D and I went on our first bike camping excursion. It went fairly smoothly. We took it as a chance to test out our gear and wilderness survival skills.
Lessons Learned:
1. Hang your food even if you think there is no risk of bears eating it. I awoke to D saying, "Something is eating our food." As he pointed the flashlight towards the paneer, the animal tried to drag the paneer away with it. Neither of us ever saw the animal as we are both legally blind without contacts. We just saw the reflector slowly moving away from the other bags' reflectors. Only four peanut butter sandwiches were lost. However, all the next day, D lamented the four missing sandwiches.
2. Bring glasses if you are legally blind and need to see quickly in the middle of the night.
3. Bring a map. Like baking, even if you think it is simple and you have cooked the recipe a thousand times, it is easy to forget a step. We biked the C&O Canal, our destination Harper's Ferry. Supposedly some of my lady relatives founded it with their families. We missed it by 2 miles or so. Sounded simple, you just get on the trail and bike the whole way there. No detours. Nothing. What we didn't know was that there is a small town before Harper's Ferry, which we mistook for Harpers Ferry. This small town did have a nice ice cream shop which included kids running behind the counters and everyone chatted us up. Not getting to Harpers Ferry gives us something to look forward to next time...
4. Bathing in a water pump is amazing after a long day of biking.
5. If you are biking somewhere very humid, nothing dries at night so be prepared for moist biking clothes if you leave them out at night.
6. Items not included in the last list that should be: small bottle of contact solution; extra toilet paper; grocery sacks for dirty/wet clothes, shoes, etc; hand sanitizer.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Bike Touring
I got my bike back! They put a Surly fork on my little Aurora. It looks great and it is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I cannot wait to ride my bike after the flash flood advisories end.
JB and I are planning on doing a bike tour of the Adirondacks in late June. Below is a list of all the gear I am planning on bringing. If anyone has any suggests, please let me know...
Camping Gear
1. Tent
2. Sleeping bags
3. Tarp
4. MSR Stove Kit with fuel
5. Towel
6. Metal silverware
7. Waterproof matches
8. First Aid Kit
9. Camelbacks
10. Bug spray
11. Sunscreen
17. Scrubber for pots
18. Dish for person not using MSR
19. Coffee Mug (to share)
20. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
21. Strainer
22. Sleeping pad
Bike Gear
1. Bike tool (JB)
2. Tire change: bike tire levers, patch kit, extra tube, bike pump
3. Bike Lights (front and rear)
4. Bike Lock
Clothes
1. Bike shorts (2)
2. Swim suit
3. Lightweight hat
4. Rain Gear
5. Wool Sweater
6. Long Underwear
7. Three pair of underwear
8. Jeans
9. Dress
10. Sandals
11. Gloves
Food
1. Trail Mix
2. Dry Hummus
3. Granola
4. Instant Milk
5. Coffee
6. Powdered Gatoraide or Tang
Changes to bike:
1. Bike Seat
2. Pedals with clips (L)
3. Bike shoes
4. Fenders (?)
5. Front racks and bags (L)
Misc.
1. Laundry detergent
2. Three pairs socks
3. Soap (dish washing/armpit washing/clothes washing)
4. Sunglasses
5. Camera
6. Cards
7. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
8. Blister Kit
9. Ibuprofen
10. Toothpaste/toothbrush
11. Deodorant
12. Extra batteries
JB and I are planning on doing a bike tour of the Adirondacks in late June. Below is a list of all the gear I am planning on bringing. If anyone has any suggests, please let me know...
