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Whole Spelt Pfefferkuchen

Monday, December 16, 2013

Pfefferkuchen, also known as Lebkuchen, is a German Christmas spice cookie, similar to gingerbread. There are many regional variations ( the most well-known is the Nürnberger Lebkuchen) to this traditional Christmas treat, but are usually flavoured with honey and spices and containing nuts and citron. Those Pfefferkuchen are not only great with coffee, they are also a wonderful accompaniment with cheese from FineFoodSpecialist, blue cheese particularly, and wine.
Pottasche or pearlash is also known as potassium carbonate (K2CO3). It is an alkaline salt which reacts with water or an acid to create carbon dioxide, which gives baked goods lift.

Whole Spelt Pfefferkuchen

adapted from Eat Smarter

10 g Potash
3 tbsp Warm water
30 g Honey
70 ml Chai
100 g Homemade vanilla sugar
25 g Milk sugar
60 g Coconut oil

125 g Almond, chopped
400 g Whole spelt flour
1 tsp Finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp Clove powder
1/4 tsp Anise powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Dissolve the potash with warm water in a small bowl. Heat the honey and chai in a small pot. Stir in vanilla sugar, milk sugar, and coconut oil. Stir until the mixture is warm and well blended. Remove it from the heat and set aside until ready for use.
Whisk together the chopped almonds, whole spelt flour, lemon zest, and spices in a mixing bowl. Add in dissolved potash and honey-chai mixture. Using a hand mixer fitted with dough hooks, mix at low speed until you have a firm dough.
Place the dough in a large bowl, dust with a little of flour and cover it with a plastic film. Leave it on the kitchen counter for at least 1 week or up to 6 weeks to allow for the development of aroma and flavours.
Thoroughly knead the dough one more time, and place it between two sheets of plastic films. Roll out the dough to a 5-mm / ¼-inch thickness. Cut into diamond shapes or use your favourite cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place them on the parchment lined baking trays.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the baking trays briefly. Transfer the cookies on the wire racks to cool completely before storing in the air-tighter containers.

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Spelt Challah

Monday, December 16, 2013

The braided challah is the Jewish holiday bread. This sweet, golden and eggy bread is made in various sizes and shapes, all of which have a meaning. Round loaves are baked for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) to symbolize continuity. For extra sweetness, you can add raisins to the dough. The inspiration for this delicious challah comes from whatsonmyplate.

120 ml Water, lukewarm
80 ml Milk, lukewarm
60 ml Coconut oil, melted and cool to room temperature
60 ml Honey
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
560 g White spelt flour
8 g Fine sea salt
20 g Fresh yeast
1 tsp Sesame seeds for topping

In the pan of your bread machine, fill in liquid ingredients, then white spelt flour, salt and the yeast. Select the “Dough” cycle, and press “Start”.
Once the “Dough” cycle is done, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Take one portion of dough and divide into 4 equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope. Arrange ropes in a criss-cross pattern and braid into a round.
Place braided round on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with another half. Or divide another half into 6-7 small portions to make dinner buns. Round up each piece and place them on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Whisk a small egg, brush dough all over and sprinkle the challah with sesame seeds. Let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Bake the challah for about 30 minutes, and 22 minutes for the small buns, until golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool the bread on wire rack completely.

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Gluten-Free Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Sunday, December 08, 2013

Chewy, sticky and moist, this gluten free molasses cookie recipe, adapted from bojongourmet, is made with a combination of ground glutinous rice and ground oats. It is super easy to throw together and has a deep, warm flavour to compliment the holiday season.

120 g Rolled oats, ground into flour
125 g Glutinous rice, ground into flour
30 g Mungbean starch
5 g Psyllium husks
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tbsp Ground ginger
1/2 tbsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground allspice

1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Fine sea salt
120 g Unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
120 g Molasses
50 g Muscovado sugar
100 g Granulated sugar
1 Large egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, starch, psyllium, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, stir together the butter, molasses, brown sugar, and 50 grams of the granulated sugar. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture and beat with a handheld mixer until well combined. Cover the dough and chill until overnight until firm.
When you're ready to bake, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 180C/350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in the sugar. Place the balls at least 2" apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until they are puffed and cracked, and the dough between the cracks looks underbaked, 7-10 minutes, rotating the pan after 5 minutes to ensure even baking. Repeat with the second sheet.
Let the cookies cool slightly on the sheet, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Carrot and Clementine Salad

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Craving something seasonal, refreshing, and surprisingly flavourful? This carrot salad with clementines and kale, dressed with a simple walnut oil vinaigrette, is so quick to make and is absolutely delicious.


