Tag Archives: spelt

adventures with whole grains: buckwheat & spelt pancakes

04 Friday May 2012

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I’ve been having so much fun with the new WonderMill! Last weekend I milled some buckwheat and spelt flour and tried out this recipe for breakfast. The pancakes were quite flavorful, especially when served with homemade wild berry jams and jellies. The sausage in the picture below is hormone free, organic bison sausage from a local farm.

Buckwheat & Spelt Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat or all-purpose)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.

In another bowl, mix together the spelt flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients into the egg-mixture. Stir until the two mixtures are just incorporated. (Add a bit more of the flour if you find that your batter is too runny.)

Heat a griddle or large frying pan to medium heat and place 1 tablespoon of butter or oil into it. Let the butter melt before spooning the batter into the frying pan. Once bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 3 minutes. Continue with this process until all of the batter has been made into pancakes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

adventures with whole grains: almond oatmeal cookies with spelt

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I took my basic oatmeal almond cookie recipe and simply substituted freshly milled spelt flour for the all-purpose flour. The cookies turned out a bit darker in color but there was no other difference in taste or texture. They were just as yummier as the ‘unhealthier’ version (using white flour) only with the added benefits of a more nutritional flour that also has a lower Glycemic Index. Oh… I added half a cup of chocolate chips to this batch just for fun!

Oatmeal Almond Cookies with Spelt Flour

1/2 cup raw organic sugar (or maple syrup)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 ground almonds, toasted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups large-flake oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degree (F). Mix together sugars, butter, vanilla and egg. Stir in oats, flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in sliced almonds. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool for 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Enjoy!

adventures with whole grains: French bread using spelt flour

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in cook, whole grains

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I took another one of my ‘tried and true recipes’: French Bread and wondered what would happen if I substituted freshly milled spelt flour for the all-purpose white flour? I found that the bread did not rise quite as high, making for a bit of a heavier bread (which I prefer) and the flavor was wonderful! In the future, if I need a lighter bread, I can try blending the spelt with other lighter flours. I’ll keep you informed on my continuing experiments and explorations with whole grains!

French Bread with Spelt Flour

1 oz (or 1 tablespoon) dry active yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon honey (or natural sweetener of your choice)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups organic spelt flour

1 egg white, beaten (to glaze the loaves)

Place yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. If yeast has begun to bubble or foam a little, add the honey, olive oil and salt and mix together. (If yeast isn’t bubbling, discard as this means that your yeast is dead and your bread will not rise.)

Add 2 cups of the spelt flour, mixing in with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, incorporating as much of the remaining 1 cup of flour as needed for a smooth, elastic dough.

Place dough into a large, oiled bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to sit in a warm place for an hour and a half (or for one hour in the oven on the ‘proof’ setting).

Punch down dough. Cut in half. Roll out each half on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick, then roll up the dough into a long loaf. Make three diagonal cuts in the top of the loaf and place on a baguette or loaf pan. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Place loaf pan(s) in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until double in size. Brush beaten egg white over the loaf just before baking.

Bake in a 375 degree (F) oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

adventures with whole grains: spelt waffles with Saskatoon berries

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I have been busy having fun with the new WonderMill and experimenting with freshly milled spelt flour. As spelt flour is very versatile and can be substituted for most flours, I thought I’d start with my ‘tried and true’ recipes just to observe how it behaves as opposed to the all-purpose flour that I was used to.

I decided to start with waffles. I used the same recipe, as previously posted. The only difference is the substitution of spelt flour for the all-purpose, I used buttermilk (as I was out of almond milk) and I added about 1/2 cup of Saskatoon berries. The waffles turned out beautifully! They were light, fluffy, crisp and flavorful. I served them with my rose hip jelly. I made the full batch as I like to refrigerate (or freeze) the extra waffles and pop them in the toaster for quick breakfasts.

Spelt Waffles

2 eggs (preferable from organic, free-range hens)

2 cups spelt flour

1/2 cup canola oil (or extra virgin olive oil or melted butter)

1-3/4 cup almond or soy milk (I used buttermilk as I was out of almond milk)

1 tablespoon maple syrup (or raw cane sugar, brown sugar or natural sweetener of your choice)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs with a whisk until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour batter from a cup or ladle onto center of waffle iron. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Remove waffle carefully and serve immediately, or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 four-inch waffles

Resource:

Zeman, A. (1991). Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook.  New York: Prentice Hall.

spelt pasta with gremolada

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I have been making my own pasta for quite a few years now have been having a lot of fun experimenting with various recipes. Now that I am milling my own flours, my pasta will be even more fresh and flavorful. This spelt pasta was my first experiment using the spelt flour that we milled just minutes before with our WonderMill. If you’ve never tried fresh pasta (not including store-bought, which has preservatives), it is worth either making your own or taking a special trip to the farmers market to get some!

Spelt Pasta

about 2-¾ cups spelt flour

3 medium eggs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Place the eggs and oil in the mixer bowl and attach the flat beater. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour a little at a time just until the dough begins to form a ball (you may not need the full amount of flour). Exchange the flat beater for the dough hook and knead at medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes, and a smooth, elastic dough has formed. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Attach the pasta roller to the mixer and adjust to setting 1. Pass the dough through the roller at low speed (dust with flour first if dough is sticky), then fold in half. Do this four or five times. When the dough is no longer sticky, adjust setting to 2 and roll the pasta through. Do not fold in half this time. Continue rolling the dough through four to five times at each setting until the desired thinness is reached. Place on a clean tea towel or over a pasta rack. Repeat with the other portions of dough.

