Ricotta Toast 3 Ways | Vegan and Paleo
I discovered something this last week. You can make paleo bread that tastes good! It’s truly a revelation if you have gone without bread for a long time. This bread looks like a bakery bread, tastes like it thanks to a little yeast and somehow manages to have a moist crumb without any eggs, which normally are typical ingredients in recipes for paleo and gluten free breads. It’s a very science-y process I’m sure and I won’t get into that recipe, but will post it at the bottom for you to reference. Regardless if you make this bread or use your favorite bread of other sorts, Ricotta Toast is edging out Avocado Toast in my book for sure.
What is Ricotta Toast?
Well I’m a little late on the Ricotta Toast train, but I haven’t been eating dairy for awhile so it was kind of not on my radar. This has now changed since I discovered Kite Hill ricotta and was blown away by the flavor and texture. It is every bit as good as dairy-filled ricotta. (OK…maybe not compared to hours-old ricotta crafted fresh from locally sourced animals, but pretty close.) I was looking for ways to use it and had this idea, then I found out it was a Thing. Maybe a few-years-old Thing, but a Thing nevertheless.
Kite Hill Ricotta…so creamy and no xantham gum!
Ricotta Toast is simple but highly dependent on good ingredients. It starts with really great bread…think sourdough or a grainy bread from a local bakery.
If you want to be adventurous and you are eating Paleo, try the bread recipe I posted below. If you do paleo baking, you probably have everything you would need except maybe yeast. It didn’t take much hands-on time and it lasts for quite awhile in the fridge or you can slice and freeze it. Most paleo recipes depend on eggs for structure and start out more like a batter than a dough which makes it impossible to shape any other way other than a loaf. This one, however, has no eggs and actually forms a ball so you can make an old world looking (and tasting) loaf. I do recommend toasting it before eating because the interior texture is a bit soft but is perfect when toasted.
Paleo Vegan Bread!!! Can you tell I’m excited?
Next you need a good, creamy ricotta. If you have access to a local dairy that makes ricotta, make like Tom Haverford and Donna and “Treat Yo’ Self”. If not, look for one that has as few ingredients as possible or if you are not eating dairy, indulge in the Kite Hill almond ricotta. Beyond that, top however you want to from there – sweet or savory.
Since I was indulging in a long holiday weekend, I went with a mid-morning sweet treat to go with my almond milk cortado. (My husband got a coffee bar built in when we renovated the house and I benefit from it every day. This is my new favorite chi-chi coffee order…essentially two shots of espresso and equal amount of steamed milk. Try it! )
My choices of toppings were:
- Strawberries and Cacao Nibs (I really wanted shaved chocolate but when I couldn’t find a chocolate bar in my pantry, I saw a jar of these instead.)
- Peach Habanero Jam courtesy of one of my local farmer friends with jalapenos
- Honey, Thyme and Black Pepper
Guess which was my favorite? Which would be your favorite? What would you do instead? I would love to have you weigh in…comment below.
Now here is that bread recipe, if you’re wanting a vegan bread that is also grain free: https://www.annmariegianni.com/a-grain-free-bread-recipe-from-a-nutritional-biochemist