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Whole Spelt Fruitcake

Sunday, November 15, 2020

This sensational winter loaf cake contains a wonderful mix of dried fruits and nuts and simply perfect for the holidays. Feel free to substitute your own favorites; you'll need about 350 g dried fruit and 150 g nuts total. Date syrup can be replace with honey or maple syrup too. Brush the cake with Port or Brandy or leave it out. Either way, it's very delicious and addictive with all the nuts, dried fruits and spices.

250 g Whole spelt flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1 large pinch of cinnamon
1 large pinch of cardamom
1 tsp Ginger bread spice
4 Large eggs
120 g Date syrup or honey
200 g Dried apricots, chopped
150 g Raisins, or dried cranberries
100 g Hazelnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
50 g Almonds, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp Port or Brandy plus extra for brushing the cake

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F, fan forced. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl together with baking powder and spices. Set aside. Grease a 20cm loaf pan generously with butter.
Beat the eggs until combined. Slowly drizzle in date syrup and beat until well combined and fluffy. Stir in flour-spice mixture until well combined.
Add in chopped dried apricots, rainsin and Port wine. Stir until well combined. Spread the mixture into prepared pan. Level top with a spatula.
Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. If cake is browning too much, cover with foil after 45 minutes. Brush the hot cake with 1 extra tablespoon Port wine. Cool the fruit cake in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!

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Hazelnut Lace Cookies

Friday, December 27, 2019

Lace Cookies are thin, crisp, delicate and buttery cookies with a deliciously sweet taste and a toffee-like flavour. They are made with just a few ingredients and the batter comes together in just minutes. As they bake, they spread out to form a lace pattern, hence the name. Enjoy them as they are or sandwich two cookies with a layer of chocolate. If you prefer a less brittle consistency, use up to 35 grams flour.


110 g Unsalted butter 100 g Raw sugar 12 g Spelt pastry flour 80 g Hazelnut meal A large pinch of sea salt 30 ml Heavy cream 1 tsp Vanilla extract 1 tsp Finely grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line 2-3 baking trays with baking paper.
Melt butter and raw sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and butter melts. Stir in spelt flour, ground hazelnut, salt and cream until incorporated and slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and orange zest. Drop the batter by the teaspoon onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches of space between each one.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn dark golden brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Remove from the oven and as soon as they are firm, use a wide spatula to transfer them to the rack to cool completely.

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Panettone with Poolish Sponge

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Panettone is a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city. This cake-like bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty fruit cans work great as baking pans). Traditionally, panettone is made with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. But you can choose the dried fruits you prefer. The bread is delicious eaten fresh and keeps well in an airtight container for about a week. It also freezes well for up to two months.
Poolish is a fairly wet sponge with baker's yeast, typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour and water by weight, that means 100% hydration.

1 package / 7 g Dry yeast
60 ml Water at 43C/110F
60 g German #550 flour ((AP or bread flour)
100 g Butter, room temperature
2 Eggs, medium
4 Egg yolks, medium
150 g Sugar

110 ml Milk at 43C/110F
Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
angiesrecipes
540 g German #550 flour (AP or bread flour)
1 tbsp Lemon zest
200 g Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries or apricots)
50 g Almond slices plus more for topping

To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 60 ml warm water in a bowl. Add 60 g flour and stir to make a very loose dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, and vanilla seeds. Add in the starter dough. Gradually add the flour, beat on low speed just until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and pull together. Increase speed to medium, and beat until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat both sides. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and let rise on the kitchen counter until doubled in size (mine took about 5 hours). Or leave it in the fridge overnight. With your hands, flatten the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the lemon zest, raisins, apricots, and almond over the dough. Fold the dough to seal the fruit and knead to distribute the fruit throughout the dough.
Line a 8-inch mousse ring or baking pan (or panettone paper case) with parchment paper that has been well buttered on both sides and set it on a baking tray. Place the dough in the mould, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place. The key here is to have the rise above the rim of the pan or case.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Make a cross on the top of the bread with a sharp knife and insert a cube of butter. Sprinkle some extra almond flakes if you desired. Bake the bread on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F. Continue to bake for 30-35 minutes until the surface is golden and crispy. The panettone is ready when a skewer comes out clean.
Place the bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the mold. Dust the bread with icing sugar if desired. Be sure the bread has cooled completely before wrapping for storage.

May your holidays be filled with lots of LOVE, HAPPINESS and PEACE!

