returning the gauntlet

sorry i have been missing in action lately- i haven't been feeling well and have really started to question whether any of this is food allergy related.....sigh....

anyway- onwards and upwards, eh?

recently a friend challenged me to make a baguette using spelt.  in my typical fashion i hemmed and hawed and waited for her to actually be in my kitchen with me before i made an attempt.  we followed the recipe for pain ordinaire in this book, which, until now, had been a reliable resource...

sadly, this trend did not continue.

this bread was nice to work with and resulted in 2 beautiful looking loaves.  but as with most things in life, looks weren't everything.  the wonderful thing about real baguettes is their almost honeycomb-like interior structure.  they are crisp and chewy on the outside and soft and stretchy on the inside.  the spelt version was none of these things.  instead it was tough on the outside and dense on the inside....pretty much a total failure.

deep breaths.......

m is for mad

food allergies suck.  we can pretend that everything is hunky dory and that we are perfectly happy eating quinoa mush and drinking coffee with rice milk.  but we are lying.

over a year ago i decided that it was time to figure out what was going on with my "delicate" digestive system.  i had suffered a broad range of unpleasant symptoms for years and had finally reached my limit.

since then i've been poked and prodded and had just about every test conceivable.  i've eliminated more foods from my diet than i've kept.  i no longer eat wheat, corn, soy, dairy or legumes (and countless others).  until the last couple of weeks i was eating spelt (i've tested negative for celiac- both with the blood test and the biopsy), but after a recent round of yet another undefined ailment, i've eliminated that as well.

as you can probably tell by my snarky tone, i've lost my patience with all this.  does my digestive system feel better?  yes.  is my life better?  no.

now what?  i don't know.

b is for bagels

now that the big competition i was working on is over, i have some time to play around in the kitchen again.  i know i've made grand promises of spelt baguettes (ahem), but i haven't quite worked up the courage for that just yet (although i do have PLENTY of flour).

so while b will eventually be for baguette, for today, b is for bagels.  and they be good.  very very good.

spelt bagels
(very slightly adapted from the fabulous spelt healthy by marsha cosentino)

i know this recipe may appear overly complicated, but there is plenty of time to complete all the steps while the dough is napping. 


1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 T sugar
1 T salt
4 1/4 cups white spelt flour

extra flour for kneading
extra sugar (1 T) for boiling water

1 egg beaten with 2 tsps warm water (egg wash)


1.  add warm water to bowl of stand mixer.  sprinkle yeast on top of water and allow to sit for 10 minutes until the yeast blooms.

2.  add 3 1/4 cups of the spelt flour and mix (using the paddle attachment) on low speed (2) for about 90 seconds until the dough appears smooth and long strands have formed.

3.  add the remaining 1 cup of flour in 1/4 cup increments beating for 30 seconds after each addition.

4.  after all of the flour has been added, switch to the dough hook and knead for 60-90 seconds until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl.  do not over knead!

5.  turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly until the dough forms a nice ball. 

6.  place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes until is has roughly doubled in size. 

7.  after the dough has risen, gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface.  cover with a towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes. 

8.  while the dough is resting, add water to a large stockpot (mine holds 6QT) and add 1 T of sugar.  the sugar helps to create a shiny outer surface. 

9.  after the dough has rested for 15 minutes, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.  roughly shape each piece into a ball and poke a hole into the middle using your thumb.  gently stretch the dough into a ring approximately 4 inches across.

10.  place each of the 8 bagels onto a floured surface (i used a baking sheet), cover with a towel and allow to rest for another 15 minutes.

12.  while the bagels are resting, pre-heat the oven to 375 and boil the water in the stockpot.  once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer.

13.  cover a wire cooling rack with a towel and set aside.

14.  once the bagels have rested, gently transfer them (one at a time) into the simmering water.  i used my hands but next time i will use a spatula as the dough was very sticky.  the bagels will expand once they are in the hot water.  i was only able to fit 3 at a time in my stockpot.

16.  simmer the bagels for 3 minutes on each side and then transfer them to the cooling rack to drain.  repeat until all of the bagels have been boiled.