4 Clementines, peeled and sliced 400 g Carrots, peeled and grated 1 handful Kale, thinly shredded 2-3 tbsp Walnut oil 1 tbsp Lemon juice Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

Peel clementines and cut them horizontally into 4-5 slices. Place them on a large platter and set aside. Grate the peeled carrots in your food processor.
Place grated carrots, thinly shredded kale and clementine slices in a large salad bowl. Drizzle in the walnut oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together.

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Triple Layered Protein Bars with Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Sunday, December 01, 2013

These deliciously sinful protein bars with three indulgent layers , adapted from The Healthy Foodie, are the ultimate treat if you're craving something substantial, sweet and healthy after a workout to replenish your energy.

Bottom Layer	Middle Layer	Top Layer
200 g Cashewe nuts, soaked overnight 150 g Dried plums 20 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder 20 g Chia seeds 50 g Old fashioned oats 1/4 tsp Salt Splash pure vanilla extract	250 g Creamy peanut butter 140 g Peanut butter flavored protein powder	25 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder 50 g Organic honey 60 g Coconut oil, melted Some salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the Bottom layer: Drain the soaked cashew nuts and add to the bowl of your food processor together with dried plums. Process until the mixture turns into a sticky paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined. Press to the bottom of a 28 x 12-cm loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
For the Middle layer: Beat the creamy peanut butter until smooth and light. Add in peanut butter protein powder and process until just incorporated. Press the mixture evenly on top of the bottom layer of chocolate and nuts.
Top layer: In a small mixing bowl, gently mix together the cocoa powder, honey, and melted coconut until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly on top of peanut butter layer. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the top and place, covered with a plastic film, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cutting into bars.

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Kale Muffins with Kamut and Spelt

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Soft, moist and comforting – these sugar-free, wholegrain muffins are wonderfully delicious with a healthful boost from kale and yogurt. They are perfect for breakfast or as a snack.
Kamut, or Khorasan wheat, is an ancient wheat variety, naturally high in protein, minerals and known for its rich nutty flavor. Feel free to substitute it with standard wholewheat or spelt flour.

Kamut Kale Muffins

adapted from Eat Smarter

150 g Fresh kale
Sea salt
100 g Wholegrain kamut, ground into flour
125 g Refined spelt flour
2 tsp Baking powder
2 Eggs
220 g 0,1% Plain yogurt
80 ml Sunflower oil
1 tbsp Black sesame seeds, optional

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale leaves and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and quickly rinse under cold water. Drain and finely chop the kale.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicon liners or simply butter the pan. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ground kamut, refined spelt flour and baking powder. Stir the eggs, yogurt, pinch of salt, and oil in another bowl until well combined.
Add the flour mixture and chopped kale to the egg mixture. Stir until well combined. Divide the batter into 10-12 muffin liners. Sprinkle the top with a little black sesame seeds.
Bake in the middle of hot oven for about 25 minutes until nicely golden. Leave the muffins in the pan to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

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Welsh Spelt Bara Brith

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Bara brith, known as "speckled bread", is a rich Welsh tea-time classic made with mixed dried fruits and tea. There are two versions of bara brith. Traditionally bara brith is made with yeast and smeared liberally with butter. The modern version of bara brith is more like a fruitcake which is baked with self-raising flour.
This is my variation of Bara Brith made with Chai, and a mix of wholegrain spelt flour and refined spelt flour, based on the eatsmarter recipe - Walisischer Teekuchen mit Rosinen.

400 g Mixed dried fruits
240 ml Chai, hot
275 g Wholegrain spelt, ground
75 g Refined spelt flour
15 g Baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
2 Eggs, at room temperature
45 g Muscovado sugar
Pinch of salt

Put the dried fruit into a large mixing bowl. Pour over the hot chai and stir to combine. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 30-cm loaf pan with baking paper. Whisk together the flours, baking powder and cinnamon powder.
Beat the eggs, muscovado sugar and salt until fluffy. Sift in the flour mixture, folding to combine. Now add in the dried fruit together with chai. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake the oven and bake for 1 hour. Cover with a layer of foil to prevent the top from browning too much. Continue to bake for a further 30-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to cool completely.