My Zoetrope: whole grain baking

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Blog Tour! Whole Grain Vegan Baking Book

Blog tour time! Today, I'm gonna talk about my huge love for Whole Grain Vegan Baking. Yesterday you heard from Mihl and tomorrow you will here from Jess! Check out the full schedule for Celine and Tami's blog tour here.

So, it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Celine and Tami's recipes. I've been recipe testing for them for awhile now, years even, and their latest book to come out, Whole Grain Vegan Baking, is up there on my all-time-favorites list of cookbooks, like ever. I've made a lot of the recipes from this book, during the testing stage, and still after. There was a lot to learn from this book and it definitely gave me some major love for whole grains that I did NOT have before. I learned that Spelt flour is the best ever AND I WANNA PUT IT IN EVERYTHING. I have a newfound love affair with Barley flour, and I never ever would have known that. I learned that I do not like Amaranth flour (to each their own!) Most importantly, I learned that whole grains taste waaaay better than plain white flour once you have a good, balanced recipe to work from (we've all tried to make "healthy" cookies or something that turned out tasteless and bleh before yeah?) There is a certain depth in the flavor of whole grain baked goods that I have come to appreciate and even prefer over the standard white flour varieties. Win!

I have lots of favorites from this book, including the pizza crust, the pitas, the kale quiche, the wild mushroom & arugula pie, Speculoos DOUGHNUTS, sweet potato waffles, coconut-spice granola, the english muffin bread, Pull-apart Cinnamon Bread, and so so many more. Seriously, there is something for everyone in here.

Anyways, for this stop on their blog tour, I wanted to devote this post to your sweet tooth. Because, mmm sweet tooth. I was on kind of a no-sugar kick for the last few months leading up to my wedding, and what better way to break that restriction on myself with some tasty (healthy-ish) sweets!

*****************************************************

CONTEST TIME!

Also, CONTEST! Weee! Celine, Tami, and their publisher have graciously offered up one copy of Whole Grain Vegan Baking to a lucky reader here.

*EDIT: Winner has been chosen, thank you! Congrats to Becca!

To enter: Leave me a comment, by Monday at Midnight EST, telling me a bad experience you have had with whole grain baking. Let's let it all out, therapy-style, and then never think about it again, because you are going to make so many delicious whole grain recipes when you get this book!
*Don't forget to leave your email address!
*Unfortunately, this contest is only open to those in the U.S. and Canada (I'm sorry...) The publisher will ship it straight to the winner

I will pick a winner on Tuesday, via Random.org. Good luck!

*****************************************************

Speculoos Doughnuts!

Sweet Potato Waffles!

Whole and Oats Cookies. (hehehe)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Whole Grain Baking

English Muffin Bread

You guys, I can't wait for this book to come out. Celine and Tami are making an amaaazing book on whole grain baking, and I've been lucky enough to be a recipe tester for them. I thought I would show you a sampling of some of the things that I have been baking thus far (and make you drool a little.) Seriously, these ladies have changed how I have viewed whole grain baking. I've discovered that I LOVE spelt flour, and that it might be my favorite flour (what, you don't have a favorite flour?), and that barley flour is pretty awesome too. In most of these recipes, you wouldn't be able to tell that this was "healthy" baking (and sometimes I don't tell Nik and he doesn't even notice!) I really can't rave enough about these recipes, and can't wait for the actual book to come out. There is a nice balance of sweet and savory too, so I've been making things for dinner and for breakfast/sweets time.