Baking with spelt flour, plus walnut and banana loaf recipe

Spelt, one of the first grains to be grown by early farmers, is finding renewed popularity. Find out how to incorporate it into your baking.

SOMETIMES the original ideas are still the best.

The wheel hasn’t changed much in thousands of years, and tasty and nutritious spelt, one of the first grains to be grown by early farmers as long ago as 5000BC, is finding renewed popularity.

But it’s not just good taste that has caught the attention of modern consumers. The grain is naturally high in fibre and contains significantly more protein than wheat. Another important benefit is that some gluten-sensitive people have been able to include spelt-based foods — such as spelt flour — in their diets, although spelt flour is not gluten-free.

This recipe, a variation of an old favourite, uses no yeast, but for generations has been called a “loaf” nonetheless.

WALNUT & BANANA LOAF

A NEW twist on an old favourite. If you can’t get spelt flour, you can substitute plain flour.

Juice of 1 lemon

3 very ripe bananas

½ cup honey

100g butter or margarine

1¾ cups spelt flour

¼ cup rice flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan). Prepare a loaf tin by buttering and lining with baking paper. Don’t bother lining the ends — makes it easier to cut and fit your paper neatly.

This recipe works well in a food processor. Into the bowl of a food processor add the bananas (peeled and roughly chopped), the lemon juice, butter or margarine, and honey. Blend until you have a smooth, creamy banana paste.

Baking time: Banana and walnut loaf using spelt flour. Picture: Dannika Bonser

If you prefer the old-fashioned approach, mash the bananas and incorporate the lemon juice, butter or margarine and honey one at a time. A smooth paste takes time and effort without a machine.

In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. Pour in the banana mix, stir until just moistened. Fold in the walnuts, then spoon into the prepared loaf tin.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool slightly on a rack before removing from pan.

Slice and serve with afternoon tea or as part of a cheese platter.

BUYING & EXPERIMENTING WITH SPELT FLOUR

SPELT flour is generally available in outlets specialising in organic foods and in health food stores. The Simply No-Knead brand of specialty flours includes a “spelt” flour and for those keen to make their own bread, it delivers delicious results. Ask your supermarket or health food store to source some if you can’t find it.

Not to be confused with oats or wheat, spelt is a member of the same grain family but is an entirely different species. It is one of the original seven grains mentioned in the Bible.

Spelt’s nutty flavour has long been popular in Europe, where it is also known as “farro” (Italy) and “dinkel” (Germany). Spelt was so highly prized by the Romans that it became part of their matrimonial ceremony where it was made into bread and eaten by husband and wife in front of the fire. It is a distant cousin of modern wheat and retains its original character and nutritional traits.

One of the first things you will notice when using spelt flour is that it always seems to require less liquid than other flours.

To use spelt in a recipe designed for wheat flour, you would start by using less liquid than called for or more spelt flour. Experiment with simple recipes such as muffins if you are “playing” with a recipe.

ANOTHER SPECIALTY FLOUR

KAMUT flour is made from another “ancient” grain. Superior in both taste and nutrition, it can also be substituted for common wheat with great success.

Kamut brand wheat has a rich, buttery flavour. Because of the inherent sweetness of kamut grain, (referred to by some as “the sweet wheat”) no sugar is required to hide the subtle bitterness associated with most wheats and whole wheat products. Kamut has great texture and nutritional qualities as well as hypo-allergenic properties

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