Clean Eating Recipes: Vegan Pumpkin Donuts and Grandma Lee's Whole Wheat Bread

So, I'm going on week three of clean eating.  Really into it so far.  In other words, really enjoying it!  I haven't had a single processed product or anything out of a package in about 17 days.  Feels great.  Down 9.8 lbs.

I thought I'd share two recipes.  I've been baking my own bread and I also made these Vegan Pumpkin Donuts to eat as the occasional breakfast.

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts

Combine ingredients in a bowl in this order:

2 cups whole wheat flour, preferably organic. If you have it, whole wheat pastry flour is the most delicate, but all purpose works too
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt, preferably organic if you have to use table salt because you want it bleach free.
2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg each
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup olive oil or if you have to use canola, make sure it's non GMO
6 tbsp organic real maple syrup
1 mashed banana, squooshed really well
1 cup pumpkin puree unsweetened
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla flavored, doesn't matter)
I also threw in flax and chia seeds, probably about a tbsp of each

For me, this recipe made 40 mini donuts. My mom has a 12 count mini donut pan, and the donuts are about 2-3 inches across when baked.

I baked them for 10 minutes at 325 degrees

I actually put the dough in a freezer bag and cut a whole in a corner to make a pastry bag, then I filled the donut pans in a circle that way. You could also use that same method to make a circle on a baking sheet to replace the mini donut pan.
I also suspect that these would work well in a mini muffin pan, but you'd have to watch them to figure out baking time.

Great Grandma Lee's Whole Wheat bread (with Marisa's modifications to make it vegan)

 
Start with a 1/4 cup of warm water and 2 packages of quick yeast. Let sit in bowl for a few minutes to foam and make sure the yeast is alive.

Then add the rest of ingredients in this order:

1 and 1/4 cups warm water
4 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup molasses or organic real maple syrup
3/4 cup almond milk
1 cup wheat germ
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour or white wheat

Knead the ball of dough for 10 to 15 minutes, very important step. Just keep squooshing and folding it to activate the gluten. Do this in a warm area, and preferably not on a cold surface (not on granite) otherwise it will take longer to rise.

Return dough ball to a well oiled large bowl (probably the one you mixed in, just wash it out) and place saran wrap tightly over the top, and for additional warmth, layer a kitchen or tea towel over that. Keep covered until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes or maybe even longer if your house is too cold. You don't want to heat the bread, but you want warm temps to encourage the rising.

When doubled in size, punch down the ball, and divide in half. Knead each half and shape until it's oblong to fit each into their respective 9x5 loaf pans. In a pinch 8x4 loaf pans will work too, but your bread may be taller and your cooking time might need an adjustment. Cover each loaf pan with saran wrap and maybe the tea towels again. Wait until doubled in size and then put in oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until the tops sound hollow when you tap on them.