Spelt testing

The weekend before last, Mom, looking for a gluten-free snack, bought a big box of KIND® bars. And they do have "GLUTEN FREE" stamped right there on the box and on each bar, along with "INGREDIENTS YOU CAN SEE & PRONOUNCE®." Unfortunately, in these bars the third ingredient that you can see & pronounce is chicory root fiber (aka chicory root extract or inulin), which is the root of all evil for people like me who can't tolerate it. And now we can add your Mom to that list, as a few of these not-so-KIND bars were enough to give her the same type of intense GI distress that I suffered after eating too much GOFART Crunch.

Which was all the excuse I needed to go into Dad's Test Kitchen and conduct some serious spelt testing. In addition to the Spelt Banana Bread, we've also had 100% spelt pancakes, spelt crepes, spelt chocolate chip cookies, spelt focaccia, and spelt soda bread, all with good results. And Mom's had no adverse reaction to any of them, so it's really looking like fructans are the problem, not gluten, which will make my life simpler (and tastier) going forward. Next up: homemade spelt fettuccine.

Spelt Soda Bread

Adapted from The Fabulous Baker Brothers (2012) by Tom Herbert and Henry Herbert via Sharpham Park

Time: 45 minutes

300 grams (~2½ cups) whole grain spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
257 grams (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) well-shaken buttermilk, more as needed

    1. Place a baking stone in the center of the oven, and heat to 450 degrees. If you don’t have a baking stone, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner (but don’t put it into the oven).
    2. Once the oven is heated, whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, and stir with a silicone spatula until the dough just comes together, making sure there are no dry bits at the bottom. Add a little more buttermilk if needed; the dough should be soft.
    3. The moment all the ingredients have come together, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just enough to bring the dough together. The gluten in spelt is more fragile than that in wheat flour so take it easy. Working quickly with cupped hands, shape the dough into a round loaf about 6 inches across and 1½ inches high.
    4a. If you’re using a baking stone, place the dough onto a lightly floured pizza peel. Cut a cross deep into the top of the dough, from edge to edge, using a sharp, preferably serrated, knife (this is called "blessing the bread"). Transfer the dough directly onto the baking stone.
    4b. If you’re not using a baking stone, place the dough onto the baking sheet. Cut a cross deep into the top of the dough, from edge to edge, using a sharp, preferably serrated, knife. Place the baking sheet into the oven. 
    5. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400 degrees. Bake until the bread has a golden brown crust and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 more minutes. If you have an instant-read thermometer, an even more reliable test for doneness is when the loaf registers 195 degrees in the center.
    6. Let cool for a few minutes, then break into 4 pieces and serve warm with good butter and/or jam. Serves 4.