Holidays and get-togethers can be tough for those with food allergies, sensitivities or dietary restrictions. As vegans, Ashley Wittig and Kevin MacAllister understand firsthand the importance of feeling included at the table. They started Bunner’s Bake Shop together, doing a brisk business at farmers’ markets selling their goods to people with a range of food allergies. They realized quickly that they were filling a niche for gluten-, egg-, dairy-, nut- and soy-free baked goods, and in 2010 moved into a brick and mortar store in The Junction neighbourhood in Toronto’s west-end.
In their first cookbook, Bunner’s: Simple & Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Treats (HarperCollins Canada, 2014), Wittig and MacAllister share the recipes that have made their bakery such a success; recipes for traditional baked goods made with non-traditional ingredients such as garbanzo and fava flour, and the binder and thickener xanthan gum. Recipes for Bunner’s favourites such as Cinnamon Buns (recipe below) and Vegan Brownies, which were named one of the city’s best sweet things by Toronto Life, as well as savouries like Mac & Cheese and Pizza, are included in the book.
PHOTO: Kevin MacAllister/HarperCollins Canada
Mac & Cheese, right, from Bunner’s: Simple & Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Treats by Ashley Wittig & Kevin MacAllister, pictured
An entire chapter is devoted to holiday favourites, with recipes such as Pumpkin Pie, Gingerbread, Shortbread and Sugar Cookies, and Savoury Holiday Stuffing. “There are a lot of emotions invested in the holidays and people really look forward to celebrating and to eating particularly. You don’t want to be that one person being left out at the table,” MacAllister says in a Toronto interview. Wittig and MacAllister base their recipes on traditional recipes, rather than existing vegan or gluten-free recipes, and look for inspiration in the classics. Canadian mainstays such as Nanaimo Bars, Butters Tarts and Blueberry Grunt are represented, and these in particular were suggested by Bunner’s customers as recipes they would like to see in the cookbook.
For readers new to gluten-free, vegan baking, Wittig maintains that it’s not as difficult as people expect. In fact, they point out in the book that there’s no need to worry about overworking their pastry dough. Unlike traditional dough, it won’t get tough if overworked. “A common mistake that you could make with gluten-free or vegan baking is over-thinking it; it’s pretty straight-forward once you get the hang of it,” Wittig says. “In many ways it’s a lot more forgiving to bake vegan and gluten-free than it is to bake traditional, gluten, eggy, buttery treats.”
Recipes in the book cover breakfasts, muffins, savouries, cookies, bars and squares, donuts, cakes, cupcakes, sweet pies and tarts, holiday, frostings and toppings. In many of the recipes, Wittig and MacAllister recommend specific brands of ingredients. They stress in the book that this is because they’ve tried “everything,” and if they mention a specific brand, such as Bob’s Red Mill, Camino or Earth Balance, it’s because they’ve found success with it, not “just shilling you some brand loyalty.” Essentially, they’ve tried and tested and these are results they stand behind. “[People] can really hold their heads high when they bring our treats to an event or something, and they don’t have to make any excuses and say, ‘Well, it’s gluten-free’ or anything like that. These are traditional, delicious, classic-tasting baked goods that anyone would love,” MacAllister says.
Recipes
Recipes from Bunner’s: Simple & Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Treats by Ashley Wittig & Kevin MacAllister ©2014. Photography by Kevin MacAllister. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cinnamon Buns
PHOTO: Kevin MacAllister/HarperCollins Canada
Cinnamon Buns
Makes 6 cinnamon buns
Cinnamon buns, a.k.a. smell paradise, are probably the treat we hear the most talk about. We always sell a lot of these cinn-ful little sweethearts, but never more than we do on Christmas Eve. People buy them by the dozen to reheat in the oven on Christmas morning, giving them something to look forward to after all the gifts are opened and the stockings are inside out. You can make these the night before and store them, unbaked, covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Bake as directed the next morning, letting them come to room temperature before baking.
Tip: Roll up your sleeves for this one! This recipe is a bit involved, so I strongly encourage, nay, insist, that you read the recipe through before you start. This is so you can have a little foresight into what you’ll be doing and hopefully avoid any mishaps.
Buns
3¾ cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour
1⁄3 cup organic sugar
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon regular active dry yeast
½ cup lukewarm water
¾ cup canned coconut milk
¼ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (½ stick), melted
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons + 1½ teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
¼ cup organic sugar
¼ cup Sucanat
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, melted
Sauce
¼ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (½ stick), melted
½ cup Sucanat
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¹/₈ teaspoon sea salt
Topping
1 batch cream cheese frosting (recipe in the book)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have a 9-inch ungreased cake pan ready (the sides should be about 2½ to 3 inches high).
