It was a cooled down, rainy Sunday evening, and I felt like making some fresh bread and soup. The beer batter bread recipe below is a little variation of my regular one, adding vital wheat gluten to balance out using all white whole wheat flour. The combination of both of these made the house smell awesome!

Curried Split Pea & Lentil Soup

extra virgin olive oil for misting pan
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped finely
6 small carrots, peeled and chopped finely
4-5 celery hearts, chopped finely

3 c. split peas and/or lentils, picked through & rinsed
(I used about 3/4 c. each of golden & green split peas and 1.5 c. of red lentils)
12 c. of filtered water
2 – 3″ pieces of kombu (seaweed), optional

2 tbsp. good curry powder
~2.5 tsp. sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper
cayenne, optional

Directions:

1. Mist the bottom of a large dutch oven (5.5qt) or stock pot with olive oil. Heat to medium and saute veggies for 5 minutes.

2. Add 12 c. of water, seaweed, and peas/lentils up to a boil over high heat. Cover, and lower heat to simmer for 1 hour.

3. Add spices and simmer for another 10 minutes, adjusting seasonings if necessary.

Whole Wheat Beer Batter Bread

3 c. white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. of vital wheat gluten
1/4 c. (4 tbsp.) brown sugar, optional for a little sweetness
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 bottle of beer at room temperature (i like yuengling. you can always pop it in the microwave to warm it up!)
3 tbsp. melted vegan butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F and grease a loaf pan.

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour beer into dry mix, and stir until combined. The batter will look lumpy.

2. Turn dough into prepared loaf pan and drizzle top with melted butter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean.

3. Let it rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then place on cooling rack. Eat it as soon as it’s cool enough to handle : )