Category Archives: bread

Spelt Baguette

2 Replies

Making bread at home can be daunting, but what if I were to tell you that I truly believe anyone can do it 

Especially this recipe, it’s a” throw it together and forget about it” kind of recipe.

Almost that is, you do have to mix and knead a little bit.

Let me elaborate, you place all the ingredients in a bowl, knead for a few minutes, by hand or mixer. Then you cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours.

The next morning, you knead again for a minute or two, shape into four or six baguettes and cover for half an hour, then bake. It’s that simple.

The aroma of freshly baked Spelt baguette in the morning is like nothing else, you might think you’re in Paris! Just add a café au lait, and you’re good to go.

INGREDIENTS:
500 gr Spelt flour
350 ml water, hand warm
2 gr yeast
6 gr salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand or use a mixer with hook attachment.  Knead dough for 5 minutes and cover bowl tightly.

Place in refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours or overnight. Can also be made early in the morning for an evening bake.

After the resting period in the refrigerator, take the dough out of the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead for two minutes and shape into four or six Spelt baguettes. Rolling the dough tightly, so you squeeze out all the air.

Place the baguettes on a parchment lined baking sheet and score the Spelt baguettes with a sharp knife. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven at this point to 240 C / 460 F, place a small ovenproof container filled with hot water in the back of the oven. Place the Spelt baguettes in the middle of the oven and bake. For 4 baguettes it is 17 minutes approximately, for 6 smaller baguettes 15 minutes approximately.  You may have to turn the tray halfway baking depending on how good your oven is.

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
When tapped, the bread should sound hollow.

My favourite way to eat fresh baguette is with French country butter, preferably salted and strawberry jam. Enjoy!

Advertisement

Blueberry Lemon Banana Bread

Leave a reply

With summer on it’s way, it is time to lighten things up a bit,  including my daily slice of Banana bread.
I have come up with a Blueberry Lemon Banana bread that is light and fresh. We all love the Blueberry and Lemon combination, it’s a classic! And the bursting little Blueberries in every bite make this an irresistible treat. Perfect for breakfast,  afternoon tea or as a simple snack.
I have made this Blueberry Lemon banana bread recipe with my gluten free flour blend but you can substitute it for regular flour,  you may need to add a little splash of milk or water to the batter since regular flour absorbs more liquid. Just add about two tablespoons, it should be a thick batter but pourable.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup rice syrup, honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 cups (gluten free) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup blueberries tossed in one tablespoon flour, frozen *
Zest of 1/2  lemon (yellow part only)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre heat oven to 180C/350F
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and spray with oil.

Start by blending the bananas with the eggs,  oil, rice syrup or honey, vanilla and lemon juice, in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Alternatively you can mash and whisk by hand in a large bowl.
In a large bowl,  mix the flour, salt, lemon zest, baking powder,  baking soda and whisk to combine.  Add the batter from the food processor and mix carefully with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the blueberries and combine gently.
Pour into loaf tin and place in the middle of the oven,  bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until cooked thru. Insert a wooden skewer into the middle to test, if it comes out dry the blueberry banana bread is done. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool. 

Enjoy!

*Note: I prefer frozen Blueberries since they keep their shape better.

Amish soft white Spelt bread

Leave a reply

A soft, pillowy bread made with white Spelt flour. With just 6 ingredients you can make this wonderful Amish style soft white Spelt bread at home with minimum effort. It’s a very simple recipe and straightforward,  even if this is your first attempt to making bread ever. You will succeed.
I believe that this is one of those recipes that everyone should have in their….I want to say note book, but I’m probably the only person who still writes things down, so save it wherever you do.
Anyway, getting off track here, this is one of those recipes you will keep coming back to. 
Use all purpose flour if you don’t have Spelt, no problem at all.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (hand) warm water
1 tbsp. White sugar
1 sachet/2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
2 tsp. Neutral oil
3 cups white Spelt flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 beaten egg for brushing loaf

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a glass jug, add one cup hand warm water and stir in the tablespoon of sugar until dissolved.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir gently to dissolve. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

To the bowl of your stand mixer, add two cups of the flour and the teaspoon of salt.
Stir to combine.
After 5 to ten minutes, your yeast mixture should be activated and showing foam and bubbles on top.