17.  line 2 baking sheets with parchment and lightly coat with olive oil.  place 4 bagels on each sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

18.  after 10 minutes, remove from the oven and brush with the egg wash.  return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown.  take care not to over bake them as the bottoms may burn.

19.  allow to cool

20.  enjoy!

awakening

the last few weeks have felt like months and months.  could it really only be october 20th?  i counted up the hours i've worked in the last 18 days and it made me dizzy just to think about it.

now that i've had a couple of days to recover i'm feeling more excited than ever to spend some quality time in the kitchen and to tackle some of the crafting projects i had abandoned abruptly when i was called in to work on the competition. 

i've been collecting recipes that i'd like to try, especially this and these...mmmmm......

but first, a good friend has thrown down the gauntlet:  i must bake a (good) spelt baguette....

uh oh....

spelty returns

somehow i managed to survive the last couple of weeks at work.  we were doing a big competition but now all we have to do is wait to hear the results.....

after an entire spring and summer of cooking almost everything i ate, i was feeling kind of burnt out on cooking.  but after a couple of weeks of working- i couldn't think of anything i'd rather do than putter around in the kitchen.  the grass is always greener, eh?

anyway, i don't have any new cooking adventures to share with you just yet, but i did want to tell you about these amazing spelt tortillas.

earlier this fall i made a trip out west and was so excited to find these at the market.  i had seen spelt tortillas before but they had other weird ingredients (like flax seeds.....yuck), and if you have read my previous posts you can probably guess i how feel about that.  these tortillas, on the other hand, are about as perfect as can be.  the ones i have made from scratch are pretty good, but opening a bag beats washing the food processor any day.

so imagine my despair when i returned home and couldn't find these anywhere!  you can buy them on-line but the shipping costs put them out of my reach......what was a girl to do?  the answer?  pester local grocers into carrying them!  whoo hoo!

so now, fingers crossed, i have my own local supplier (and hopefully i'm not the only one who will buy them......)

time for lunch....i think i'll have something with tortillas!!

don't despair!

there is more spelty goodness coming soon....but first i must survive a huge work deadline.....the outcome is not assured.....

in the meantime, check out this great blog,  i wish i was at home making this right now (instead of working on a sunday)....

apple cake

as i mentioned in the previous post, i am currently swimming in apples (figuratively of course).  what i've really been craving is a simple apple cake.  not too fancy.  not to sweet.  just a simple apple cake.

i first tried to modify this one, using spelt and rice milk with lemon instead of buttermilk.  i should have learned from my lemon cake debacle that these types of cake do not take kindly to over modification.  it turned out oddly bread-like, and also kind of gummy and gluey, despite baking for almost an hour.  undeterred, i decided to try adding apples to a spelt cake i knew worked.  ta da!  success!

i am totally not a professional baker nor a food scientist, but it seems like spelt works better in recipes where you cream the butter and sugar together (like with cookies) instead of adding melted butter to make a batter.  i wonder why that is?

apple spelt cake
adapted from king arthur flour

2 apples, cored and chopped
1 T butter
1 T brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (i used rice milk)
1 1/2 cups spelt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350.  

butter 8x8 baking dish.

melt 1 T of butter in a saute pan.  add apples and brown sugar and cook until the apples have softened slightly.  you do not want to make apple sauce, just partially cook the apples.  after the apples have cooked, remove from heat.

cream together butter and brown sugar.  add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is fluffy.

add milk.  

add flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom, mix well.

fold in cooled apple mixture.

pour into buttered baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, testing for after 25.

enjoy!

how about them apples?

last weekend a friend and i went apple picking and, as predicted, picked waaay too many apples.  note to self:  1/2 bushel = 63 apples = too many!

to make matters worse, i can't actually eat raw apples (i have oral allergy syndrome), so i've been trying to find ways to work them into baked recipes.  so far i've had mixed results.  i made an apple "cake" which was more like a gluey bread (yuck), and this apple cobbler which was fantastic!