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Sourdough Challah with Grape Sourdough Starter

Sunday, October 06, 2019

Challah, usually braided and typically eaten on Jewish holidays. The dough is enriched with eggs and oil, while using sugar or honey for some sweetness. The fun and exciting part comes from the braiding the dough. A simple 3-stranded braid would be gorgeous enough as the centerpiece for your dinner table. But a 4, or 6 stranded challah would really impress your guests. You can also coil the long braided loaf into a circle.

Grape Sourdough Starter	Dough
454 g Organic red grapes Rye flour Water	240 g Wild Grape Sourdough Starter 2 Eggs, lightly beaten 1 Egg yolks, lightly beaten 120 ml Water 55 g Honey 50 g Sunflower oil 2 tsp Salt 440 g All-purpose or bread flour 1 Egg white 1 tbsp Water 1 tbsp Oatmeal bran or seeds/nuts

Start with the starter. Stem grapes into a medium mixing bowl. Crush with hands and cover with a plastic wrap. Use a fork or wooden toothpick to gently poke some holes along the top and set aside for 3-4 days at room temperature. After 3-4 days there should be bubbles in the grape juice/must, indicating fermentation has begun.
Measure 240 grams of strained grape juice and pour in a 1-quart glass jar. Stir in 120 grams of rye flour to make a thick, porridge like mixture. Set aside for 24 hours at room temperature.
Measure 1 cup starter, discard any extra. Add in 110 grams of filtered water and 110 grams of rye flour. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
Repeat the following day. Some activity should be noticeable: the mixture should be starting to bubble. Repeat twice more. You will need to discard some of the mixture each day.
The starter is full of bubbles and ready for use to make bread. If you won't be using the starter for several days, put the jar, with the lid covered loosely, into the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. If you are going to use the starter in the next day or two, just leave it out and feed it every 12 hours or so.
Prepare the dough by mixing the starter, eggs, egg yolk, honey, oil, water, and the salt. Stir. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour sparingly, until the dough is smooth, satiny, has lost most of it's stickiness, and is fairly firm. Cover and allow it to rise until tripled in volume.
Punch down the dough, knead briefly and cut into 4 equal pieces. Divide one piece into 3 equal portions. Form each of them into strands of about 30-cm in length, tapered so the center of each piece is thicker than the ends. You should now have three thick and three thin strands.
Braid the three thick strands into a loaf and set aside. Braid the three smaller strands into a smaller loaf. Lightly indent the top center of the larger loaf down its length. Wet it slightly with water. Put the smaller loaf on top of the indention. Beat egg white with a tablespoon of water. Brush this egg wash all over the loaf and allow them to rise until doubled.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Brush the loaf with the egg wash again and sprinkle the top with oatmeal bran. Place it into the oven, bake about 35 minutes.

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Einkorn Almond Linzer Cookies

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

These jam-filled Linzer cookies satisfy the sweet craving and just happen to be healthy because of the use of wholegrain einkorn flour and stevia-sweetened jam. The Linzer cookie, originated in the city of Linz, is based on the Linzertorte, one of the most famous and beloved holiday classics in Austria.

Einkorn Almond Linzer Cookies

adapted from Küchen Götter

150 g Blanched almonds, ground
150 g Einkorn berries, milled into flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Clove powder
Pinch of salt
150 g Butter, softened
50 g Powdered sugar
1 Egg, medium
1/2 tsp Vanilla powder
Stevia sweetened strawberry jam for filling
Powdered sugar for dusting

Whisk together the ground almonds, einkorn flour, cinnamon, clove and salt in a bowl.
Beat butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla powder and egg. Finally beat in flour mixture on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Place onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in a plastic and chill for 2 hours.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3-mm thick and cut out cookies with a 5-cm heart-shaped cutter. Place them on the prepared baking sheets. Use a smaller round cookie cutter to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. Reroll any scraps and cut out the remaining cookies. You will have 70 cookies. Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F. Bake cookies, one sheet at time, until edges are golden, 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Spread jam on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with powdered sugar and press the flat sides together.

Wishing you and your family all the warmth this Holiday Season has to offer. Have a very merry Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, love and happiness!

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Coconut Mincemeat Filo Snails

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

These Christmas filo snails with homemade boozy mincemeat are simple, straight-forward, vegan-friendly, and, best of all, taste amazing!
Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, booze, and spices that is popular in the UK and traditionally served around Christmas. Originally, mincemeat always contained meat ((hence the name) while modern recipes contain beef suet (fat around the kidney of the animal), which I have replaced with coconut oil. This mincemeat can be used straight away, but it improves with age and it will store well for up to 6 months in a cool place.

