, and I didn’t want two bad loaves on my hands).

In hindsight, I should have made two loaves, because this magnificent beauty has barely lasted a day…

A little imperfection never tasted so good...

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups  warm water
• 1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• ½ tbsp sugar
• 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• big pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp melted butter

1. Combine ¼ cup of the water with the yeast and sugar in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining water, 2 ½ cups of flour and the salt to the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon (you can use a food processor or stand-up mixer instead, as I did), adding the remaining 1 cup of flour a few tablespoons at a time (I used about 3/4 cup of it) until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl without too much mess (a few minutes). Mix/knead in butter until dough is smooth and not sticky (a few more minutes).
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading for an additional minute or two. The dough will feel light, but it shouldn’t be too sticky.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. Butter/oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
6. Gently punch down the dough, remove it from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out (not too thin!), fold in two parallel sides and then roll the dough up the way you would a burrito. It should be roughly the size (length and width) of the loaf pan. Pinch the seam closed and then place the loaf seam side down in the pan.
7. Cover the loaf pan lightly with oiled plastic wrap (or use the dish towel again) and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes. The dough will rise above the top of the pan.
8. Preheat oven to 375F.
9. Place the loaf in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
10. When finished the loaf will be golden and will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom (slide the loaf out to check, and if it needs more time, gently place it back in the pan and bake until done, checking every few minutes, because you don’t want it to burn!).
11. Remove the bread from the pan immediately and let cool before slicing. The original recipe says to let it cool for 2-3 hours, but I dare you to wait that long.

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