Camping Gear
1. Tent
2. Sleeping bags
3. Tarp
4. MSR Stove Kit with fuel
5. Towel
6. Metal silverware
7. Waterproof matches
8. First Aid Kit
9. Camelbacks
10. Bug spray
11. Sunscreen
17. Scrubber for pots
18. Dish for person not using MSR
19. Coffee Mug (to share)
20. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
21. Strainer
22. Sleeping pad
Bike Gear
1. Bike tool (JB)
2. Tire change: bike tire levers, patch kit, extra tube, bike pump
3. Bike Lights (front and rear)
4. Bike Lock
Clothes
1. Bike shorts (2)
2. Swim suit
3. Lightweight hat
4. Rain Gear
5. Wool Sweater
6. Long Underwear
7. Three pair of underwear
8. Jeans
9. Dress
10. Sandals
11. Gloves
Food
1. Trail Mix
2. Dry Hummus
3. Granola
4. Instant Milk
5. Coffee
6. Powdered Gatoraide or Tang
Changes to bike:
1. Bike Seat
2. Pedals with clips (L)
3. Bike shoes
4. Fenders (?)
5. Front racks and bags (L)
Misc.
1. Laundry detergent
2. Three pairs socks
3. Soap (dish washing/armpit washing/clothes washing)
4. Sunglasses
5. Camera
6. Cards
7. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
8. Blister Kit
9. Ibuprofen
10. Toothpaste/toothbrush
11. Deodorant
12. Extra batteries
Monday, April 28, 2008
Apple Rubbarb Pie
I got hit by a car recently. The insurance company is going to fix my bike and my shoulder is healing nicely. It was a small accident but rather dramatic. It just makes my life more complicated having to deal with all the crazy stuff.
I am also trying to wrap up the Master's degree.
So in short, it may be awhile before there is another post, but here is one for the time being...
Apple Rubbarb Pie
Dough:
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Approx. 3 tablespoons ice cold water
Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
Four baking apples (I used pink ladies)
Five medium rubbarb stems
Mix the salt and flour together. Cut the butter into slices and use a fork to blend the butter into the flour. Once the flour and butter form into small pieces and is thoroughly blended, add the water one tablespoon at a time. Mix the dough with your hands until the dough sticks together. Add as little water as possible. Form dough into two balls. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and make the dough hockey puck shaped (this will make it easier to roll out). Refridgerate for at least an hour.
Once the dough is about ready to be rolled out. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peal the apples and cut into quarters. Use a food processor or thinly slice the apples and rubbarb. The filling should be half rubbarb and half apples. Mix the apples, rubbarb, flour and sugar together. Put to the side.
Remove the dough from the refridgerator. Grease a basic pie pan. Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out the dough until it is big enough to cover the pie pan. Place the dough in a greased pie pan and put the filling into the pie pan. Roll out the other ball of dough in the same manner and place on top of the pie. Seal the edges of the pie with a fork or your fingers. Cut four slices in the top of the dough. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 20 to 30 more minutes or until the top is golden brown.
I am also trying to wrap up the Master's degree.
So in short, it may be awhile before there is another post, but here is one for the time being...
Apple Rubbarb Pie
Dough:
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Approx. 3 tablespoons ice cold water
Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
Four baking apples (I used pink ladies)
Five medium rubbarb stems
Mix the salt and flour together. Cut the butter into slices and use a fork to blend the butter into the flour. Once the flour and butter form into small pieces and is thoroughly blended, add the water one tablespoon at a time. Mix the dough with your hands until the dough sticks together. Add as little water as possible. Form dough into two balls. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and make the dough hockey puck shaped (this will make it easier to roll out). Refridgerate for at least an hour.
Once the dough is about ready to be rolled out. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peal the apples and cut into quarters. Use a food processor or thinly slice the apples and rubbarb. The filling should be half rubbarb and half apples. Mix the apples, rubbarb, flour and sugar together. Put to the side.
Remove the dough from the refridgerator. Grease a basic pie pan. Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out the dough until it is big enough to cover the pie pan. Place the dough in a greased pie pan and put the filling into the pie pan. Roll out the other ball of dough in the same manner and place on top of the pie. Seal the edges of the pie with a fork or your fingers. Cut four slices in the top of the dough. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 20 to 30 more minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Bread: Whole wheat flour, Rising in General, the Retarded Rise and More…
Bread: Whole wheat flour, Rising in General, the Retarded Rise and More…
The knowledge expounded in the following text comes from personal experience, D’s parents, friends, dad, The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion All Purpose Baking Cookbook, Laurel’s Kitchen, Martha Stewart, and others.
