Quick Spelt + Rye Bread

Spelt flour is an ancient wheat. As it’s easier to digest, it can be eaten by most people who, like me, have an intolerance to modern wheat. Spelt contains gluten, so not suitable for coeliacs, but ideal for bread-making. However, the gluten is more fragile than that found in modern wheat, so it won’t stand up to lengthy kneading and baking. This loaf recipe is the final result after much experimentation, and I hope you’ll enjoy it.


QUICK SPELT & RYE BREAD

(Makes one MEDIUM loaf on a FAST-BAKE programme in your bread machine.)

125g rye flour

375g stoneground spelt (or a mix of white spelt and stoneground spelt, or all white – I generally use half of each)

320ml warm water

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 level teaspoons salt

1.5 level teaspoons fast-action dried yeast

Mix the spelt and rye flours together in a large bowl.
Add the water to your bread-machine’s pan, then add the salt and olive oil.
Spoon in the mixed flours.
Make a well in the centre of the flours and sprinkle in the yeast.
Put the pan in your bread-machine and set to medium / fast-bake programme. If using white spelt in your flour mix, set crust setting to ‘Dark’.

Swiss Chard Recipe

Like so many veg growers, OH and I have an enormous glut of Swiss chard (and other beets), thanks to the cold spring we experienced this year, conditions they apparently love. So here's a recipe I'll be trying out today:

Ingredients

2 large bunches Swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Slice the stems into 1-inch pieces and reserve. Stack the chard leaves into a pile. Roll together into a bundle and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons.

Heat oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until browned, rendering the fat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add chard stems, cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Begin to add the chard ribbons in batches. Once the chard wilts down, add the next batch and the balsamic vinegar. Stir occasionally until completely tender, about 5 minutes.

Serves 3 to 4.

(I'll be serving this for dinner with braised lamb's liver and red peppers. Yum!)