A wonderful alternative to any other bread loaded with empty carbs and sugar. This is an ideal breakfast bread. Make really healthy sandwiches that won’t elevate your sugar levels. Great appetiser, toasted and drizzled with cold pressed olive oil, yum, or any other spread you may have prepared earlier. Also, very tasty side to a hearty soup or a salad. Packed with goodness of spelt flour, making it lower GI than the alternative, and containing less gluten than the ordinary wheat flour.
If you have a bread maker or a Thermomix, you can alter this recipe to your usual bread making process. Otherwise just follow these simple few step to a delicious treat.
Preparation: 45 minutes+ 1 hour to rise, then Cooking time: 45 minutes (quicker if you use Thermomix)
Ingredients:
- ½ pumpkin with skin-roasted the night before, to make around one cup of pumpkin mash
- 30g of compressed yeast or 2 saches(7g) of active dry yeast
- 1 tsp of coconut sugar
- ½ cup lukewarm rice or soya milk
- 1 cup of wholemeal organic spelt flour
- 2 cups of plain organic spelt flour
- 1 tsp of Himalayan salt
- 1 large free range egg
- freshly ground white pepper
- 2 tsp finely chopped sage
- 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 tbs cold pressed sunflower oil
Method:
- Cut the pumpkin into large pieces and spray with some olive oil and roast in an oven till soft. Then let it cool, and remove the skin and mash the soft pumpkin, ready to add to the recipe when required.
- Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl with the milk. Set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy.
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl until frothy, season with the pepper and beat in the sage, rosemary, nutmeg and oil.
- Use a wooden spoon to gradually stir the milk and yeast mixture into the flour. Add the egg mixture and stir well. Stir in the pumpkin. The dough should be fairly soft but kneadable (extra flour may be required to achieve this).
- Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, or beat with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, 5 minutes.
- Shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until double in bulk.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Oil a 23×13 cm loaf pan. Punch the dough down and knead briefly. Place the dough in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown.
- PS. If using the Thermomix, just place all ingredients in the Thermomix bowl, including the roasted pumpkin and the frothy egg mixture and the frothy yeast and milk mixture. Blend on around 6 for 20 seconds or until combined.
- Place dial on closed lid position and “knead” for around 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and check for consistency, then repeat the knead for another minute or so.
- Place in the pan, let it rise till it doubles, compress it down slightly making a pattern on top, then bake.
