Breads are one of my greatest loves, and I don't mean just consumption, I truly enjoy shaping and baking bread, which is very visible both on my blog and social media. There is something wonderfully therapeutic in working with bread dough, and I highly recommend it to everyone, because I believe that everyone should know how to bake at least one type of bread they love.
This lovely little loaf is excellent for savoury spreads of all kinds, as well as hearty stews. Honestly, it works well with jams, as well, but not so much with chocolate-based spreads, take my word for it. However, it really does have that gorgeous wow effect once sliced, and it does bring an additional layer of happiness to a meal.
Keep in mind that if you don't enjoy swirl breads, you can either add all the flour directly into the bowl and create a simple loaf that will still bake up the same, or simply arrange the dough pieces as you like. Whatever your vision is, do follow it, and I am absolutely certain that the result will be equally beautiful and delicious.
Ingredients
100 grams vegan Greek-style yoghurt, cold100 millilitres hot water
35 millilitres neutral oil
40 grams fresh yeast
20 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
350 grams plain flour
30 grams pumpkin flour
20 grams crushed pumpkin seed, optional
Preparation
Take a medium bowl, pour the boiling hot water over the cold soy yoghurt, add in the sugar and crumbled fresh yeast, mix well, and let it stand for about 10 minutes, so the yeast can dissolve. When the yeast is ready, add in the oil and mix well. Sift in half of the flour and the salt, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Sift in the rest of the flour, and proceed to knead with your hands, either in the bowl or on the work surface, for about 3 minutes more, until the dough starts to come together.
It is fine if the dough feels sticky at this point.
Divide the dough roughly in half, transfer one half to a separate bowl, and add in the pumpkin flour. Knead it through very well, adding a teaspoon or two of warm water if necessary. Pumpkin seed flour will give a bit of fat to the loaf, since pumpkin seed is naturally higher in fat, so you might not need the additional water. Knead the other half of the dough until supple and elastic, and place the dough pieces into a large bowl, cover it, and let it rest and rise for about an hour.
Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and briefly knead it, adding just a bit of flour more, only if necessary. Roll both pieces to about 10 millimetres in thickness. Stack them together and roll them up as you would a Swiss roll. Gently dampen the edge with some cold water, so the rolls hold together, and place it into a small loaf tin (10x20 cm) lined with baking parchment. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
Let the oven preheat to 200°C. Generously mist the risen dough with cold water, sprinkle it with pumpkin seeds if using, and bake it in a preheated oven, at 200°C, for about 25-30 minutes, until baked through and nicely browned. Let it cool down to room temperature, and serve. Yields one small loaf.
Author's note: If you wish, you can brush the loaf with a bit of melted vegan butter or some neutral oil as soon as you take it out of the oven, for a beautifully soft crust.
