SPELT BREAD
Mixing up a yeast dough and then baking it without giving it time to rise (let alone kneading it) is counter-intuitive, but it works. Baker Andrew Whitley says that if you let it rise slowly, in a cool place overnight, it will be even better. ( I just gave it 15 mins lightly covered before popping in the oven, as was suggested when this recipe appeared in the week-end magazine from the Sunday Mail)
Ingredients
1lb 2oz/500g spelt flour
2 sachets/10g fast-acting dried yeast
½ tsp sea salt
2oz/50g sunflower seeds
2oz/50g sesame seeds
2oz/50g linseed's (optional)
400-500ml warm water ( use enough to form a dough)
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
Method
Combine all the ingredients, adding the water last. Mix well and when the dough is well mixed together lightly flour your hands and the work surface and gently shape the loaf to fit the tin and then turn the dough into a greased loaf tin.
Leave lightly covered for 15 mins then -
Put straight into the oven and bake for 55 mins.
Remove the loaf, turn it out of the tin and then return it to the oven without the tin for a further 5-10 minutes.
And here is another recipe to try using Spelt flour and In season Rhubarb. I have to admit that I have yet to try this one myself, I will post the result when I do.
SPELT AND RHUBARB CAKE
Spelt's nutty flavour goes well with rhubarb.
Ingredients
5oz/140g butter
7oz/200g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
4 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, chopped
7oz/200g spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
14oz/400g slender rhubarb stems
Caster sugar to finish
Method
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a cake tin about 7in x 11in/17cm x 27cm with baking parchment.
Melt the butter and stir in the soft brown sugar.
Allow to cool slightly, then mix in the eggs, ginger, flour and baking powder. Scrape the mixture into the lined tin and spread out.
Trim the rhubarb to fit the tin length-ways and lay over the top of the mixture, packing in as many stems as you can.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is risen, golden and cooked through.
Brush with some syrup from the ginger jar, dredge well with caster sugar and allow to cool in the tin.