apple cobbler with spelt crust

filling:
4 apples (i used macoun and cortland), cored (i left the peels on)
1 tablespoon spelt flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

crust:
(this delicious crust is based on this one)
1 1/4 cups spelt flour (i used white)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 oz cold butter (i prefer salted)
3-4 tablespoons ice water

preheat oven to 375.
butter a baking dish (i used an oval dish, but an 8x8 or 9x9 pan would work as well)

for the filling,
cut the apples into medium sized chunks, roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
stir in the melted butter, then the sugar and the flour.  mix well.  place apple mixture into the prepared baking dish.

for the crust,
add the flour and salt to a bowl, mix well.
cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour.
using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until it looks like a coarse meal.
gradually add the water, mixing until the dough forms a ball.

turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a disc.  cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

after the dough has "rested", take it out of the refrigerator and remove the plastic.  place on a floured surface and roll out until it is about 1/4 thick.  carefully lift the dough from the counter and drape over the apples.  tuck in the edges and make sure there are vents for steam to escape.

bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling to the surface.

stuffed

i'm house (and dog) sitting this week so i have the perfect opportunity to try some dishes that have been kicking around in my head for awhile.

even though most of the leaves on the trees are still green, fall has started to arrive in new england.  personally, i couldn't be more excited.  i love fall.  it is, hands down, my favorite season.  of course i love the explosion of color that is about to happen, but mostly i love the cool crisp days that feel like a reward for surviving yet another hot and humid summer.

i love the return of fall foods, the wild assortment of winter squashes, the apples (more on those later....) and the deep and earthy flavors that we associate with this time of year.

a few days ago i received a fantastic package from beth at spelt right baking.  inside were loaves of their lovely breads and bagels.  i'm a huge fan of their frozen pizza dough, so i was really excited to try their other products!

so, what to do when you've got fall flavors on the brain and some lovely spelt bread?  bread stuffing of course!  this is the traditional stuffing at our thanksgiving table (we add sausage to make it even better).  as you can see, it is from a well-loved betty crocker cookbook that has seen better days.  the binding has split, so one half is cape cod dip to pot roast and the other is corn-stuffed pork chops to mustard kohlrabi.  bread stuffing is happily located in the second half, in the poultry section.

spelt bread stuffing (adapted from betty crocker)
makes 4 servings

1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced (i include the leaves)
3T butter (plus 1T for topping)
poultry seasoning

6-8 slices spelt bread, cubed and toasted
3/4-1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400

melt 3T of butter in a large skillet.  add the onion, celery and poultry seasoning and cook until the onions are translucent.

add the spelt cubes to a large bowl, then add the melted butter mixture.  stir to combine.

add the chicken broth and stir to combine.

add stuffing mixture to a buttered baking dish and dot the top with bits of butter.  cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  remove foil and continue to bake until the top is golden and crispy.

do you want spelt with that?

recently i was in a car with a friend who was eating some fast food onions rings.  since i can't eat wheat (or soy, corn, or preservatives), fast food is usually completely off my radar.  but as the car filled with the (oddly) intoxicating scent of fried onion rings, i became filled with an emotion i can only describe as a mixture of sadness, anger and longing.

most of the time i succeed at keeping a pretty positive outlook on all this food allergy/intolerance crap.  i keep telling myself that i feel better now that i've eliminated so many possible offenders from my diet.  the truth is that i do physically feel better than i have in years.  but it is also true that it hasn't always been easy.  i miss the easy camaraderie of eating out with friends.  of grabbing a slice of pizza and a beer just because.  more than anything, i miss participating.  

part of what keeps me coming back to this little blog is that it makes social the inherently solitary pursuit of puttering around the kitchen fussing over new ingredients.

so, from my kitchen to yours,

spelt onion rings (makes roughly 16 rings)

1/2 large sweet onion
1/3 cup white spelt flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup spelt bread crumbs (i used leftover spelt toast)

salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

preheat oven to 400
line baking sheet with parchment

slice onion into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds and separate into rings

set out three shallow pans or plates. 
add flour to one pan, eggs to the next and breadcrumbs to the third

