The TAMPERed PRESS - Cafe and Community Space

The TAMPERed PRESS - Cafe and Community Space Follow the shop on Instagram - (We take Interac too!)

Hot and Iced drinks, home-baked goods, healthy snacks and sandwiches with free wi-fi and a wonderful view of Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Finally, Brownie day! This recipe has a lot of very important specifics that make the brownie so gooey, and rich and one...
03/28/2023

Finally, Brownie day! This recipe has a lot of very important specifics that make the brownie so gooey, and rich and one-of-a-kind:
The spelt flour makes it soft and gooey (and makes it low-gluten), the superior red cocoa and PC dark chocolate both give a deep chocolatey flavour (in the gold wrapper), the super fine (instant dissolving) sugar ensures a smooth texture, and the scant baking powder ensures it doesn’t get cakey. And no, we have never tried it with any ‘herbal’ ingredients that the Saturday afternoon park crowd always wanted us to add… so please try on our behalf. 😉😎

WORLD’S FUDGIEST BROWNIES

2 1/4 cups unsalted butter
14 squares semi sweet chocolate (at the shop, we used one 300 g bar of the PC dark chocolate and 3 squares semi-sweet)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (we used superior red)
1 cup spelt flour
2 scant tsp baking powder
3 1/2 cups superfine (instant dissolving) sugar
8 large eggs

Use a double boiler or a large bowl over a pot filled 1/3 full of water. Do not let the water touch the bowl/top pot. Bring the water to a boil then turn to a low simmer. We used a bowl over a pot.

Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl and melt over hot water. Stir very regularly. Add the chopped walnuts and stir in.

In the meantime, in a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar. Place the eggs in a smaller bowl/measuring cup and mix.
Remove bowl of melted butter/chocolate/nuts from heat and add dry ingredients. Mix with hand mixer. Add the eggs and mix again.

Spray two 9”x13” pans lightly with oil and cover with parchment paper (oil helps parchment stick to the pan). Divide mixture between the 2 pans.

Bake in a regular oven for 23-25 minutes at 350 degrees (we baked them in a convection oven for 18 mins at 285 degrees). Should be gooey inside and only a bit darker around the edges.
Cool on racks, then in fridge. Remove foil and cut into squares.

📷:

There was nothing I liked better than a regular with a birthday, which meant we got to stick a candle in our gf/v mini d...
03/14/2023

There was nothing I liked better than a regular with a birthday, which meant we got to stick a candle in our gf/v mini donut and make their day a bit more special!
These donuts were also a hit amongst our under 8 yr old crowd and really were the perfect one-bite hit of dolce!
This is an adapted recipe from Babycakes and I will tell you now, this one takes a bit of patience and a LOT of different ingredients you might not readily have on hand! But the end result is soooo worth it!!
Enjoy!

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE DONUTS
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup unprocessed organic cane sugar
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water

Whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, mix together all wet ingredients including the oil, applesauce, vanilla and hot water.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. You will find that the batter starts rising almost immediately because of the hot water.

Spray a mini-donut pan with oil and fill each mold until 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Check at 17-18 minutes as all ovens bake differently. Should be medium brown.

You can also use a regular sized donut pan. Bake these at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes, then check. Remove from pan when cool and glaze, if desired.

GLAZE:
3 cups icing sugar (vegan or regular)
1/3 cup hot water
1-2 tsp vanilla extract, depending on taste.

Mix together and dip donuts into glaze. Shake off excess.

For the shop, we made this recipe x 8 and made 3 batches at at time. We would freeze the batter and use as needed.

The espresso-toffee cookie, which we loved to call the Bellwood’s Beaut, was a recipe we really wanted to get right - we...
02/28/2023

The espresso-toffee cookie, which we loved to call the Bellwood’s Beaut, was a recipe we really wanted to get right - we wanted the crunch of the espresso, the sweet carameliness of the toffee, and an experience like no other cookie. Although it took some time for it to gain popularity, it definitely became a signature item for us!
(For the love of caffeine, please don’t use instant coffee!)

