by : Reiko Bread, Leaf Vegetabes, Root vegetable, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Toast Sticks
アボカドトーストスティック

Always love avocado toast.

But when I visited The Lynhall and had their beautiful open brioche sandwich, I was so inspired to make my avocado toast pretty and colorful!

I happened to have beautiful fruit and veggies already in my house, and all I needed to do was to gather them.

I used my homemade 1/3 whole wheat bread.

Aren’t these pretty?

The two on the left are a veggie version, and the two on the right are a fruit version.

The sticks were so good that I decided to make one more toast with everything on top!

Absolutely delicious!

When you make something like this you realize that food can be pretty and tasty at the same time.

And in this case you really feel the power and the beauty of plant-based food.

Avocado Toast Sticks

2 whole wheat bread toasted, cut into thick sticks
1~2 avocado sliced
salt
-veggie version: I used lightly pickled carrot and radish, pickled rhubarb, Renkon lotus slices (braised in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar), “Asian Greens” from Fresh Thyme, dill, and chive.
-fruit version: I used Angel white apricot, cherries, strawberries, grapes, mint, and “Asian Greens” from Fresh Thyme.

1. Place avocado slices on toasts. Sprinkle salt.
2. Place veggies and fruit on top.

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Steamed Black Muffins
黒んぼ蒸しパン

I know not everyone feels the same way, but personally black food is appealing to me.

Remember the Black Curry?

I like making steamed muffins for breakfast, and this time I decided to make a black sesame version.

Japanese Satsuma sweet potato cubes and additional black sesame seeds were placed on top.

I was so excited when I opened the lid of my steamer.

The beautiful black color was absolutely beautiful!

These are perfect for breakfast or a snack.

I really enjoyed them with a cup of milk tea.

Steamed Black Muffins makes about 10 muffins

100g black sesame seeds
200cc (plus some more if needed) soy milk
2.5 tablespoons sugar
200g all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup cooked Japanese Satsuma sweet potato cubes
black sesame seeds

1. Combine black sesame seeds, soy milk, and sugar. Puree the sesame until smooth using a hand blender.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Add the sesame mixture and coconut oil. Mix until combined. Add more soy milk if the batter is too thick.
3. Pour the batter into muffin cups. Place sweet potato cubes and sesame seeds on top.
4. Steam for about 12 minutes or until cooked through.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Bread, Vegan, Vegetarian

1/3 Whole Wheat Bread
３分の１全粒粉ブレッド

It’s good that we can make good food at home, but it takes away the fun of shopping.

Terry and I like our homemade bread so much that now we hardly ever go bread shopping.

It’s the same thing with coffee as well.

Now as Terry makes such great cold brew which we both agree is the best coffee ever, it has significantly reduced the number of our visits to a coffee shop.

This type of crusty bread is one of the regulars at our house.

These are something I call 1/3 whole wheat bread because one third of the flour in this bread is whole wheat flour (the rest of 2/3 is all purpose flour).

It’s such a great bread to enjoy everyday.

This is a cinnamon walnut dry cranberry version, and it’s delicious as well.

Since there is no preservative in this bread, as soon as it’s cool I slice, bag, and put it in the freezer, which I believe is the best way to keep its freshness.

1/3 Whole Wheat Breadadapted from the Boule recipe in “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day” – makes 2 loaves like the ones in the pictures

1.5 cup water, warm
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2/3 tablespoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ~ 1 and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
cinnamon
1/2~1 cup walnut
1/2 cup dry cranberries

1. Put warm water in a large container.
2. Add yeast, salt, and mix well.
3. Add flour and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Cover with a lid (not airtight) and let it rise in a container until it’s double in size, for about two hours.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Form two balls. For the cinnamon walnut cranberry version, roll the dough, sprinkle cinnamon, walnuts, and dry cranberries. Roll it in and form a ball. Let them rise for 40 minutes.
7. Preheat oven with a pizza stone and a broiler pan inside to 450 F twenty minutes before baking.
8. Slash a line in the middle of the top with a sharp knife. Put a cup of hot water into the broiler pan.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.

by : Reiko Bread, Dessert

Maple Bread Sticks
メープル揚げパン

Who likes a snack that is quickly made and delicious!

I had some crust from making the sandwich from my previous post, and that got me thinking “hmmm, what can I do with these?”

Then I thought of these.

Maple sugar and bourbon maple syrup made by Terry’s cousin, Brandon.

Fried bread sticks were coated with maple sugar.

They were SO GOOD!

But they were even better when dipped in the bourbon maple syrup.

Maple Fried Bread Sticks

12 bread crust sticks
canola oil, for frying
1/2 cup maple sugar
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup bourbon maple syrup

1. Deep fry bread sticks for a few minutes until browned.
2. Coat the sticks with maple sugar. Sprinkle salt.
3. Serve with bourbon maple syrup.

Happy and safe Fourth of July everyone!

by : Reiko Bread

Artisan Whole Wheat Bread
全粒粉ハード系ブレッド

I like different types of bread, but this artisan bread is one of my basics that I always go back to.

I probably make some type of this bread at least once every few weeks.

This one has some whole wheat flour in addition to all-purpose flour.

I like to use whole wheat flour in my bread, but I’m still cautious with how much I use because if I put too much, it certainly affects the texture of the final product.

At this point I’m comfortable with the current ratio of 1:2.

I enjoyed slices with butter and this rhubarb and apple rhubarb jam.

So good!

The colors are beautiful too.

We moved to our condo about three years ago.

We bought most of the furniture for the new space, but I brought old baskets and storage boxes and used them with our new furniture.

Recently I had time to look closely at my storage situation, and I decided to get new storage containers that would fit the furniture better.

So I decided to get these four baskets and four jute bags for our buffet.

This is how it looks now, and I like it.

Now things are more organized and easy to find.