Bakers tout value of sustainable ingredients
Many are finding alternatives to create delicious and future-friendly fare
Making homemade holiday treats the same way generations did before may honour tradition, but it doesn't take into account the world we live in today.
The environmental cost of modern food practices on our planet can be devastating. In 2018, a University of Oxford study showed that one glass of cow's milk produces three times more greenhouse-gas emissions than a glass of a plant-based substitute.
It's studies like these that have prompted some of Vancouver's brightest bakers and makers to swap animal products for plantbased — or conventional goods for more responsible options — so that baked goods are as future-friendly as they're delicious.
ERIN IRELAND
It was nine years ago that Erin Ireland started her To Die For baking business (recently renamed To Live For), selling her decadent Chocolate Macadamia Nut Banana Bread — and later, Coconut Lemon Loaf — out of Vancouver coffee and food shops. But five years in, she was no longer comfortable using animal products, both personally or professionally, and started experimenting with vegan alternatives.
“I wanted to replace the eggs and milk chocolate in the Chocolate Macadamia Nut Banana Bread and the butter and eggs in the Coconut Lemon Loaf,” Ireland recalls. For the banana bread, which already used olive oil as opposed to butter, she replaced milk chocolate with dairy-free dark chocolate and instead of egg, used an agar-agar and psyllium husk mix.
“It works magic as a binder while allowing the loaf to rise perfectly,” she says of the egg replacement.
For the Coconut Lemon Loaf, an egg replacer wasn't required.
“In many recipes, like pasta, gnocchi, pancakes and some muffins, using eggs is completely unnecessary,” Ireland says. She also swapped out the butter for coconut oil that she says added an “even more luscious coconut flavour.”
“I'm a big believer in converting skeptics with delicious baking — and when I say delicious, I mean vegan baking that is not just as good, but better than its traditional counterpart,” says Ireland, whose business now makes several best-selling vegan baked goods.
FLOUR GIRL BAKING
Vancouver-based Flour girl Baking is an online bakery service that has gained a loyal following for their “melt-in-your-mouth” vegan cinnamon buns. It all started when founders Diane Yuan and Mitch Kinna couldn't find a suitable plant-based substitute for the beloved baked good.
“Mitch was craving cinnamon buns after going vegan, but nothing he tried was as good as the ones before he made the switch,” Yuan says. So, she made it her mission to create a completely plant-based version that was indistinguishable, if not better, than what Kinna remembered.
To create a soft and rich dough for their “Sinnabun,” Yuan replaced the milk, butter and eggs often used in sweet doughs with coconut oil and full-fat coconut milk, leaving out the eggs.
“I found out that the eggs weren't needed at all,” she says, adding that the fat from the coconut milk and oil add the required richness that keeps a classic sweet dough tender. To top the melt-in-your-mouth buns, she also swaps out cream, butter and cream cheese for easy-to-find plant based substitutes.
“Our cream cheese frosting is made up of whipped vegan butter sticks, vegan cream cheese and icing sugar,” says Yuan, adding that the drizzle they use to top off their seasonal varieties are made of full-fat coconut milk, icing sugar and often an added flavour, like pumpkin spice mix or coffee concentrate, to change up the flavour profile.
FLOURIST
Vancouver's Flourist first got its start in 2014, when founders Janna Bishop and Shira Mcdermott decided to sell whole grains with a focus on traceability. After purchasing a flour mill in 2017, they started to freshly stone-mill their grains, and now do so to order before shipping across North America. With an ever-growing fan base and a huge social-media following, they're happily filling the growing demand for more consciously grown food products.
“Flour makes up such a big part of our diet, but a lot of us have no idea where our flour is actually coming from or what practices people are supporting.” Bishop says.
Flourist only works with organic, family-owned and -operated Canadian farms.
“Their livelihood is their land,” Bishop says of the decision. “They care for it in a way that large corporations never will. It's everything to them and what they plant, where they plant it and when they plant it ensures that the soil is regenerated naturally and that in the future it's as fertile as possible.”
The Flourist products provide flavour, nutrition and digestibility that makes them a perfect fit for holiday baking.
“Our Sifted Hard Red Spring is a strong, high-in-protein flour that's perfect for sourdough bread or other yeast doughs,” Bishop says. Einkorn is a soft, fine flour that's popular for cookies. “Our Spelt works beautifully in quick breads, muffin pastries.”
INGREDIENT SWAPS
When baking at home, the simplest way to support responsible farming is to read the product packaging before buying. Plantbased products that support organic practices will be verified and the companies will be keen to display this on their labels. Below is a list of conventional items followed by their more sustainable swap:
Butter: Vegan butter baking sticks are a flavourful butter replacement and work well in icings, sugar cookies, shortbread, crusts, brittles and caramels. Melt Organic makes both salted and unsalted options.
Cream: When well-blended, fullfat coconut milk mimics the taste and consistency of dairy cream.
Milk: Canadian oat milk is by far the most environmentally friendly plant-based milk alternative. Canadian company Earth's Own makes a wonderful product, just ensure that you buy the unsweetened original version to use in your baking.
Cream cheese: Flourgirl Baking prefers the Tofutti brands for their vegan cream cheese icing, but others are also available, including Vancouver's own Daiya brand, at many grocery stores.
Baking chocolate/cocoa powder: Chocolate and cocoa is a holiday staple, and needed for classics like Bûche de Noël, rum balls and chocolate barks. Canadian chocolate brand Camino only uses certified fair-trade and organic chocolate from small-scale farmers to develop their superior baking chocolate and cocoa powder.
Eggs: Popular vegan recipe blogger The Minimalist Baker uses a combination of pumpkin purée and cornstarch for her Vegan Sugar Cookie recipe. It adds moisture and flavour, and is hugely popular among vegans and non-vegans alike.
Baking lard/vegetable shortening: Solid coconut oil is nearly identical to either of these products in fat content and consistency. If you're not a fan of coconut flavour, though, make sure you buy the type labelled “refined” as it has almost no coconut flavour at all versus the unrefined variety.