Everyday spelt loaf

Is it a fad? Why is spelt getting so much press? I don't know all the answers, but I hope what I do know can help if you need to cook with it too. The gluten in spelt grain is more easily digestible, and more quickly breaks down in water...or stomach acid! It's also more 'fragile' and spelt will seem a wetter grain to cook with - but leave it sticky and wet - it's going to give you a lighter, fluffier finish.

My son's general food sensitivity load is lightened by using spelt instead of normal wheat, so we'll take any gains we can get. I love spelt myself. My mum has a fantastic wholemeal recipe that I shall make her post one day, but here's my everyday loaf, this has slightly larger holes because I have run out of ascorbic acid this week.

What you need:

Proper deep bread tin - worth hunting the internet! I line mine and lightly grease.

100g grain - e.g. mix of buckwheat, oats, millet, teff

400g water

2tsp plus heaped 1/2tsp of yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons of ascorbic acid or 2 teaspoons bread improver

2 teaspoons sugar or honey if you can have honey

590g spelt flour

handful of grains or seeds (I use 2tbsp worth of mixed poppy seeds, quinoa and buckwheat)

45g oil 

1 1/2 tsp salt

What you need to do:

Mill your 100g grain for 1 minute speed 9.

Add the 400g water, sugar, yeast and ascorbic acid. Set for 2 minutes, 50 degrees. Turn the speed to 3 slowly to incorporate ingredients, and then turn down to speed 1.

Leave this mix for a few minutes when finished - at least until it has started to bubble.

Add the remaining ingredients, combine for 12 seconds speed 6. Knead for 2.5 minutes, interval setting, locked lid position.

When finished - keep the mix in the thermomix bowl, and put it somewhere warm and draught free for 35-45 minutes.

When finished, return to thermomix bowl and knead for 5 seconds, interval setting, locked lid position. Tip the mix out onto a lightly greased bench. Return the bowl to the base and whizz for 1 second speed 7 to get any extra mix off the blades, scrape out with a fine-edged spatula.

Combine all the dough with your hands and knead gently into a bread loaf shape. 

Place in the bread tin. Cover the tin with a greased, flat tray. Leave it for 15 minutes in a warm location to start to rise.

When the 15 minutes has finished, place in a cold oven - in the middle. Turn the oven to 190 degrees and set a timer for 40 minutes. It should be golden brown, and sound hollow when you knock it with your fist.

When ready, I allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin, and then turn out quite quickly to a rack to cool. 

Nothing quite beats slathers of fresh butter and tomato and salt and pepper! Yummo.