EP 116 – Eat This: Vegan Pastries

You know when you walk by a bakery and the smell of freshly baked bread oozes out as someone opens the door and walks out with their bag of flour, butter, eggs and sugar combined into a delicious loaf of bread, scone, cookie, donut, or whatever has taken your fancy! That smell…  it’s like they’re pumping out to draw you in! I can remember coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked cookies and heading straight for that cookie jar. I think we all have those moments, memories and attachments to foods, but there’s something about baked goods that are somehow comforting on so many levels. Maybe it’s stoked in what your parents, grandparents, or caregiver did and those memories are filled with love and hugs. There’s something to it like Pavlov’s theory I think, but in the world of EAT THIS and my nutrition practice, picking up the freshly baked butter tarts, donuts, brownies, cakes or even freshly baked bread can tip the scale towards more of a health disaster. All the refined sugar and for blood sugar stability and insulin sensitivity, well that’s tough to avoid. Then for those who are gut sensitive to gluten, dairy and eggs then the gas and bloating, IBS symptoms of diarrhea and constipation, and just not having your jeans fit by the end of the day, well it sucks. Then there’s the weight gain from typical sweet treats that are often hard to limit yourself to just eating one. Then there’s filling yourself up on foods that don’t pack that nutrient punch, unless you’re eating scones laced with blueberries that is. I’ve talked about my love of shortbread on this podcast in the past, and so I get the love of bakery foods, but sometimes I wonder if there is a healthier way? A healthier way to enjoy, you know, no guilt and shame around enjoying your favourite bread or brownie by knowing that it’s a healthier option than the standard. While baking isn’t a passion or favourite topic of mine, I hear from my clients all the time that it’s a part of their life and they don’t want to let go. So with the view to make the best of your baked goods, a vegan pastry chef reached out and asked if we could chat about plant-based or vegan baking. I’m unaware how those two things go together other than scones that I made once that were vegan, so I said YES, let’s chat.

So today on EAT THIS with Lianne a chat with a vegan pastry chef, and answers to all my questions about the health benefit, why on earth would you give up butter if it was a choice and how on earth to substitute butter and eggs in your baking, and why bother?

I’m not a baker. It’s not in my zone of genius. I can bake, but I’m someone who despite my perfectionism gets really annoyed when a fluffy cake ends up as dense as a plank of wood. I can cook a meal, throw just about anything together knowing that the margin for error is slim. Baking isn’t like that. I’ve made my mum’s recipes as she was such a baker, and I’ve passed that gene onto my eldest daughter who LOVES to bake but it’s not my thing. Also likely because I don’t do well with wheat flour and gluten – confirmed by the DNACompany’s test results that we went over in episode 111. So I’ve steered away from most baked goods other than occasional baguette and of course my shortbread. 

Someone who’s zone of genius is baking is pastry chef Fran Costigan. She is internationally recognized as the innovative pioneering pastry chef who marries healthy eating with sumptuous tastes. The “Fran Factor” is her unique ability to transform traditional desserts into modern, healthful vegan desserts that satisfy vegans and omnivores alike. In Fran’s recipes, nothing is missing except the dairy, eggs, white sugar, and cholesterol. Alright loyal listeners, let’s find out just how we too can achieve such heights in the kitchen as Fran is also a Culinary instructor, cookbook author, consultant, and now Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry. Welcome Fran. 

Alright, are you going to swap your butter for Fran’s suggestions? Perhaps a place to start before you jump into this, is realizing what it is about your favourite baked good that you love. Taste, comfort or is it a habit? That could help you decide if trying out Frans ways is for you. I’m going to give it a go and try out the coconut milk based scones that I’ve made in the past and remind myself of the taste. As someone who doesn’t eat much pastry chef heavy foods, I’m going to keep to some of my faves, but certainly for the health benefits that I know of using a different sugar is high on my list. Gluten free is another option that I’d like to explore, but what about you? What will you try out? Chris? I want to know! Share with me on social media, send a note through either of my websites liannephillipson.com and sproutright.com and remember to eat this one bite at a time.

For more info on Fran Costigan:

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Chocolate Torte to live for recipe

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