Easy peasy recipe for delicous & healthy Spelt Bread

I never thought I'd be the type to bake bread, but after finding an easy-peasy & quick recipe in James Duigan's Clean & Lean book, there's no stopping me!  There really is no substitute for home-baked bread; it tastes delicious, makes the house smell dreamy & spelt bread is really good for those with a wheat intolerance.

Let the magic begin!

 You can find out some of the health benefits of spelt flour here (you'll be baking every day when you see how good it is for you!) 

I like to put on a flowery apron, put on some classical music & make a cup of coffee whilst I'm baking, just cos it makes me feel all grown up - but that's just me!

After a few tries I've perfected & added to the recipe, so here's the Marzipants version (thank you James for getting me started!)

Ingredients:

500g Spelt Flour (you can find Spelt at most supermarket's or Dove Farm do a great range)

1g Fast Acting Yeast

1 teaspoon Salt (Maldon Salt is best)

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

50g Sunflower Seeds

50g Linseed

50g Pumpkin Seeds

500ml Warm Water  

How to make:

* Heat oven to 220°C / 400 °F

* Mix up all the ingredients in a large bowl leaving the water until last.  You can substitute any of the seeds for whatever you've got in the cupboard - poppy seeds, pine nuts, sesame seeds - go wild!

* Knead well until it feels nice & smooth & soft.

* Cover with a tea-towel & leave somewhere nice & warm for 1/2 hr so the dough has time to rise.  My friend Stefan leaves his in a warm tumble dryer & I like to leave mine upstairs in the sun in the wheelhouse of our boat.  Get creative about where you leave yours!

* Put into a greased loaf tin & criss-cross the top with a knife (or get artistic & create your own design).

* Bake in the oven for 40 mins to 1 hr (depends on how you like your bread - more doughy, or crispier).

* Take out of the oven, leave to sit for 10 mins & then EAT IT ALL UP whilst feeling rather proud of yourself for channelling your inner Mary Berry.

Ta-Da!

If you prefer a sweeter bread you can add some Agave syrup to the recipe & then glaze the top of the loaf 15 mins before you take it out of the oven with a mixture of warm water & Agave syrup. Let me know how you get on & would love to hear if you've got any extra tips.  Here's a snap of me & the girls from my recent yoga holiday enjoying some freshly baked bread on board a few weeks ago.

Happy Baking!

Maree x