(i added seasoning to both the flour and the breadcrumbs)

dip the onion rings into the flour, then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs
place on the parchment lined baking sheet

bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once

serve with corn-syrup free ketchup!

spelthouse cookies

as you may have gathered from my previous posts, i'm not a big fan of super duper whole grain foods. don't get me wrong, i like to eat (mostly) healthy foods, but i just don't think that everything needs to be made with 100% whole grains.



take chocolate chip cookies, for example. sometimes it is best not to muck around (too much)with a classic.




spelthouse cookies (very slightly adapted from the tollhouse classic)


2 1/4 cups white spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (corn-free)
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips




preheat oven to 375


beat softened butter, both sugars and the vanilla in a medium bowl until creamy.


add the eggs and beat until well incorporated.


add the spelt flour, baking soda and salt. stir to combine.


stir in the chocolate chips.


using a small scoop or spoon, portion out roughly 12 cookies per baking sheet.


bake for 8-11 minutes.


place on cooling rack until you can't stand it anymore and must have a cookie!!  (ahem)


makes roughly 60 cookies.

martha martha martha!

i'm out of town but wanted to put in a quick post about this posting on the everyday food blog at martha stewart dot com.  

as you can see by my recent calzone obsession, spelt right pizza dough has become a staple in my kitchen.

the crazy thing is that if you click on the pizza dough link near the end of the post- it brings you to hey spelty!

aaah!

(thanks beth!)

spelt ≠ farro (or does it?)

i'm currently chained to my printer (long story), so instead of cooking i'm wandering aimlessly though the interwebs.

i came across a really interesting article in the new york times about the differences between spelt and farro.  like many people i had mistakenly thought they were the same thing.

now i know.



yesterday i posted the above article explaining how spelt and farro were not the same thing.  it turns out that there is a lot more confusion about this whole topic than i was expecting.  a speltie (in the know) forwarded me some information that she had received from a spelt farmer in washington.

it turns out that "farro" is an umbrella term for three types of grain, einkorn (Triticum monoccocum), emmer (Triticum diccocum) and spelt (Triticum spelta). 

further internet searching explains that in italy (where the term farro comes from), that there are three sizes of farro, piccolo (einkorn), medio (emmer), and grande (spelt). 

it seems as if the most common "farro" sold is farro medio (aka emmer), but that confusion and mislabelling abound.

i guess the moral of the story is that spelt = farro.  sometimes.

it was only a matter of time

it was bound to happen eventually.  things in speltlandia had been going great, so clearly i was due for something like this.

this was a CAKE FAIL.  more specifically, a lemon CAKE FAIL.

i had read that spelt flour could be substituted for whole wheat flour, so i hunted around for a whole wheat lemon cake to try.  of course i had to make a couple of other substitutions, rice milk for buttermilk and i had to make my own baking powder (commercial baking powder has either cornstarch or potato starch- both on the forbidden list).  the result of my over-tinkering is a heavy, gummy, rubbery mess.  the flavor is good.  the texture?  not so much.....

anyway, here is the recipe i tried to adapt to wheat and dairy free.  tried and failed. 

i like white bread

there. i've said it. i like white bread. okay, okay, multigrain bread is okay sometimes (i suppose), but most of the time i prefer to leave the birdseed for the birds and enjoy the simple pleasures of plain old white bread.

when i first stopped eating wheat and started eating spelt, the only sliced sandwich breads i could find were of the dense-whole-grain variety at trader joes and whole foods. these were okay but have a slightly weird flavor (nutrition?) that competes with whatever the bread is paired with.


then one day i was perusing the gluten-free freezer section at my local whole foods and saw off to the side a little white bag.....it was white bread and it was spelt! whoo hoo!




i guess this is a long way of saying that the white spelt bread from the berlin natural bakery gets the hey spelty seal of approval!




hmm.....i think it is time for some toast......

calzones, take two

i've really gotten on a calzone kick lately.  they are easy to make in advance and are great to pack for lunch.  sadly, dairy still seems to be a problem for me, so i've had to rethink my typical filling ideas.

