This is a really tasty homemade spelt bread, made without wheat, spelt is an unrefined whole grain, but it does contain gluten so it is not suitable for coeliac’s, or people with a gluten sensitivity.
However, it is ideal for those people who may be sensitive to wheat since it is more easily digested than normal wheat bread.
Spelt An Ancient Grain
Spelt is an ancient grain, and one of the first grains to be used to make bread. It contains a good amount of dietary fibre, and is high in Manganese. Manganese is particularly useful for people who suffer with osteoporosis, and women with low levels of Manganese also suffer with more symptoms of PMS. It also contains vitamin B2, niacin, thiamine and copper.
I found this really easy to make, and cooking three loaves enabled me to freeze the other two to use another time, or it could make two larger loaves. If you prefer to make just one, you could easily adapt the recipe into smaller quantities.
The only tedious thing was kneading the dough, but if you are fortunate enough to have the right appliance to do this for you, or a bread maker then it is very straightforward.
It is more dense than normal wheat bread, but extremely filling and very tasty.
My kids really loved it, so it could make a nutritious after school snack with some sliced bananas on top.
Home Made Spelt Bread Recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of instant yeast
¼ cup of honey
¾ cup warm water
3 cups of warm water
1 tablespoon of Himalayan salt or sea salt
9 tablespoons of olive oil
9 cups of wholemeal spelt flour
Method
• In a bowl combine 3 cups of warm water , salt and the olive oil and set to one side
• In a cup mix the ¾ cup of warm water with the honey and yeast and mix well to combine
• Add 4 ½ cups of the flour to the bowl with the salt water mixture in it, and stir well to combine and the yeast mixture
• Add the remaining 4 ½ cups of flour to the mixture and knead for 8-10 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and then turn off the oven.
• Divide the dough into three equal pieces and place on greased oven proof pans.
• Place them in the warmed oven and allow to rise for around 1 hour
• Once risen bake in the oven for around 25 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade
This bread is best eaten straight away and will keep until the next day. It will not keep much beyond this because it does not contain any preservatives that you normally find in bought bread, but it does freeze well.
You can enjoy this sliced to make toast, or as a base for several different toppings such as fruit, eggs, beans, a healthier bruschetta or a delicious accompaniment for a hearty bowl of soup.
This recipe was adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/spelt-bread-206562
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