No eggs or milk–how vegan treats helped baker lose 8st
BAKING without eggs and a dash of milk might seem unthinkable for the seasoned cake maker.
One contestant on The Great British Bake Off, however, is something of an expert on the matter.
And, although it is not known whether he will tempt the judges with his vegan brownies on the show, Rav Bansal insists they are absolutely delicious.
He says he enjoys creating vegan recipes – which contain no meat, eggs or dairy – after following the trendy diet for six months. He claims veganism helped him go from 25st to 17st, and encouraged him to use unusual ingredients.
‘I discovered a whole new appreciation for food and ingredients,’ he says on his blog.
‘I particularly enjoyed “veganising” my favourite dishes [such as] the ultimate vegan brownie.’ And it seems the 28-year-old university support worker from Kent is not alone in ditching eggs and milk.
There is a growing trend for bakers to use fruit puree, tofu, soya milk or even bean juice as substitutes for traditional ingredients. Ruby Amarteifio, who runs vegan patisserie Rubys of London, said: ‘There are lots of different egg substitutes out there. We use tend to use fruit purees, such as mashed up banana or date puree. As long as it’s got the consistency of egg then it works just as well.’
Jimmy Pierson, from the Vegan Society, added: ‘Eggs are becoming redundant in baking. You can make cakes, brownies and pancakes just as effectively using replacements.
‘Mashed up bananas are good in muffins while silken tofu is good in brownies.
‘The juice from drained chickpeas also works really well for most cakes. It has revolutionised vegan baking and is great for meringues and baked Alaska.’
Frankie Phillips, from the British Dietetic Association, said that Mr Bansal’s vegan diet could well have helped him lose weight because it has ‘a much lower fat intake’. But she warned: ‘If you eat lots of vegan cakes that contain honey or coconut oil then you won’t lose weight. Following a vegan diet does not automatically mean you’ll be thin.’
Ahead of the seventh series of the BBC’s Bake Off, Mr Bansal has described himself as ‘a passionate foodie, with a flair for fusion baking and experimentation.’