Coconut Mincemeat Filo Snails

Inspired by this

Mincemeat
adapted from Alchemy in the Kitchen 200 g Apple, grated 250 g Raisins 250 g Sultanas 200 g Dried cranberries 100 g Coconut sugar 100 g Dates, chopped 100 g Walnuts, finely chopped 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon Pinch of ground clove 125 g Coconut oil Grated peel and juice of 1 large orange Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon 6 tbsp Apple Schnapps 2 tbsp Brandy	6 Filo sheets 4 tbsp Coconut oil, melted 1 tbsp Black sesame seeds

Place everything, except brandy, in your slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Or mix all the ingredients, except brandy, together in a large oven proof dish with a lid. Cover and place in the preheated oven and cook gently for 3 hours, stirring every half hour or so.
When done, allow it to cool, stirring briefly every half hour until cold. Finally, stir the brandy into the cold mixture before sealing in clean, dry jars. You need half of batch for this filo recipe. Save the rest for other recipes, for example, mincemeat pies.
Lay 1 sheet of filo on the workbench, brush with a little melted coconut oil and place another sheet on top, then brush with coconut oil again. Place 200 grams of the mincemeat along the longest side. Roll pastry to enclose filling, then coil into a snail shape. Place on a baking paper-lined baking tray and brush with a little more coconut oil. Repeat with remaining filo, coconut oil and mincemeat to make 3 snails. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

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Sugar Free, Grain Free Fruit Cake

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

This is not your typical fruitcake. It's sugar free, dairy free, grain/gluten free, using ground almonds in place of flour, and is packed with dried prunes and pistachios. You can enjoy the cake soon after it's cool completely, but it is even better left for a day or two before slicing.

200 g Almond meal
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Sea salt
250 g Prunes, cut in half
80 g Pistachios, cut in half
3 Eggs
2 tbsp Coconut oil, melted
1 tsp Vanilla powder
1/2 tbsp Brandy
1 tsp Orange rind

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line an 10cm x 21cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Combine almond meal, spices baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir through dried prunes and pistachios.
Whisk eggs, melted oil, vanilla powder, brandy and orange rind in a large jug until combined. Stir egg mixture through almond mixture. Spoon into prepared pan. Level top with a spatula.
Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

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White Hot Chocolate Almond Snowballs

Friday, December 18, 2015

Made with Nestle hot white chocolate mix, cream cheese, almond and spelt flour, these snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cookies, will make a festive addition to any cookie platter or a great gift for anyone who loves cookies. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown. It's better to undercook them than to overcook them. If desired, re-roll cookies in powdered sugar for an extra sweet touch. Thank you, Kris, for sharing the recipe.

140 g Unsalted butter, softened
100 g 4% Cream cheese, softened
90 g White hot cocoa mix (I used NESTLÉ)
4 packet NuNaturals white stevia powder
5 drop Vanilla flavoured liquid stevia
120 g Refined white spelt flour
100 g Blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
Additional powdered sugar for rolling

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Add white hot cocoa mix and stevia powder. Stir in vanilla flavoured stevia.
In small bowl, combine refined spelt flour, almond flour and salt, gradually add to butter mixture. Mix until flour is fully combined. Cover with a plastic film and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cookies will not brown on top.
Remove immediately to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely on wire racks. If desired, reroll cookies in powdered sugar.

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Spelt Hazelnut Lebkuchen

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Lebkuchen, also called Pfefferkuchen, is a traditional German baked Christmas biscuit, somewhat resembling gingerbread. It is easy to make and has a sweet, spicy, lightly nutty taste.
Potash or pearlash is also known as potassium carbonate. It is an alkaline salt which reacts with water or an acid to create carbon dioxide, which gives baked goods lift. As a substitute, use 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for every teaspoon of potash. The taste of the final product may be different from the original.

Wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. Hope you all enjoy your Holidays!

Dough	Chocolate Icing
125 g Honey 125 g Molasses 0,5 g Pure stevia extract (or 150 g brown sugar) 150 g Coconut oil 150 g Ground hazelnuts 370 g Refined spelt flour 1 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder 2 tsp Lebkuchen spice mix 1 tsp Lemon peel, finely grated 1 Egg 2 tsp Potash (alkaline salt) 2 tbsp Cold water	230 g Confectioners sugar 30 g Dutch-process cocoa powder 60 ml Boiling water Chilli threads Pink Peppercorns Sea salt flakes

Place the honey, molasses, raw brown sugar, stevia extract and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the coconut oil melts . Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add in ground hazelnut, spelt flour, cocoa powder, spice mix, lemon peel and egg. Stir until well combined. Mix the potash with cold water until well blended. Add the mixture to the dough. Knead the dough until smooth. Let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick.
Use your favourite cookie cutters to cut cookies from the dough. Place on prepared trays. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Set aside on trays for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the chocolate icing, combine the confectioners sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. Add the water and stir to a slightly runny paste. Spread icing over each biscuit and sprinkle with chilli threads, pink peppercorns or sea salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to set.