ESPRESSO TOFFEE COOKIES
2 cups plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
12 tbsp (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp fine ground and 3 tbsp coarse ground espresso coffee beans 1-1 1/2 cups skor bits

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk flour, coarse espresso, baking soda and salt together, In separate bowl, mix together fine espresso, white and brown sugar. Add melted butter and mix in. Beat egg and egg yolk together, then add to sugar/butter /espresso mixture and beat together. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix together. Stir in skor bits. Scoop cookies - we make them about 50 g each. Do not roll into tight balls - keep them loose and rough looking.
Bake approximately 15 -17 minutes. Should appear underbaked, a bit wet in the middle and slightly browned.

Today we have one of our healthy recipes! Sweetened with just a little honey (less than a tablespoon per square) and fil...
02/15/2023

Today we have one of our healthy recipes! Sweetened with just a little honey (less than a tablespoon per square) and filled with nutty protein, fruit, and our fave prebiotic, oats! This was one of the original recipes for the shop, and was always a high seller! I found it would keep me feeling satisfied for a good part of the day with energy to spare!
Please enjoy pre-workout, when you don’t have time for lunch, or just when you want a little something delicious!

ENERGY BARS:

3 cups quick oats
3 cups shredded wheat cereal (spoon sized)
3 cups walnuts
4 - 41/2 cups dried fruit (we use a combination of apricots, dates and cranberries. Cut up the apricots and dates). We use 700 g dried fruit (fills a 750 ml yogurt container)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
6 large eggs
1 cup honey
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9” by 12” pans with foil.

Place oats, wheat cereal, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon and salt in bowl and mix thoroughly. Place in batches into food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Do not overdo.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey and vanilla. Add dry mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
Transfer to pans and press down well.

Bake about 18 minutes until edges are brown. When cool, peel off the foil and slice each pan into 18 bars.

Can be stored in refrigerator for a couple of weeks or frozen and used a few at a time.

If you want a smaller batch, you can divide the recipe by 3 and make one 8” x 8” pan, or you can divide the recipe by 2 and make one 9” x 12” pan.

📷:

Our Banana Pecan Loaf was always a favourite at the shop - vegan and oh so moist, filled with all those bananas that rip...
02/07/2023

Our Banana Pecan Loaf was always a favourite at the shop - vegan and oh so moist, filled with all those bananas that ripened before we could sell them! 😆
When we originally made this recipe, we would top the loaf with the streusel but overtime, we ended up mixing the streusel into the batter to add texture to the entire loaf!
Please enjoy with a deep breath, a minute for yourself, and a warm cozy beverage. (I suggest a delicious Chai Tea!)

BANANA PECAN LOAF (VEGAN):

Streusel:
6 tablespoons unbleached organic cane sugar
6 tablespoons cake flour
4 tablespoons vegan butter (use a soft one like Becel for this recipe)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Mix together and save.

Loaf:
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup unbleached organic cane sugar
4 large ripe (can be previously frozen) bananas, mashed or processed in blender or food processor
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a large loaf pan with oil (or grease with vegan butter). Mix together the almond milk and vinegar. Let it stand for a few minutes so it curdles.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar together. Add bananas and vanilla and continue to beat until blended.

Alternately add 1/3 the flour mixture, then 1/2 milk mixture, beating after each addition. Start and end with the flour mixture. Sprinkle the streusel mix on top and stir into the batter.
Bake for approximately 80-90 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely before slicing.
Can use 2 small loaf pans, but reduce baking time to 50 - 55 minutes.

I make the loaf recipe x 4 and use small loaf pans. Makes 8 loaves.
I make the streusel recipe x 8 and divide up into 475g containers, using one container per batch.