a friend suggested using caramelized onions instead of cheese and while nothing will ever replace cheese (glorious cheese), these are so tasty that i don't miss it.

sausage and onion calzones
makes 4

1 ball spelt right pizza dough, thawed
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 link hot italian sausage, removed from casing and chopped
1 link sweet italian sausage, removed from casing and chopped
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

spelt flour for dusting

allow pizza dough to rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in size

heat some olive oil in a large skillet
add sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they have caramelized to a medium brown color.  this usually takes around 30-45 minutes.

once onions are caramelized, transfer them to a medium bowl.

in the same skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks
 after sausage cooks, drain excess fat and add sausage to onions

add lemon zest and chopped thyme and mix well

preheat oven to 450

line an inverted sheet pan with parchment

divide dough in to four equal sections
stretch and flatten each section into a flat disc

place 1/4 of the onion/sausage mixture onto one side of each flattened round of dough
fold the other side over the mixture and crimp shut

transfer each calzone to the baking sheet

top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

using a sharp knife or scissors, cut slits in the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape

bake for roughly 15 minutes or until golden brown

serve with tomato sauce

yum!

raspberry swirl blondies

one of the challenges of not eating wheat is that it isn't easy to whip up a quick dessert.  long-gone are the days of opening up a box of brownie mix, adding in a couple of ingredients, popping it all in the oven and enjoying a warm dessert in less than an hour.

or so i thought!

enter the blondie!

blondies are my new favorite quick dessert.  they take almost no effort to pull together, bake in a flash and can be doctored up in many ways.  you can make the basic recipe, or add things like chocolate chips, dried fruit, spices, etc, etc, etc.  in this version i have swirled in raspberry jam......so good!

spelt blondies
adapted from the amazing smitten kitchen

1 stick butter, (i prefer salted)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp good vanilla (some vanillas contain corn syrup....grrr!!)
1 pinch salt
1 cup spelt flour (i usually use a mixture of 1/4 cup whole grain and 3/4 cup white spelt)
1/4 tsp baking soda

preheat oven to 350

butter 8x8 baking dish

melt butter

add brown sugar and stir until shiny and smooth (i use a whisk)
add egg and then vanilla

add flour, salt and baking soda.  stir to combine.

pour batter into prepared pan.

(in this version i added about 2 tablespoons worth of raspberry jam.  i plopped little blobs down on top of the batter and swirled it through with a knife)

bake 20-25 minutes

remove from oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes.

try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting!

spelt tortillas

okay, i admit it.  i am a bit of a tortilla snob.  i like a flour tortilla that is soft and pliable, maybe even a little stretchy.  in my humble opinion, most commercially available tortillas are a total waste of time.  either they are stiff and fluffy (a lovely combination) or have weird ingredients like flax seeds.  gag!

trader joes "hand made" white flour tortillas used to be a staple of my diet, so when i eliminated wheat i was pretty sad to see them go. 

thankfully, spelt flour actually works quite well in tortillas.  yes, it is a pain to make your own tortillas.  and no, they don't really keep all that well...

but when you MUST HAVE TORTILLAS, it is good to know that you can. 

this recipe (adapted from quirkycooking.blogspot), makes about 4 large tortillas.  the original recipe makes more, but i've found that they quickly dry out and get hard, so i usually only make as many as i am going to eat that day.  i haven't tried making more and freezing them yet, but that might work too.

spelt tortillas:

1 cup white spelt flour (sometimes i substitute one or 2 tablespoons white spelt flour for whole grain spelt flour)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup water (approx)

using a food processor mix the spelt and salt together.  add in the butter and blitz until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. 

while the processor is on, gradually add in the water just until a ball is formed.  you want the dough to have a nice pliable consistency.  you don't want it to be too hard, or too sticky- so adjust the water/flour ratio accordingly.

heat a large skillet (i use non-stick).

dust the counter with some spelt flour.

remove the dough ball from the processor and divide it into 4 smaller balls.

roll one of the smaller balls into a rough circle shape- try to get it as thin as you can.

