Sunday, August 30, 2009

Venture into Spelt Country

Zucchini is currently kind of an epidemic in my fridge. In all seriousness, this, the most persistent of squash, is showing up in almost everything that I make.
Do you have this problem?
Fight back with zucchini bread.
I don't know about you, but I haven't had the stuff since 3rd grade with Mrs. Nicholson. Even then, all that I remember about it is that it was delicious and I wanted more. So in the face of this mass zucchini takeover, I decided to finally satisfy 9 year old Vanessa's craving.
Now, in an effort to be healthier- or at least, more nutritious, I used spelt flour. This is my first time using it, and to be totally honest, I have no idea how this is healthier than unbleached flour. I did hear, however, that it was tastier, and tastier was more a driving force than the health part. I mean, we're vegan. Come on now.

I adapted this from The Compassionate Cook (the first vegan cookbook I ever got, and the one I turn to the most) changing the flour type, sugar, and oil levels. This recipe makes 4 of those cute little tiny loaf pans that I really have no idea why I have. Actually, it made 3 tiny monster overflowing loaves-

Come play with us, Danny...

I recommend using 4. Barring that, try your hand at 2 regular size loaves.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups Zucchini (grated)
3 cups Spelt flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soy milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp Egg Replacer
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350ยบ F and grease the loaf pans.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl (except the walnuts) and mix the wet ingredients in another.
Add the wet to the dry, and the walnuts, and mix until just combined.
Fill the pans of your choice. For large loaves: 50 - 60 minutes, and for smaller 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
As it turns out, the spelt in this recipe behaves a lot like all purpose flour. The dough rose fine, and it wasn't overly dense, dry, or crumbly. In fact, it was a bit tastier, I'd say almost nuttier- but in a very subtle way. So for those of you wanting to venture out into the world of alternative flours, why not give it a shot?


Indulge your childhood memories, clear out your fridge- everybody wins.


3 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh my goodness, the reference to The Shining with the "Come play with us, Danny" quote is too funny, haha :-D

Delicious loves!!

Andrew said...

I don't think spelt flour is any more nutritious than unbleached, but I do know that it is used to accommodate food allergies, which, in the case of spelt, would be gluten allergies/intolerance.

Natalie said...

Those fluffy little loafs look great! I have never tried spelt flour but have been wanting to.