These cookies are like your friend that is very popular but somewhat sensitive….coconut oil solidifies in cooler tempera...
01/31/2023

These cookies are like your friend that is very popular but somewhat sensitive….coconut oil solidifies in cooler temperatures, and it just doesn’t work in this recipe unless it is liquid. You can microwave it, being careful to remove as soon as it is melted. We like to sit a container of the solid oil in hot water to melt it. Do not put the whole plastic container of oil in the microwave because the container will melt. We may have learned this from experience 😳. Because there is both baking powder and baking soda in this recipe, it rises quite quickly, especially if the coconut oil is still warm. You can still work with it after this, store it in the fridge or freezer, but the lids may pop off! This doesn’t affect your cookies when baked. If your dough solidifies quickly when working with it, it means the coconut oil is cooling/solidifying. Again, it doesn’t affect the final product. Make sure, if you soften the dates with hot water, that you drain and press out the water really well in a sieve. With the Medjool dates - you can use regular dates too. We enjoy baking them on the darker side because of the nice crunch and rich taste. We made this recipe x 8 and 3 batches at a time.
Enjoy!

Gluten-Free/Vegan Oatmeal Cookies:

1 cup gluten-free large flake oats (regular oats work too)
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid state
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup (about 40 g) Medjool dates, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, then mashed or blended into a thick paste (or chopped without soaking, if you prefer larger chunks).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In large bowl, combine dry ingredients - oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. In another bowl, combine maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix. Stir in dates.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto parchment covered baking sheet (we make ours 50-55 g), leaving space for spreading. Bake for 15-18 minutes and check that edges are brown and top is golden. May require a couple of minutes more. Let cool before removing from pan.

Here we go! Recipe #1, a fave! Our gluten-free/vegan macaroons are simple to make, and oh, so delectable! This is one o...
01/08/2023

Here we go! Recipe #1, a fave! Our gluten-free/vegan macaroons are simple to make, and oh, so delectable!

This is one of the first few recipes we decided to make for the shop when we opened. It is something Momma E’s mom, also known to many as Gran, used to make on the farm so very long ago when Momma E was young.
But when Gran made it, the outcome often depended on what she had available - mostly whatever sugar she had on hand and usually cream from the farm, and more or less chocolatey depending on how much cocoa there was at the time - no running to the corner store. Nothing was measured, and the results, though sometimes unexpected, were always amazing - especially to a bunch of little farm kids in rural Manitoba.

At the shop, everything is measured, we have balanced different versions of the coconut and oats to create what we feel is an ideal consistency, and we think we have come up with a delicious vegan, gluten free version. If you prefer tradition, the milk and butter can be substituted with the regular stuff. Enjoy!

MACAROONS (vegan/gf):
**This recipe can be made with regular milk and butter. It will no longer be vegan.

6 tablespoons cocoa (we use superior red alkalized)
1/2 cup vegan butter (we use Melt buttery sticks)
1/2 cup oat milk
1 1/2 cups unbleached organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups large flake oatmeal
1 cup quick oatmeal
1/2 cup medium unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Mix first four ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, turn down to a low boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir very regularly. Remove from heat and add vanilla, Stir.
In a bowl, mix oats and coconuts. Pour chocolate mix over dry mix and stir. Let cool for a few minutes. Form into macaroons and cool in fridge.

We make them 50 g each.
I make this recipe x 3. This triple batch makes about 60 macaroons.

Change feels almost impossible. My mind still worries I haven’t made next week’s schedule. My hands still go to my phone...
12/31/2022

Change feels almost impossible.

My mind still worries I haven’t made next week’s schedule. My hands still go to my phone to call suppliers for next week’s milk order, or coffee delivery. My mind still races with ideas about how to engage the community in shopping local, and entice people to visit the shop on a rainy or cold day.

For thirteen years I have been a barista-supervisor-human resource manager-plumber-electrician-baker-prep cook that has overseen inventory, staff, customer service, marketing and accounting. And as of tomorrow, this crazy role of being a business owner comes to a close.

Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
I feel like I’ve been pedalling at full speed for a long time, and I think it’s time to put one foot down for a second, and catch my breath. I believe that it’s okay to pause for that second, take a look around and see where you ended up.

And wow. What a view.

Where I ended up is in a place of love. Love from my family, supporting me through this adventure. Love from my staff that gave their all every day that they came to work; they respected me and the shop, and made it their own. Love from Momma E shown through her incredible baking day in and day out, and also shown through her relationships with the staff and customers. And lastly, love from you guys - the regulars. My god, so much love. All I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I am in awe of the love felt for the last thirteen years, and especially the last six weeks. The stories I have heard, the dedication people have had to supporting us, and the proclamations of passion for our shop have all been overwhelming to say the least.

