Spring sandwich from scratch. Turmeric buns, baked tofu, and carrot dill spread

The time has come for a simple but quite ambitious recipe – a vegan sandwich prepared from scratch. A simple, crunchy roll with the addition of turmeric and dill paste, made from roasted carrots, and baked tofu, which thanks to a specific coating and one magic ingredient gives the impression of being deep-fried. This roll is almost a breakfast burger, but all in all… it doesn’t even have to be a breakfast one. All of these three short recipes can be prepared at about the same time and baked in one go – when the buns grow, it’s the right time to take care of the carrots and tofu, and when the situation is completely under control, all you have to do is turn on the oven!

Although I recommend this particular combination of ingredients, you can of course do it in a different way: the rolls can be prepared for various uses – the sandwich paste can be left in the fridge for a few days, and the baked tofu will also be a good addition to dinner.

Turmeric Wheat Buns

(6 small buns)

  • 250g wheat flour
  • 150ml hot water
  • 20g fresh yeast
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp turmeric

  1. Sift the flour with the addition of salt and turmeric into a larger bowl. In a separate bowl or a cup, combine yeast with warm water, a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of flour. Leave to rise for five minutes.

  2. Add the grown yeast to a bowl with flour and knead the dough. When it is quite tight, add oil and continue kneading for another few minutes.

  3. Leave the ball of dough in a bowl covered with a cloth for half an hour (in the meantime you can start preparing the tofu and the carrot dill paste from the recipes below).

  4. Divide the risen dough into six parts. Knead each part into a separate, flexible bun. Place them on the baking paper.

  5. Along the centre, form a recess with your fingers (as in the picture) and turn the buns with the recess downwards. Leave to rise for another 15 minutes.

  6. Turn the buns upside down. Now they are ready for baking. They need about 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees in the oven.

  • The buns and baking paper should be sprayed with plenty of water before putting them in the oven. Thanks to this the buns will get that crispy layer.

  • Grown buns can rest for a few more minutes and grow even more. Try to prepare all three recipes and bake everything at the same time.

Roasted carrot dill paste

  • 2 large carrots (or 3-4 smaller ones)
  • vegetable oil (one tbsp is enough)
  • clove of garlic
  • a tbsp of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
  • flat tsp of salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 4 tbsps of oil
  • 3 tbsps of chopped dill

  1. Wash the carrots, cut them in half. Rub them with oil and place on the baking paper.

  2. Bake for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

  3. Cut the roasted carrots into smaller pieces, add a clove of garlic, balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and olive oil. Blend it until smooth.

  4. Add in the chopped dill. Try it – if necessary, add a more salty or sour flavouring (a pinch of hot chilli or a teaspoon of horseradish will also turn up the taste of the paste well). It tastes best when it cools down a bit.

Oven-baked tofu

  • 1 tofu cube (170g)
  • 2 tbsps of your favourite mustard (such as dijon)
  • 1 tbsp of sweet syrup, such as agave syrup (or a tbsp of sugar)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp corn starch (optional tsp of potato or tapioca starch)
  • 1 flat tsp salt
  • pepper

  1. Cut the tofu into 6-8 thin slices. Dry with a paper towel or cloth.

  2. In a container with a larger bottom, mix the marinade ingredients: mustard, sweet syrup, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and starch.

  3. Coat the tofu slices with the mustard marinade, leave in the container for a few minutes so that they can absorb the flavours.

  4. Lay the tofu on the baking paper and cover it with the remaining marinade. While baking, the starch will transform into a crunchy coating.

  5. Bake for about 20/25 minutes at 200 degrees.

The Finale: Assembling the sandwich

With this step, no holds barred! I recommend enriching the sandwich with an additional portion of fresh vegetables: lettuce leaf, a slice of cucumber or tomato.

Still hungry?