I really love bread for breakfast, especially when it is still warm, tasteful and covered with homemade jam. *yummy* Unfortunately most people prefer only wheat meal, while I think it tastes just boring. Furthermore, most wheat plants are overbred and contain less nutrients than other kinds of flour.
My favourite kind of flour is spelt. I really love its nutty taste, which makes every bread much more tasteful in comparison. I know it is not that common in New Zealand, but you can often find it in bulk barns.
Also, the price is not as cheap as wheat but I think it worth it. However if you want you can also make this recipe with wheat flour.
For two baguettes you will need:
200g plain spelt
100g wholemeal spelt
200ml warm water (not chlorinated)
1.5 teaspoons of dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 teaspoons salt
75g walnuts
25g seeds like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or whatever you like.
Step 1:
First of all, you need to put the yeast, the warm water and the sugar into a bowl and stir it until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Now it needs to rest for at least 10 minutes. It is completely normal when it starts bubbling, this is a sign that the yeast is working.
Step 2:
Then you need to put the flour and the salt into your food processor’s bowl and add the yeast-water-mixture. Knead the dough until its smooth. If the dough looks too crumbly, add a little bit of water. After you have a smooth dough add the roughly chopped walnuts and seeds and knead them in. If you don’t own a food processor you can also knead by hand on your clean kitchen countertop.
Step 3:
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and put it on a warm place for 40 Minutes. Make sure the bowl is big enough, because the dough will double its volume.
Step 4:
Now you need to knead the dough again for a short time. Then divide the dough into quarters and form a baguette out of each piece. Put them on a baking plate and let them rest again for 40 min.
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Step 5:
Bake the baguettes for 25min. at 200˚C until they are of a golden color.
How to store your homemade bread?
Because there are no preservatives in your homemade bread, it will not last as long as a bought one. But if you always cover it or wrap it in a clean tea towel you can enjoy it for a few days. Another possibility to make your homemade bread lasting longer is to freeze it.
Reasons for baking your own bread or baguettes:
It keeps you full for a long time
Due to its high percentage of roughage, you will not get hungry for a longer time.
You can vary the taste, by adding different kinds of nuts or seeds
Your can easily vary this recipe. If you don’t like walnuts, you can also add cashew kernels, chopped hazelnuts or bake it without nuts. Furthermore, you can also use pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or whatever your like.
You know what is inside
When making your own bread you will always know all of its ingredients. So, there won’t be any preservatives or other dubious ingredients. Furthermore, you know that your bread was made in a hygienic environment.
Less waste
Usually bought bread is wrapped in plastic. By baking your own bread, you won’t need any plastic packaging.