Melt all the butter for the recipe—a total of ½ cup + 1 tablespoon. Set aside.
For the buns: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the yeast to the warm water (it should feel just slightly warmer than the inside of your wrist). Set aside to let the yeast proof—about 10 minutes or until the yeast is frothy and bubbly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, melted butter, applesauce, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
Once the yeast has proofed, stir the yeast mixture into the wet ingredients and then add the combined wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly with a spatula until a sticky but firm, well-blended dough is achieved.
For the cinnamon sugar: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, Sucanat, and cinnamon. Stir in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside.
For the sauce: In a small bowl or measuring cup (with a spout for easy pouring), combine the remaining ¼ cup melted butter, Sucanat, agave nectar, coconut milk, vanilla, and salt. Set aside.
Grab two big sheets of parchment paper (about 12 inches long). Spray one side of each sheet with canola oil. Turn out the dough onto one of the oiled sheets, then spray the dough with canola oil. Form the dough into a rough rectangular shape. Place the other sheet of parchment paper over top, oiled side down. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangular shape, about 8 × 10 inches. Slowly peel back the top parchment paper and set aside.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar onto the dough and, using your hands, spread it out to cover the dough edge to edge.
Using oiled or wet hands, slowly roll up the dough starting from a shorter side of the rectangle.
Cut the dough roll in half using a sharp knife that has been lightly oiled with canola oil, then cut each half into three rolls. Place the rolls in the cake pan, cut sides up. Pour the prepared sauce evenly over top.
Let the rolls rise for about 10 minutes (don’t worry if nothing drastic happens; gluten-free goodies tend to rise mostly in the oven), then bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are firm and a bit golden and the sauce is bubbly. If the sides of the cake pan aren’t very high, place a baking sheet beneath the cake pan to catch any sauce that bubbles over.
Remove the buns from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then flip the cake pan upside down onto a baking sheet or plate. Using a thin, sharp knife, gently separate the buns. Place them on a serving plate before finishing with cream cheese frosting. Serve with coffee and a smile.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
PHOTO: Kevin MacAllister/HarperCollins Canada
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 18 cookies or 9 creamies
These cookies were one of my first and biggest successes in the kitchen, and one that I’m still so proud of today. Not only are they fantastic on their own, but using them to sandwich a dollop of vanilla buttercream deliciously transforms these guys into our famous creamies. We also use these cookies to make cookie crumbs for our Nanaimo Bars, as well to make the crust for our Chocolate Cheesecake, which may sound unusual, but trust me, they give the cheesecake a toffee-like quality that is simply indulgent.
These cookies are versatile size-wise. You can make them huge or you can shrink them down to little bite-size cuties and they will still turn out. Simply adjust the baking time by a few minutes, give or take, and let visual cues tell you when they’re done (they should be a warm golden brown).
2½ cups brown rice flour
½ cup potato starch
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon organic sugar
¾ cup agave nectar
1⁄3 cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon organic blackstrap molasses
2⁄3 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, both starches, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, agave nectar, oil, vanilla, and molasses.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Using your hands, roll the dough into golf-ball-size pieces and place on the prepared baking sheets. Press down to flatten each ball to about ¼ inch thick and 2½ inches in diameter, being mindful to keep them spaced about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Let sit on the baking sheets for at least 20 minutes, to firm up. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, or eat them all right away.
Variation
Creamies: Let the cookies cool completely. Dollop 1 tablespoon vanilla buttercream frosting (recipe follows) on the underside of a cookie. Top with a second cookie, press together to sandwich, and serve.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Makes 4 cups
Our amazing frosting is the cornerstone of the bakery’s reputation, and it often leaves people wondering how we pull off such a decadent buttercream sans butter. Soft, sweet, creamy, and not at all grainy. The trick to an ultimately smooth texture is to use powdered sugar and sift it by hand. In fact, at the bakery, we hand-sift more than 100 pounds of icing sugar in an average week. It makes for some strong arms, not to mention a lot of frosting!
½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (1 stick), at room temperature
½ cup Earth Balance Shortening Sticks (1 stick), at room temperature
3½ cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons canned coconut milk or soy creamer
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening until completely smooth and fluffy.
Slowly add the sugar, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla and then 3 tablespoons coconut milk, adding milk as needed to achieve a nice, spreadable consistency.
Whip the frosting for several minutes, until fluffy. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and give it a good turn with a frosting spatula or butter knife before spreading this luscious frosting on your awaiting treats.