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Spelt Gingerbread Biscuits

Monday, December 08, 2014

These festive gingerbread biscuits are both tasty and decorative. This easy recipe, adapted from Lecker, is great for involving the little ones in your family by letting them ice these spice cookies and they make a lovely homemade Christmas present.

50 g Candied ginger
400 g Refined spelt flour
100 g Raw brown sugar
125 g Butter, diced
1 Egg yolk
225 g Molasses
2 tsp Gingerbread spice mix
1 tsp Baking soda

1 Egg white
230 g Powdered sugar
1-2 tsp Lemon juice
Silver cachous, to decorate
Holiday sprinkles, to decorate
Red liquid food colouring

Finely chop the candied ginger. In a large mixing bowl, add in spelt flour, raw brown sugar, diced butter, egg yolk, chopped candied ginger, molasses, spice mix and baking soda. Stir until well combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least overnight or two days.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Roll out pieces between baking paper to 4-5mm thick. Use your favourite biscuit cutters to cut cookies from the dough.
Place on the lined trays. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Place the egg white in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to lightly beat the egg whites until foamy. Sift icing sugar over the egg whites and stir until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir until well combined.
Spoon 2/3 of icing into a snap-lock bag. Place the rest in a bowl. Add red colouring and stir until combined. Place it in another plastic bag. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread to decorate. Finish with silver cachous and sprinkles. Dust with some icing sugar if desired.

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Chocolate Christmas Trees

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Give a creative food gift this Christmas - these tree-shaped chocolate spelt cookies call for a few simple ingredients you’ve likely got on hand, they’re super-easy to make and gorgeous on a cookie platter. The kids will love helping you decorate and eat these holiday cutout cookies.

250 g Unsalted butter, softened
0.2 g Pure stevia extract powder (or 60 g Icing sugar)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Egg, at room temperature
300 g Refined spelt flour (or plain flour)
40 g Cornstarch
30 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp Milk
250 g White chocolate, chopped and melted
Coloured sugar, to decorate
Silver cachous, to decorate
Pop sticks

Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter, pure stevia extract and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg. Beat until well combined.
Sift flour and cornstarch over butter mixture. Add cocoa and milk. Stir well. Divide in half. Press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160C/320. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll each disc out between 2 sheets of baking paper to 3mm-thick. Using cookie cutters (tree, star, or round), cut shapes from dough.
Place them onto the prepared trays. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm to touch. Stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Melt chopped white chocolate in a water bath. Spread some white chocolate over flat side of each biscuit. Press 1 pop stick onto one cookie and sandwich together with another one. Set aside until they are firm. aside until they are firm.
Spoon white chocolate into a small plastic bag. Snip off 1 corner. Pipe a zigzag pattern over trees. Decorate with coloured sugar and silver cachous.

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Chocolate Stars with Pink Peppercorns

Thursday, November 08, 2012

These chocolate star cookies are special for the holidays or any time you crave sweets. The cookie dough was prepared with spelt flour, cocoa, and marzipan, and formed into stars. They are very tasty and pretty enough, thanks to the white chocolate coating and pink peppercorns, to decorate the X’mas tree or give away as the presents.

Chocolate Stars with Pink Peppercorns

adapted from Küchen Götter

310 g Refined spelt flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
50 g Cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
100 g Powdered sugar
1/5 tsp Nutmeg powder
1 tsp Orange zest
150 g Unsalted butter, diced
50 g Marzipan paste, diced
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
200 g White couverture
4 tbsp Pink peppercorns

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together spelt flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, powdered sugar, nutmeg and orange zest. Add in diced butter, marzipan paste, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.
Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F, fan-forced. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it between two pieces of plastic film. Roll it out to 3mm thick. Cut with a 5cm star cookies cutter or any shape you prefer. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes. Remove and cool on pans.
Meanwhile, cut the white couverture into smaller pieces and place them in a heat proof bowl. Set the bowl on a pot of hot water. After 10 minutes, give the chocolate a good stir until completely smooth. Dip the cookies with white chocolate and garnish with pink peppercorns. Place coated cookies on wax paper and let stand until firm.