Rising Bread in a Cold House
When using oven because house is too cold, gently warm oven. Turn off after a minute or so. Add a 9 x 9 pan of warm water to the oven to make sure the air has the proper humidity and the bread does not dry out. Put a slightly damp cotton towel over the bowl. For optimal rising, temperature of the oven should not be about 90 degrees farenheit.
Flat Top
The first time I made the bread my bread came out of the oven with a flat top. I attributed this to the fact that I had let it rise for too long before putting it in the oven. If your bread looks unstable (hard to describe but you will know) or has stretch marks on the top, reknead the bread and let it rise again before putting it in the oven. Also, I did not have enough salt (only one teaspoon in the whole wheat bread recipe). See salt and sugar section.
Sugar and Salt: Dough Enhancer and Stabilizer*
Sugar and salt keep your bread from collapsing. Salt and organic acids, developed over a long, slow rise, help strengthen the gluten in your loaf, allowing it to hold its shape until the hot oven does its job. Without them, your loaf is likely to rise and then collapse. Salt and sugar help to slow the growth of the yeast and without it the yeast grows too fast and won’t develop the same flavor. When yeast is growing, it has three main byproducts: carbon dioxide, alcohol, and organic acids. The acids are really what gives the bread its flavor. Too much salt can rob the yeast of needed moisture and too much sugar can cause the yeast to overeat and slow the rising process in the long run. The King Arthur Cookbook recommends that a maximum of 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and up to 1/4 cup sugar per three cups of sugar.
Retarded Rises*
Except in sweet breads, you can reduce the amount of yeast to produce a longer rising time. If the recipe calls for a packet of yeast which is a little over 2 teaspoons, you can usually just use 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of yeast. Using 1/2 a teaspoon, will lead to a rise of about 16 to 20 hours similar to the infamous New York Times no knead bread recipe. 1 teaspoon is a good amount for an overnight rise. The easiest doughs to do this with are ones containing a small amount of sugar and no dairy products.
Whole grain dough is slow rising because of the bran which interferes with gluten development. One way to slow these is to use the regular amount of yeast and slow it down in the refridgerator.
With slow rises, it will take longer for the loaf to rise in the pan as well. A rise that usually takes one to one and a half hours will take two hours or more. In general, you should just experiment and figure out what works for you.
Storing Bread*
If you can eat the bread in several days, just store it on your counter top in plastic wrap. It should keep for several days to a week. Storing bread in the fridge will cause bread to get stale more quickly. When storing bread with a crunchy crust, the best way is to store it on the counter, no plastic wrap, with the cut side down. This keeps the crust crunchy and the inside soft. Making toast, or warming the bread, reverses the stalling process because it sends all the molecules spinning back into their just out of the oven physical alignment.
Storing yeast
Can store at room temperature in vacuum sealed bag. Other than that, the best place is the freezer for maximum life. If store incorrectly, the yeast cells become inactive.
Dried Fruit*
When adding fruits that need to be chopped (dried apricots, large pieces of dried pineapple, etc.), leave the fruit in pieces as large as possible; the finer you chop the fruit, the more sugar it will release into the dough.
Random Facts*
On rainy or stormy days….when the baramoteric pressure is low, your bread will rise more quickly than it does ordinarily. This is because the dough doesn’t have as much air to push against it.
The pH of water plays an important role. Soft (alkaline) water is relatively free of minerals. Because yeast has its own characteristic mineral content, it wants a growing medium that is similar. So it doesn’t like soft water. Hard (acidic) water, on the other hand, contains lots of minerals and yeast will grow very quickly when it has access to such abundance. A small amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can help correct water that it is too soft. Slightly more yeast can help overcome water that is too hard.