Change pasta roller for the desired pasta cutter attachment. Feed the flat pasta dough through the cutter and place back on clean tea towels or over a pasta rack. Pasta dough can be frozen, dried or cooked immediately in a pot of salted, boiling water.

Gremolada

Grated zest from 2 large lemons (about 2 teaspoons)

Grated zest from 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1-½ teaspoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound pasta (linguini, fettuccini, capallini, etc.)

In a glass jar, add the grated lemon and orange zests, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover the jar with the lid and shake vigorously to mix. Let stand until ready to use. (Can be made the day before.)

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done. Drain and toss with the sauce. If desired, add parmesan cheese, capers, olives, minced and cooked Italian sausage or anchovies. Enjoy!

Resources:

Halsey, K. (2003). The Essential Mixer Cookbook: 150 Effortless Recipes For Your Stand Mixer and All of its Attachments. London: Quintet Publishing Ltd.

Hill, J. (1996). Food & Wine Magazine’s Quick From Scratch: Pasta. New York: American Express Publishing Corporation.

milling flour at home… my new favorite thing!

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in buy local, cook, handmade

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I have been wanting to mill my own flour for 20 years! It began when I lived up in Inuvik, NT and tasted my friend/employer, Judy’s freshly baked whole wheat buns. She made her bread with flour that she had milled just minutes before making the dough and they were the tastiest little breads with a lovely texture and a bit of a nutty flavor.

Finally just last week, after 20 years of thinking about it, planning for ‘someday’… we bought a WonderMill. It was my visit with my wonderful sister-in-law Laurie last month that set things in motion. She demonstrated using her NutriMill and I got to see how quick and easy it is to mill flour from spelt. Then I got to taste Laurie’s spelt buns, spelt pie crust (pumpkin pie, yum!), breakfast cookies, spelt tortillas and spelt pancakes– all of which were delicious!

Inspired (and craving more spelt bread!) we did a bit of research and decided on the WonderMill (pictured above). We wanted to support a local Alberta business and found a place in Cochrane, Alberta called Briden Solutions that carried both the mill and the grains we wanted. (By the way, Briden specializes in ’emergency preparedness’ and carry an extensive range of home and kitchen products including water filtration, oils, beans, whole grains, many of which are organic. They also have an informative blog called Briden’s Guide to Preparedness which features in-depth articles on their products and tips for being prepared for unexpected events.)

Through Briden, we also bought 50 lb bags of organic red heard spring wheat and organic spelt (great for breads), both from Grainworks, a certified organic farm. (Grainworks was first homesteaded on Alberta land in 1912 before moving to Saskatchewan in 1939. They have been certified organic since 1988.)

You can also cook these ‘wheat berries’ and then add them to soups and salads as an alternative to quinoa, orzo, barley or millet.

The grains take only about a minute to mill (longer if you’re milling a larger batch).

Here is the beautiful, fragrant red wheat flour ready for baking! We made a whole wheat bread with this batch.

Here is the organic spelt…

Like the wheat, you can cook the ‘berries’ and add to soups and salads.  You can also sprout these grains and make sprouted grain breads (both with or without flour). I will be trying this soon and will post the recipe.

Here is the lovely freshly milled spelt flour. We made homemade fettucini with this batch. (I will post that recipe tomorrow.)

With more people choosing to live healthier lifestyles or in response to developing allergies or an intolerance to “commercial wheat”, as in the overly processed, hybrid wheat and products made from this wheat (very difficult to digest), ancient grain and whole grain flours have become a more popular choice. It is no surprise that they make a much flavorful food source. Artisan breads made from ancient and whole grains can be found in most bakeries and for those of us whole enjoy baking it ourselves, freshly milled flours can be found at health food stores, gourmet food stores and local farmer’s markets (i.e. through Gold Forest Grains at the Strathcona Farmer’s Market in Edmonton and coming soon to the Kingsland Farmers Market in Calgary and the Grand Prairie’s Farmers Market).

I look forward to learning more about ancient grains and whole grain flours and experimenting with these flours in the kitchen here at cabinorganic. I look forward to supporting local farmers and sustainable farming practices. I look forward to learning more about the nutritional benefits in milling my own flours and sharing my flours and breads with friends and neighbors. Mostly, I simply look forward to the delicious taste and smell of fresh, home-baked breads that are highly nutritious as well as delicious!

P.S. By the way, I am sure Judy is still baking her famous bread! If you’re ever planning a visit to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, consider staying at the Arctic Chalet. Book a tour with Judy and Olav, go for a ride over the tundra with Judy and her dog teams in winter or go canoeing or kayaking in the summer and enjoy the high Arctic in style!

Laurie’s spelt pancakes

02 Friday Mar 2012

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I have been in Winnipeg spending quality time with my family these past three days. It has been action-packed: playing with the children, hanging out with the teens, glasses of wine with the grown ups and getting all caught up on each other’s lives.

One thing I love about spending time with my sister-in-law, Laurie, is that she is an amazing cook and I always leave with recipes and new ideas for ‘natural living’. Yesterday, Laurie shared her spelt pancake recipe. She showed me how she makes it, right from freshly grinding the whole spelt grain just before making it.

Here is the bag of spelt:

Here is Laurie’s flour mill:

Using spelt flour is very easy as you can simply substitute it into your usual flour-based recipes. Here is Laurie’s pancake recipe- use spelt flour instead of the all-purpose flour. Sometimes you need to add a bit more spelt flour so just keep an eye on the consistency you want. You can also substitute almond milk with a bit of apple cider vinegar for the buttermilk.

Another special treat: some very fine maple syrup to make these delicious pancakes even more decadent! After this fun morning seeing how quick and easy it is to bake with spelt, I am looking forward to my own cooking adventures using this healthy grain.