Spelt Bread On A Rainy Saturday

Such a strange day. I'm sitting inside my house in Villaverde, and the rain is pounding violently against the window. We have some of the strongest winds in Villaverde, we're situated about 15 miles inland, up in the hills amongst two old volcanoes. The whole island gets wind coming from the north east, but being this much higher than sea level, we get a bit more.  When it's beautiful and sunny the wind is highly appreciated, as it tempers the heat. But right now it is absolutely treacherous. I've never seen weather like this here.

Apart from the weather, my day has been fantastic. Since arriving Tuesday evening, I've worked close to twenty five hours in the kitchen. I've been coming in for split shifts to try and get as much time in and learn my way around again. In the morning we prepare brunch for guests.

Brunch buffet, insert homemade bread on the cutting board

This morning's menu included homemade muesli, granola, homemade yoghurt, 

Muesli, granola, yoghurt, honey, and soy milk on the breakfast buffet

 fruit salad of pear, banana, papaya, persimmon, and kiwi, homemade muesli bread served with, you guessed it, homemade marmalade 

Rolling out the dough for muesli bread

I think we can just assume from here on out that everything is made in house- it's fantastic) and ghee, as well as a platter of crudites with spicy cannellini bean dip.

Avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrot served with spicy cannellini bean dip

 After brunch, we start preparing the evening meal. There are four evening meals each week. Saturday's are change over day at the Villa, so a whole new group will be joining us this evening. They're in for a soul warming Indian inspired dinner. Perfect for this chilly day.

Tonight's Menu

Puy Dal lentils

Brown rice

Indian spiced cauliflower

Carrot salad with apple, mint and sesame seeds

Fresh baked bread with ghee

Marinated courgette 

Vegan aioli 

Baked bananas and dark chocolate (using bananas picked from the tree outside!)

I spent my morning chopping and sauteing onions for the cauliflower dish- I've never cried so much in my life, and learning how to make gluten free bread using rice and buckwheat flour. My efforts are slow-rising in the fridge now, this allows for the yeast in the dough to naturally ferment, or pre-digest. When the yeast has ample time to ferment, it releases nutrients into the bread and breaks down what our body alone can not. Many of us eat store bought bread, which is not prepared in such a way. Bread that is poorly made will be poorly digested. Wheat gluten absolutely MUST be fermented for human consumption, when done so, it contains a powerful blend of 18 amino acids, complex carbohydrates, and necessary vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. Who knew bread could hold such a powerhouse of nutrients? 

When improperly prepared, wheat gluten is one of the most highly allergenic foods we can consume. It would be hard not to notice the explosion of gluten allergies in recent years. You now see gluten-free (GF) labeling on everything from restaurant menus to ketchup (not that tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or salt contain gluten, but thank you new food labeling laws). If you are intolerant of commercially made breads, and dry rice bread isn't cuttin' it for you, you may want to try to make a loaf of your own bread. You can use any flour that you like, if you tend towards gluten intolerance, I would recommend experimenting with spelt flour. Spelt is an ancient strain of wheat from Europe, it has not been hybridized for high rates of market production and consumption like common wheat. The gluten in pelt is water soluble, and it is easily digested, which also allows your body to absorb the most nutrients. Below is a very simple recipe for bread, one that you can dress up in any way you choose. Here at the retreat we make a number of different loaves, if we have leftover porridge we add dried fruit, nuts, and seeds to make muesli bread, you can also add and herbs of your choosing. The options are infinite!

Basic Spelt Bread makes 1 loaf

8 cups spelt flour

2 tsp sea salt

1.5 c warm water

1-2 Tbsp honey

15 g fresh yeast

mixed seeds (flax, sesame, poppy, sunflower, etc.)

Directions

1. Add the warm water, yeast,  honey, and sea salt into a large mixing bowl, leaving enough room for the dough to rise substantially, stir to dissolve honey and yeast.
2. As you stir, pour in flour to slowly incorporate. You don't have to worry about over mixing the dough, spelt just breaks down further when stirred, unlike wheat which becomes tougher. 
3. When fully combined, cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The dough can truly sit there for over a day, so don't sweat it, more fermentation for you.
4. The next day, uncover your dough, pull it out onto a floured surface and knead it a little until it feels pliable and uniform in texture. Place a piece of parchment paper in your desired baking tin, and press the dough into it, filling in the corners. Brush the top of the loaf with water (to make the seeds stick) and sprinkle them generously on top of your bread.
5. Place this tin into a 150 F oven for an hour or so, the time does not have to be exact, it's simply an opportunity for the bread to rise further in a warmer environment. 
6. Turn the oven on to 350 F and bake the bread for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. To check if the bread is done, turn it on it's side and knock against the bottom, it should sound hollow. If you're still unsure, simply slice a little and see if the dough is still sticky.

Muesli bread crusted with sunflower and flax seeds

I think spelt bread is perfect with a little coconut oil and a drizzle of honey, it's also moist enough to use for sandwiches or to accompany soup. You can do no wrong! 

Cheers!