*=Pretty much plagarized from the King Arthur Cookbook with minor editing and additions. For full biography, please email.
The knowledge expounded in the following text comes from personal experience, D’s parents, friends, dad, The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion All Purpose Baking Cookbook, Laurel’s Kitchen, Martha Stewart, and others.
Rising Bread in a Cold House
When using oven because house is too cold, gently warm oven. Turn off after a minute or so. Add a 9 x 9 pan of warm water to the oven to make sure the air has the proper humidity and the bread does not dry out. Put a slightly damp cotton towel over the bowl. For optimal rising, temperature of the oven should not be about 90 degrees farenheit.
Flat Top
The first time I made the bread my bread came out of the oven with a flat top. I attributed this to the fact that I had let it rise for too long before putting it in the oven. If your bread looks unstable (hard to describe but you will know) or has stretch marks on the top, reknead the bread and let it rise again before putting it in the oven. Also, I did not have enough salt (only one teaspoon in the whole wheat bread recipe). See salt and sugar section.
Sugar and Salt: Dough Enhancer and Stabilizer*
Sugar and salt keep your bread from collapsing. Salt and organic acids, developed over a long, slow rise, help strengthen the gluten in your loaf, allowing it to hold its shape until the hot oven does its job. Without them, your loaf is likely to rise and then collapse. Salt and sugar help to slow the growth of the yeast and without it the yeast grows too fast and won’t develop the same flavor. When yeast is growing, it has three main byproducts: carbon dioxide, alcohol, and organic acids. The acids are really what gives the bread its flavor. Too much salt can rob the yeast of needed moisture and too much sugar can cause the yeast to overeat and slow the rising process in the long run. The King Arthur Cookbook recommends that a maximum of 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and up to 1/4 cup sugar per three cups of sugar.
Retarded Rises*
Except in sweet breads, you can reduce the amount of yeast to produce a longer rising time. If the recipe calls for a packet of yeast which is a little over 2 teaspoons, you can usually just use 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of yeast. Using 1/2 a teaspoon, will lead to a rise of about 16 to 20 hours similar to the infamous New York Times no knead bread recipe. 1 teaspoon is a good amount for an overnight rise. The easiest doughs to do this with are ones containing a small amount of sugar and no dairy products.
Whole grain dough is slow rising because of the bran which interferes with gluten development. One way to slow these is to use the regular amount of yeast and slow it down in the refridgerator.
With slow rises, it will take longer for the loaf to rise in the pan as well. A rise that usually takes one to one and a half hours will take two hours or more. In general, you should just experiment and figure out what works for you.
Storing Bread*
If you can eat the bread in several days, just store it on your counter top in plastic wrap. It should keep for several days to a week. Storing bread in the fridge will cause bread to get stale more quickly. When storing bread with a crunchy crust, the best way is to store it on the counter, no plastic wrap, with the cut side down. This keeps the crust crunchy and the inside soft. Making toast, or warming the bread, reverses the stalling process because it sends all the molecules spinning back into their just out of the oven physical alignment.
Storing yeast
Can store at room temperature in vacuum sealed bag. Other than that, the best place is the freezer for maximum life. If store incorrectly, the yeast cells become inactive.
Dried Fruit*
When adding fruits that need to be chopped (dried apricots, large pieces of dried pineapple, etc.), leave the fruit in pieces as large as possible; the finer you chop the fruit, the more sugar it will release into the dough.
Random Facts*
On rainy or stormy days….when the baramoteric pressure is low, your bread will rise more quickly than it does ordinarily. This is because the dough doesn’t have as much air to push against it.
The pH of water plays an important role. Soft (alkaline) water is relatively free of minerals. Because yeast has its own characteristic mineral content, it wants a growing medium that is similar. So it doesn’t like soft water. Hard (acidic) water, on the other hand, contains lots of minerals and yeast will grow very quickly when it has access to such abundance. A small amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can help correct water that it is too soft. Slightly more yeast can help overcome water that is too hard.
