Spelt honey and hazelnut bread – Wheat free and delicious!

Yesterday I made some spelt bread to bring in the New year and the results were AMAZING! I am a self confessed bread lover and while I wish I could ditch the amount I eat to save a bloating tummy, I have never quite mastered it..but now there’s no excuse! This wheat free bread not only is delicious but it is full of wonderous health benefits that far over-ride the wheat grain, for instance, it is tremendous for cardiovascular protection and prevention, breast cancer prevention and also gallstone prevention. Here is an overview of SPELT and its many many health benefits:

Spelt 

A wonderfully nutritious and ancient grain with a deep nutlike flavor, spelt is a cousin to wheat that is recently receiving renewed recognition. Spelt products can be found in your local health food store year-round.

Spelt is an ancient grain that traces its heritage back long before many wheat hybrids. Many of its benefits come from the fact that it offers a broader spectrum of nutrients compared to many of its more inbred cousins in the wheat family. It can be used in many of the same ways as wheat including bread and pasta making. Spelt does not seem to cause sensitivities in many people who are intolerant of wheat.

Reduce Risk of Atherosclerosis

The fiber in spelt can also help to reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels. The presence of fiber also contributes to the cholesterol-lowering potential of spelt. Fiber binds with the bile acids that are used to make cholesterol. Fiber isn’t absorbed, so when it exits the body in the feces, it takes the bile acids with it, making less available for cholesterol production.

Prevent Heart Failure with a Whole Grains Breakfast

Since consumption of whole grain products and dietary fiber has been shown to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack, Harvard researchers decided to look at the effects of cereal consumption on heart failure risk and followed 21,376 participants in the Physicians Health Study over a period of 19.6 years. After adjusting for confounding factors (age, smoking, alcohol consumption, vegetable consumption, use of vitamins, exercise, and history of heart disease), they found that men who simply enjoyed a daily morning bowl of whole grain (but not refined) cereal had a 29% lower risk of heart failure. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Oct 22;167(19):2080-5. Isn’t your heart worth protecting, especially when the prescription—a morning bowl of hearty whole grains—is so delicious? For quick, easy, heart-healthy, whole grain recipes, click The World’s Healthiest Foods, and look at the “How to Enjoy” section in any of our grain profiles.

Significant Cardiovascular Benefits for Postmenopausal Women

Eating a serving of whole grains, such as spelt, at least 6 times each week is an especially good idea for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A 3-year prospective study of over 200 postmenopausal women with CVD, published in the American Heart Journal, shows that those eating at least 6 servings of whole grains each week experienced both:

• Slowed progression of atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque that narrows the vessels through which blood flows, and
• Less progression in stenosis, the narrowing of the diameter of arterial passageways.

The women’s intake of fiber from fruits, vegetables and refined grains was not associated with a lessening in CVD progression.

Gallstone Prevention

Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as spelt, can help women avoid gallstones, shows a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Studying the overall fiber intake and types of fiber consumed over a 16 year period by over 69,000 women in the Nurses Health Study, researchers found that those consuming the most fiber overall (both soluble and insoluble) had a 13% lower risk of developing gallstones compared to women consuming the fewest fiber-rich foods.

Those eating the most foods rich in insoluble fiber gained even more protection against gallstones: a 17% lower risk compared to women eating the least. And the protection was dose-related; a 5-gram increase in insoluble fiber intake dropped risk dropped 10%.

How do foods rich in insoluble fiber help prevent gallstones? Researchers think insoluble fiber not only speeds intestinal transit time (how quickly food moves through the intestines), but reduces the secretion of bile acids (excessive amounts contribute to gallstone formation), increases insulin sensitivity and lowers triglycerides (blood fats). Abundant in all whole grains, insoluble fiber is also found in nuts and the edible skin of fruits and vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, many squash, apples, berries, and pears. In addition, beans provide insoluble as well as soluble fiber.

Fiber from Whole Grains and Fruit Protective against Breast Cancer

When researchers looked at how much fiber 35,972 participants in the UK Women’s Cohort Study ate, they found a diet rich in fiber from whole grains, such as spelt, and fruit offered significant protection against breast cancer for pre-menopausal women. (Cade JE, Burley VJ, et al., International Journal of Epidemiology).

Pre-menopausal women eating the most fiber (>30 grams daily) more than halved their risk of developing breast cancer, enjoying a 52% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women whose diets supplied the least fiber (<20 grams/day).

Fiber supplied by whole grains offered the most protection. Pre-menopausal women eating the most whole grain fiber (at least 13 g/day) had a 41% reduced risk of breast cancer, compared to those with the lowest whole grain fiber intake (4 g or less per day).

Fiber from fruit was also protective. Pre-menopausal women whose diets supplied the most fiber from fruit (at least 6 g/day) had a 29% reduced risk of breast cancer, compared to those with the lowest fruit fiber intake (2 g or less per day).

So, as you can see, HUGE benefits from a simple slice of yummy bread..and I have to stress, it is so easy to make so any one wishing to have a crack, below is the recipe:

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Spelt Bread

Spelt naturally proves and rises more quickly than conventional wheat flour, so bake it as soon as it has doubled in size. The flavour is delicious.

Ingredients

500 g	Organic Wholegrain Spelt Flour
½ tsp	Salt
1 tsp	Quick Yeast
1 tbsp100g	HoneyCrushed hazelnuts
300 ml	Warm Water
1 tbsp	Olive oil

Method

1. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, quick yeast and honey.
2. Add the water and roughly mix it into the flour.
3. While the dough is still lumpy add the crushed hazelnuts and oil and knead well until it feels smooth and pliable.
4. Leave the dough covered with a tea towel, in a draught free place, for it to double in size. (This should take about an hour).
5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough firmly for several minutes.
6. Shape the dough and put it into an oiled 1kg/2lb bread tin or place it on an oiled baking sheet.
7. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave dough to rise for about 25 minutes in a warm place.
8. Bake in a preheated oven 35/40 minutes.

And here’s one I made earlier:

(Sinfully with a drizzle of honey..once it comes straight out of the oven you just must!)

HAPPY BAKING PEOPLE!