when the pan is very hot, gently pick up the dough and try to shake or pat off as much of the excess flour as you can (if you don't, the excess flour builds up in the pan and will eventually burn) 

lay the dough into the pan.  if the pan is hot enough you will see little bubbles form almost immediately.  after a few seconds, flip the tortilla over.  you should see browned bubbles.  if you don't, the pan probably isn't hot enough.

be very careful not to overcook the tortillas.  you want to take them off of the heat when the outer surface is cooked, but before they have totally set.  this becomes more clear as you practice.

while the first tortilla is cooking, roll out the next ball of dough....

repeat until all 4 tortillas are cooked.

i like to place the tortillas under a clean dishtowel as they come out of pan- this seems to keep them tender.

these tortillas taste great, but making them takes some practice.  it is a challenge to keep up with the simultaneous cooking and rolling.  if you are like me and can only concentrate on one task at a time, rolling them out all at once and placing them between waxed paper also works.

happy happy

the thing about radically changing your diet and method of cooking is that the failure rate goes up exponentially.  it is totally disheartening to spend hours preparing a dish or a meal that is gross or just plain inedible (i'm talking to you- mushy spelt noodles!!).

tonight, however, was a complete success!


spelt calzones
makes 2 enormous calzones

1 ball spelt right  frozen pizza dough, thawed and risen for around 2 hours
(make sure not to let the dough rise too quickly.  with wheat flour i would usually proof dough in the oven with the oven light on- this does not work for spelt.  i don't know why, my guess is that it has something to do with shorter gluten strands....?)

filling:
1 med zucchini, large dice
6 oz fresh spinach (1 bag)
4 scallions, small dice
4 oz feta, crumbled

olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

preheat oven to 450

cover an inverted baking sheet with parchment paper

for the filling:

brown zucchini in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
remove from pan.

using the same pan, quickly saute the spinach until fully cooked.
once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze as much moisture from the spinach as you can.
chop.

mix zucchini, spinach, scallions and feta in a bowl.

for the crust:

after the dough has risen, dust the counter or a board with spelt flour and divide the dough ball into 2 equal pieces.  working one at a time, flatten each dough ball to roughly 10" diameter.

scoop 1/2 of the filling onto one side of each flattened disc, then fold the remaining dough over the filling.  crimp the edges.

transfer your calzones to the inverted baking sheet.

using a sharp knife or scissors, snip 3 holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.

brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown.

devour.

coffee cake

i have been craving cake like you wouldn't believe.  spelt does okay with brownie-type baked goods but i had my doubts about how it would work in a cake recipe....

thankfully, my fears were unfounded.  in fact, i ate three pieces of this last night.....yum!

spelt coffee cake
adapted from king arthur flour

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk (i used rice milk)
1 1/2 cups spelt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350. 

butter 8x8 baking dish.

cream together butter and brown sugar.  add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is fluffy.

add milk.  (adding the cold rice milk caused the butter solids to well, solidify, which looked awful but i don't think it made a difference in the end).

add vanilla. 

in a small bowl stir together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.

fold dry ingredients into wet.

pour into buttered baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, testing for doneness after 25.

let cool for as long as you can stand.

enjoy!

hey spelty!

something is making me sick...

for years i've struggled with digestive issues and a random assortment of other ailments.  after much poking and prodding i've been put on a strict elimination diet to try and nab the culprit(s).  no more wheat, dairy, soy, corn, peanut, potato, pea, celery, etc, etc, etc.  i know for certain that i'm not intolerant to gluten (yes, i'm really really sure), but while there are many options out there for the GF crowd,  many of those products contain other ingredients on my NO list.  so, what is a girl to do?

in a word?  spelt.

spelt is an ancient grain, an ancestor to our modern-day wheat.  it does contain some gluten so isn't safe for people who are gluten intolerant.  but while spelt may be similar to wheat- it is not as simple as substituting one for the other in a recipe.  trust me, i've tried.

this blog will document my experiments baking with spelt and the occasional review of store-bought spelty goodness (and the inevitable badness!).

wish me luck!