*=Pretty much plagarized from the King Arthur Cookbook with minor editing and additions. For full biography, please email.
Whole Wheat Bread
This bread recipe comes from the cookbook, Laurel’s Kitchen. It is kind of the Joy of Cooking for the vegetarian world. I enjoyed reading it. She talks about her journey into the world of nutrition in San Francisco when the hippie movement was just taking hold. On the whole, I have become much more sympathetic to hippies since moving out East. Most of Laurel's recipes need a tweak or two or three but this bread provides a good basis if you are just starting out.
Basic Whole Grain Bread
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s).
Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. In a few minutes, when the yeast comes bubbling to the top, stir in half of the whole wheat flour (and beat very well, until the dough ceases to be grainy and becomes smooth and stretchy. –I never do this.)
Add the salt and the remaining flour cup by cup, mixing well. Knead it in the bowl until it is no longer sticky, then turn it out onto a floured board.
As the dough gets stiffer and harder to knead, sprinkle the remaining flour a little at a time on the tabletop and knead the dough on top of it.
Knead, push and fold until the dough is soft and springy to touch and return it to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl snugly, allowing room for the dough to double in bulk. If not doing a retarded rise (see next entry): punch the dough down and allow it to rise again until it has doubled in bulk.
Grease two loaf pans or two 46-ounce juice cans. Divided the dough in half and flatten each half into an oblong the length of the load pan. Cover the pans to protect from drafts and let the loaves rise once more, until they have doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees towards the end of the rising period. When the bread is rounded just above the rim, spread a bit of milk on the top of the loaves and bake it for about 40 minutes. When you remove it from the pan and tap it on the sides or bottom. It should sound slightly hollow. The color should be a golden brown. Allow the bread to cool, then slice and serve.
Variations: I tried just raisins but was not satisfied with this combination. So I added raisins and walnuts to the next loaf and enjoyed this a lot more. The raisin bread needs an accompaniment. I know many people do not like walnuts so another type of nut one could use might be unsalted sunflower seeds. You can add many other dried fruits, nuts, and/or herbs. Just don’t soak the dried fruit as it can leach excess sugar into the bread and add it right before the
My thoughts about this recipe: It is the only 100 percent whole wheat recipe I have found so far. Cooking with whole wheat can be more difficult, but more on that later. Also, I tried adjusting the salt. One teaspoon is far too little and negatively affects the rising process. Two teaspoons is great if you are very sensitive to salt. I ended up liking one tablespoon salt and it is the maximum you can put in the recipe without negatively affecting the rising process. Please see next entry for further ruminations on baking bread.
The dough should be relatively moist. Do not add too much flour. With whole wheat flour, it is especially important that your dough is as wet as possible, because this will allow it to rise more easily. Just remember that it should not be so wet that you cannot knead it. In DC, I usually use a little less than the recipe calls for. When I am kneading, a thin layer of dough attaches to my palms and it is almost too sticky to knead properly. Play around with it a bit and figure out what works for you.
Basic Whole Grain Bread
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s).
Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. In a few minutes, when the yeast comes bubbling to the top, stir in half of the whole wheat flour (and beat very well, until the dough ceases to be grainy and becomes smooth and stretchy. –I never do this.)
Add the salt and the remaining flour cup by cup, mixing well. Knead it in the bowl until it is no longer sticky, then turn it out onto a floured board.
As the dough gets stiffer and harder to knead, sprinkle the remaining flour a little at a time on the tabletop and knead the dough on top of it.
Knead, push and fold until the dough is soft and springy to touch and return it to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl snugly, allowing room for the dough to double in bulk. If not doing a retarded rise (see next entry): punch the dough down and allow it to rise again until it has doubled in bulk.
