simple spelt bread

I've been posting a lot of soup recipes recently, because I love soup and its cold and soups are very warming and nourishing! However a nice slice or two of delicious home-made bread just elevates the whole soup experience and who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread?
So on that note I thought I'd share one of my favourite bread recipes from the totally awesome and fabulous Lee Watson, author of Peace and Parsnips, one of my absolute favourite vegan authors and all round cool dude! I'd highly recommend his book, it is full of mouth wateringly heavenly combinations from all corners of the world and all totally healthy and delicious.
Anyway back to the bread
​This bread is delicious and really easy to make. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat and is way more nutritious than any of the modern wheat varieties. It has more fibre, iron, potassium, zinc and B vitamins and has a low GI which can help to stabilise blood sugar. It contains less gluten than wheat and the gluten is a different structure which is much easier to digest, making it a healthier choice for most of us, especially those with digestive issues.  Spelt tends to be more amenable to organic farming since it has a hard hull which naturally protects it from insects and pollutants, negating the need for chemical pesticides, whereas wheat is one of the crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides!
I always buy organic flour for bread and baking anyway and would recommend you do the same. We don’t need any more pesticide residues and kids are 4 times more susceptible to chemicals than adults. So it’s a no brainer if you have kids, buy organic flour for baking!
So this loaf is really lovely, it makes great toast, it’s dense and has a lovely crisp crust. The dough is quite wet and sticky but you just have to knead it for a few minutes then it holds its shape in the tin.
If you prefer you can use half spelt and half white flour or wholemeal which makes the dough slightly easier to work with and less sticky but then its not quite so nutritious! Its still miles ahead of shop bought bread, which is generally full of additives, flour improvers, preservatives, sugar and pesticide laden flour!

INGREDIENTS
500g spelt flour or( 250g spelt and 250g white or wholemeal flour)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon quick yeast
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup or honey
400ml warm water
1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
A large handful sunflower seeds, about ¼ cup
A large handful of walnuts, roughly chopped (optional but recommended)
METHOD

1. Mix together the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
2. Dissolve the sweetener in the warm water and gradually mix into the flour. The mix is pretty sticky and wet but don’t worry, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
3. Add the oil, seeds and nuts and continue to mix.
4. Knead for a few minutes, then place in a large (1kg) loaf tin or 2 smaller (500g) tins, cover loosely and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6
6. Bake the bread for 40 – 45 minutes.
7. Tap the bottom, if it sounds hollow, its done! The smaller loaves will take 5 to 10 minutes less to bake.
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

 
                          .......your health in your hands......