Tuesday 15 June 2010

Mother's pride



Here I am again, and amazingly, it is exactly 1 year and 1 day since I last wrote - although it feels like 10 years! A wonderful busy year, lots of cooking, of course, and I shall catch up.

Two Sundays ago I picked up a magazine and saw a recipe for spelt bread - aha, a health bread! I'd like to say I kneaded and proved the yeast for hours, but no, you stir, shape, bake - done.

Now it's a loaf a week. Spelt is an ancient grain used since the bronze age. Tastes perfectly fresh and lightly nutty. Last night I swapped a third of the spelt for organic kamut, another ancient grain that the Egyptians used, although all available at Waitrose here in London. The best yet. Nutty and creamy and very filling.

The bread is truly divine when it's toasted, and we have developed a hopelessly uncomplicated dish of grilled tomatoes on toast. Halve the tomatoes, sliced spring onions and powdered veggie stock. Grill till collapsed. Plenty of butter on the toast. We had it again the next morning.

Spelt bread:
500g spelt flour
10g quick acting yeast
1/2 tsp salt (generous)
50g linseed, sesame, sunflower seeds (good handful each)
First generously butter the loaf tin and sprinkle with sunflower seeds (and any other seeds). Mix dry ingredients together well, add 400/500ml warm water and stir ...will be sticky. Form into a small loaf and place in the 1.2kg tin. Leave for 30 minutes (or not), then bake for 50 mins at 180C, out the tin, another 10 minutes.... ta-dah.