Ronnie's Notes
At this particular time, when we are going through a world-wide crisis, a terrifying pandemic, it can be therapeutic for many of us to cook and bake.
I am one of those people.
I have plenty of ingredients to cook with because over the years I’ve learned to keep shelf-stable foods on hand in case I can’t shop: ingredients such as canned beans, rice, frozen veggies, dried fruit, canned or packaged milk, and so on.
Equally important for me is — don’t waste food (I’ve talked about that often). I believe that it is important to use all resources — “food forage” as my colleague Susan Barocas calls it. Don’t throw out any ingredient that’s useable, including leftovers.
With all this in mind I offer this lemon bread.
I have lots of lemons in my crisper because of an article I am writing. I’ve developed the recipe for that, so I need to make use of the extra lemons.
I also needed to do something with the liquid leftover from a can of chick peas that I opened for a salad. Chick pea liquid is incredibly useful.
In case you aren’t familiar with this leftover liquid (also from canned beans), it is called aquafaba and it can be used in place of eggs. That makes it an ideal ingredient for vegans and anyone who is allergic to or otherwise can’t eat eggs.
When you beat chick pea liquid with a whisk, it traps air like eggs do, so baked goods have both structure and also a light, tender crumb.
I am trying not to use too many fresh eggs that I might need for meals, so I used the aquafaba instead to make this lemon bread.
Dee-lish!
To get the most out of the liquid in a can of chick peas, be sure to scrape the residue at the bottom of the can. For best results, reduce the liquid slowly over medium-low heat until it becomes the consistency of egg white. Use about 3 tablespoons of the liquid in place of each egg.
For another delicious recipe (carrot bread) using aquafaba, click here.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan.
If the aquafaba seems thin, boil it for a few minutes to thicken slightly to the consistency of egg white.
Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the coconut oil and 3/4 cup sugar at medium speed for or until well combined.
Add the lemon peel and aquafaba and blend them in.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in thirds, alternating with the coconut milk.
Beat to blend the ingredients to a smooth, even batter.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the bread is baking, combine the lemon juice and 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for or until the sugar has dissolved.
When the bread comes out of the oven, pour the lemon juice mixture on top.
Cool the bread in the pan for .
Invert onto a cake rack to cool completely.