Pour this over the flour in the bowl and with the hook attachment knead until well combined, around two to three minutes. Now add the remaining flour. You may need a little less if you are using regular flour, so don’t add the whole remaining cup all at once. 

Once you have added the flour, knead for 7 minutes until soft to the touch.
Place in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel or cling film.
Let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk, about one to an hour and a half.
Punch down the dough and fold by hand a few times on a floured surface.
Place the dough in an oiled and parchment lined bread tin of about 9″ × 4″ .
Cover loosely with oil sprayed cling film and leave to rise until double in height.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 180C/350 F

Brush the loaf with the beaten egg and pace in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  The bread loaf should sound hollow when you tap on it,  if you’re not sure, insert a wooden skewer in the center of the bread,  it should come out dry.

Also, if the bread becomes too dark for your liking, cover loosely with foil.
Remove bread from oven and place on a rack to cool, after 5 minutes remove from bread tin and let cool completely. This loaf freezes very well. 

Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread, gluten free

Leave a reply

This vegan chocolate zucchini bread is a game-changer. It’s perfectly sweet, and dare I say it…moist (ughh, I just can’t with this word) and has a rich chocolate flavor. It’s soft and bouncy, tender and just everything you want from a banana bread.

Morning, noon or as a dessert, it’s always good and just perfectly delicious.

I wanted to create a Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Banana bread that would have all the characteristics of a regular Banana bread, but without is either falling apart or being too dense, which can be a challenge since it is gluten-free too. Guess what?…nailed it…LOL.

The trick is the combo of flax flour and Psyllium husk powder, it’s like magic. I use in my gluten-free breads too and honestly, it works every time. A great plus about this recipe is that you can skip squeezing out the zucchini altogether, there’s no point in removing liquid first and then adding it back in later. Also, a waste of perfectly healthy zucchini “juice”.

For this recipe I created my own gluten-free flour blend and I haven’t tested it with any other ready-made GF blend, but I imagine it would work too. You may need to add a little more or less liquid, depending on the flour you use. As for the chocolate chips, (I feel like I’m confessing to a crime…but) I didn’t use any, I opted for cocoa nibs instead but feel free to throw in a handful of real chocolate chips if that’s your game.

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND*:

  • 1/2 cup Corn flour (not starch)
  • 1/2 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca four
  • 1/2 cup corn starch

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini (280 gr. / 10 oz. ) about 1 medium/large
  • 1 cup bananas mashed, about 2 large or 3 medium
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/3 cup rice syrup
  • 1 tsp. plain vinegar
  • 2 cups gluten free flour blend
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. psyllium husk powder
  • 2 tsp. flax flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa nibs or 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a buttered loaf tin 22 cm/9″ with parchment paper.

Start by grating the zucchini with a medium grater into a large bowl. Set aside for a minute.

In a blender add bananas, apple sauce, olive oil, vanilla, syrup and vinegar, blend until smooth.

Pour over the zucchini and mix thoroughly so that you don’t get zucchini clumps.

In another bowl mix the flour with the (sifted) cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, flax flour and psyllium husk powder. Mix by stirring with a whisk.

Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to combine without over mixing.

Sprinkle in the cocoa nibs or chocolate chips and mix gently into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared loaf tin, smooth out the top of the batter with a small spatula and place in the middle of the oven.

Bake for about 60 minutes, insert wooden skewer to check, if it comes out dry it’s done.

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from loaf tin, leaving on the parchment paper and let cool completely before cutting.

This loaf will keep for 3 to 4 days, or you can slice and freeze individual portions.

Enjoy!

NOTES :

*you will have a little flour left over. Alternatively make a double batch and use for gluten free pancakes or any other baked goods.

** You don’t need extra liquid in this recipe, the zucchini, apple sauce and oil are enough.