When I opened the shop I was 26 years old. This year I will be turning 40. Literally one third of my life has been this shop. Which means one third of my life has been This Community. These Regulars. My Staff.

Change feels almost impossible. But, as I put my foot down for a second, and see the love around me, I know I can catch my breath, pick up my foot, and move forward knowing this love will be with me as I continue my journey.

Thank you. I love you.

MemoryMoment:When I first opened the shop, I worked 100 days straight open to close. That was 14 hours/day, 7 days/week....
12/17/2022

MemoryMoment:
When I first opened the shop, I worked 100 days straight open to close. That was 14 hours/day, 7 days/week. My goal was to sell $300/day (approximately 40 people) to cover my bills and the payroll for one staff member.

Even though that was 13 years ago, I remember those days like they were yesterday. It was quiet enough to sit behind the counter and read a book between customers. The City decided to tear up Dundas St that spring so I only had a plank of wood as a way into the shop. And our basement flooded every time it rained. But I didn’t give up or even consider closing. I set a goal of working hard for one year before making any decisions.

I met some of my closest friends at the shop in that first three months. And let me tell you, it was these people, as well as Momma E, my husband rooting me on, and my one staff member Kyle (hi Kyle!) that kept me going.

Quickly after that first few months, we went from a staff of two to four (Hi Em and Vee!) And then it just grew from there.

But those first three months.

Those months were the beginning of understanding how strong I actually was, and it taught me that determination can drive success. It also led me to the realization of how important the support of the community, staff, family and friends would be in this endeavour called The Tampered Press.

So again, thank you. This shop is yours as much as it was mine. ❤️

*Please continue to stay tuned! We have some exciting things to share with you in the new year… let’s just say, Momma E feels like sharing some secrets!! 😉

MemoryMoment: When I started the shop, Momma E was still a teacher in Durham School Board. We NEVER had a plan for her t...
12/03/2022

MemoryMoment: When I started the shop, Momma E was still a teacher in Durham School Board. We NEVER had a plan for her to bake for the shop. I could not find a supplier of baked goods that I was satisfied with and the opening day was fast approaching. So I asked Momma to bake a few items to sell for the first couple of weeks while I continued my search for a supplier.
The rest is history!
She would bake on weekends and some evenings after teaching… and this continued until 2017 or so when she retired from teaching. And thank GOODNESS, as we were getting only busier and I needed her baking!! 😂 Since then, and also due to the pandemic, when I had a skeleton staff, she ended up more and more at the shop until present day where I cannot get her to leave the shop. Like, actually. I think she has a cot in the basement. Lol!
Momma E is one of the biggest reasons I have been able to make it through 13 years, in life and at the shop, and of course, also such a big reason for the shop’s success.
I love you Momma. Thank you.

Donation Time! Lets make it our best year!We are collecting items forNew Circles CommunityServices, specific information...
12/02/2022

Donation Time! Lets make it our best year!
We are collecting items for
New Circles Community
Services, specific information below:
New or very GENTLY used:
Winter Coats (all ages)
Kid's snowsuits
Snowpants
Winter Boots (all ages)
Scarves/Hats
Mittens/Gloves

Let’s fill my Jeep twice again!!

Autumn is here, fall colours are around the corner! And our fall menu is live!We have so many cozy bevvies for you - map...
09/29/2022

Autumn is here, fall colours are around the corner! And our fall menu is live!

We have so many cozy bevvies for you - maple mochas, hazelnut matchas, apple strudel tea… and so many more!

Come try one, come try all! Have a different seasonal bevy each day!

Support local, and support your taste buds!! 🍂 🍁 🍂

Address

256 Crawford Street
Toronto, ON
M6J2V8

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 8pm
Thursday 7am - 8pm
Friday 7am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 7pm
Sunday 8am - 7pm

Telephone

+14165349739

Website

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