Making bread is undeniably the most satisfying form of baking. When our oven was broken, I was forced to source shop-bought bread and realised it was challenging to find a loaf that would only have natural ingredients in it. What ever happened to bread made only with flour, salt, sugar, yeast and oil? Most of the bread at the supermarket have an ingredient list longer than your arm! Fortunately there are good organic bread available, but there is nothing like home-made bread straight from the oven.
What makes this recipe so good is that it's made with real, natural ingredients - it's satisfying, hearty and full of goodness. I love using spelt flour in both savoury and sweet baking and it is perfect in this loaf too. I've also used rye and lupin flour, but if you can't find lupin, try using soy or chickpea/besan flour instead. My home smells like freshly baked bread - now what could be better than that?
Four-flour bread
(Recipe adapted from Ross Dobson's Wholefood kitchen)
500g organic white spelt flour
50g organic whole spelt flour
50g organic rye flour
50g organic lupin flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
30g rolled oats
80g brown sugar + 1 teaspoon
2 teaspoons dry yeast
60 ml olive oil
1. Place the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in the oats and sugar and set aside.
2. Put the yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Stir to mix, then add 125 ml warm water in to the bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes. By this time the mixture should be frothy and bubbly.
3. Add the yeast mixture, along with 375 ml warm water and olive oil into the flour mixture and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until slightly risen.
4. Preheat the oven to 220C and grease a medium sized loaf tin.
5. Once risen, turn the dough on to a floured surface. Knead the dough (incorporating more spelt flour into the mixture as needed) for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 balls and place the balls into the prepared loaf. Cover the tin and set aside for 30 minutes or until risen.
6. Brush the risen loaf lightly with water. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180C and continue to bake for a further 25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting. Serve fresh and warm.
