"Gluten Free" - chapter 2 - Not really.... Spelt bread

 

    The most dissapointing thing about going "gluten free" for me was not having "real" bread. I've been making our bread, almost exclusively, since 1972. Yes, I'm that old. At one time, when all of our children (6) were still at home, and we had another boy living with us, we would make 15 loaves of whole wheat bread all at one time, once a week. I have an enormous stainless steel bowl we used for that.

    I had read that some ancient grains, such as Spelt, could often be tolerated by people who are sensitive to wheat. I ordered a bag of organic whole grain Spelt flour from www.Azure.com, and so for the last week, I've been using it. I am very happy to tell you that it is not giving mw any trouble! Spelt DOES have gluten, but it is different, in some way, than the gluten in our modern wheat. Spelt is technically wheat. It's just thousands of years old. 

    The bread is very simple to make and is delicious. It is more tender than typical wheat bread. This bread rises in the bowl and then in the pan, but does not rise any more when you bake it. It makes very nice toast and sandwiches. I do not know how long it would "keep" because I sliced it, put small pieces of parchment baking paper between the slices so they won't stick together, put it in a freezer bag and into the freezer. That way I can take out just what we need and either let it thaw or make toast. 

    I found the recipe and instructions on YouTube and here it is: https://suemareep.com/how-to-make-spelt-flour-wholegrain-bread/

    I did not use the stand mixer like she did. I just worked the dough for maybe 2 minutes with my hands. I used 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the dough, but I did not grease the bowl or my hands like she did. When I formed the loaf, I just put a little water on the counter so the dough would not stick. Also, I ended up using just a little more water than she did so the dough seemed right. Like any other flour, I imagine spelt flour can vary in the amount of water needed.

    I've also been usinng the spelt flour in other things that call for flour, like my cornbread. I'm very pleased. Thank you, Sue Maree P. !!!