Grease two loaf pans or two 46-ounce juice cans. Divided the dough in half and flatten each half into an oblong the length of the load pan. Cover the pans to protect from drafts and let the loaves rise once more, until they have doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees towards the end of the rising period. When the bread is rounded just above the rim, spread a bit of milk on the top of the loaves and bake it for about 40 minutes. When you remove it from the pan and tap it on the sides or bottom. It should sound slightly hollow. The color should be a golden brown. Allow the bread to cool, then slice and serve.
Variations: I tried just raisins but was not satisfied with this combination. So I added raisins and walnuts to the next loaf and enjoyed this a lot more. The raisin bread needs an accompaniment. I know many people do not like walnuts so another type of nut one could use might be unsalted sunflower seeds. You can add many other dried fruits, nuts, and/or herbs. Just don’t soak the dried fruit as it can leach excess sugar into the bread and add it right before the
My thoughts about this recipe: It is the only 100 percent whole wheat recipe I have found so far. Cooking with whole wheat can be more difficult, but more on that later. Also, I tried adjusting the salt. One teaspoon is far too little and negatively affects the rising process. Two teaspoons is great if you are very sensitive to salt. I ended up liking one tablespoon salt and it is the maximum you can put in the recipe without negatively affecting the rising process. Please see next entry for further ruminations on baking bread.
The dough should be relatively moist. Do not add too much flour. With whole wheat flour, it is especially important that your dough is as wet as possible, because this will allow it to rise more easily. Just remember that it should not be so wet that you cannot knead it. In DC, I usually use a little less than the recipe calls for. When I am kneading, a thin layer of dough attaches to my palms and it is almost too sticky to knead properly. Play around with it a bit and figure out what works for you.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Bagels and more
So I have been busy lately. Mostly trying to perfect recipes, finish school, juggle two jobs, and find a job.
In my spare time (Thursday from 11:30 to 2:00 and sometimes Friday afternoon), I have been cooking out of Laurel's Kitchen. I am working on the bagel, bread and granola recipes. So I was wondering...what makes a bagel good?
Suggestions so far have been chewy, crisp on the outside, and no hole in the middle.
Will keep you updated on how it is going and any thoughts on the perfect bagel are always appreciated.
In my spare time (Thursday from 11:30 to 2:00 and sometimes Friday afternoon), I have been cooking out of Laurel's Kitchen. I am working on the bagel, bread and granola recipes. So I was wondering...what makes a bagel good?
Suggestions so far have been chewy, crisp on the outside, and no hole in the middle.
Will keep you updated on how it is going and any thoughts on the perfect bagel are always appreciated.
Gravy
Gravy. Original here
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons braggs
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and nutritional yeast and brown it slightly. Continuously stir it so it does not burn. Add braggs to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Comments: Very good with a strong flavor. Changes that were made to the orginal recipe: butter was used to replace the oil. Original recipe called for 1/2 of oil. I changed it to 1/4 cup butter, but if you are worried about your cholesterol or are vegan, oil works fine. Two tablespoons of braggs was substituted for four tablespoons of soy sauce. I upped the salt from 1/2 teaspoon to one teaspoon to make up for the fact that braggs does not have salt but you should really just season it to taste since vegetable broths all have different sodium contents.
Also, my dad taught me that the key to a good gravy was browning the flour, which I agree. Otherwise you get a lumpy ball of dough and who wants to eat that?
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons braggs
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and nutritional yeast and brown it slightly. Continuously stir it so it does not burn. Add braggs to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Comments: Very good with a strong flavor. Changes that were made to the orginal recipe: butter was used to replace the oil. Original recipe called for 1/2 of oil. I changed it to 1/4 cup butter, but if you are worried about your cholesterol or are vegan, oil works fine. Two tablespoons of braggs was substituted for four tablespoons of soy sauce. I upped the salt from 1/2 teaspoon to one teaspoon to make up for the fact that braggs does not have salt but you should really just season it to taste since vegetable broths all have different sodium contents.
Also, my dad taught me that the key to a good gravy was browning the flour, which I agree. Otherwise you get a lumpy ball of dough and who wants to eat that?
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