Spelt Bread

When I first heard the diagnosis for my daughter and the strict instructions of 'no wheat and no sugar' I literally gulped. What on earth was I going to feed the child?? How can one live without wheat?? Quite well, I learned.

At first I set out for my local grocery and loaded up on spelt products for my daughter, whom I shall call Ess for the purpose of the blog. She is no longer able to eat school lunches, which means I have to send with a lunch box of food with her comparable to what her classmates are eating.

I tired of that route quickly. Ready made spelt products are costly, and to be honest, don't taste all that great. Add 'no sugar' to the mix, and you're setting yourself up to eating tasteless store-bought products.

Around the same time I decided to take myself off wheat and sugar to help the weight-loss process along, and I got really fed up. I wanted GOOD food. So did my poor little girl. I pulled out my trusty KitchenAid and set to work. After many batches of dough dumped in the garbage, this is what I ended up with.


Spelt Bread

7 cups white spelt flour
2 tsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon dough conditioner - optional

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water, with either the honey or a sprinkle of regular white sugar. When it bubbles, add the remaining water, half the flour, the salt, and dough conditioner. Start mixing and add the remaining flour slowly - you might not need the entire 7 cups.

VERY important - take care not to over-knead the dough!!! The gluten in spelt flour is very delicate, and it is possible to over-knead it. I usually let it mix for 2-3 minutes after the dough forms.

Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 200 F (yep, you read right). Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

Punch down the dough with your fist. Divide in two, and shape each half into a loaf and place into the prepared loaf pans. Place the pans in the oven and allow them to rise in the warm oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, raise the oven temperature to 350 and bake the bread for approximately 50 minutes.

Once these are done, HIDE THEM!!! The first time I got it right, my daughter and I ate through and entire loaf. It's that good.