Erin McKenna, founder of BabyCakes NYC, brings back bagels, croissants and rolls for vegan and gluten-sensitive eaters in Bread and Butter.
I’ve always thought that the BabyCakes frosting tasted faintly like a sweet butter, but I was never so delusional as to think I could cook savory recipes with it. To manipulate it from its happy state as a cake-topper, I first omitted the agave nectar, hoping it would take us somewhere joyful. It was atrocious. So I decided to switch out the emulsifier, which was when I discovered sunflower lecithin (conveniently soy-free!). It took a long while after that to perfect it, but I eventually lowered the eyebrows of even my most butter-loving Francophile pals. At the bakery, we use a regular loaf pan to set the butter, but feel free to use any mold you like.
Directions
- Line a shallow pan, such as a loaf pan, with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the coconut oil and canola oil, stir gently, and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the rice milk, coconut milk, agave nectar, sunflower lecithin, salt, and xanthan gum and blend for 1 minute. Very slowly add half of the oil mixture, followed by the lemon juice, and then the remaining oil mixture. Blend for 1 more minute.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and refrigerate until solid, about 3½ hours. Chop the butter into 1-inch cubes and store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Reprinted from Bread & Butter. Copyright © 2015 by Erin McKenna. Food photographs by Davide Luciano, copyright © 2015 by Davide Luciano. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
