Spelt brioche and a water-locked house
We had almost as much rainfall overnight as we usually have during May and June combined. Here it doesn’t rain, but it pours; the house was surrounded by an impressive moat this morning that I don’t recall being there when we signed on the dotted line. We now also boast a second river, which sounds fine in theory, but is not so practical in reality as we’re not very well-equipped boat-wise. Hugo took one look outside this morning and went back to bed, sighing heavily, the hens are developing webbed feet and learning to swim and I was out early drying off the horses with my hairdryer. All-in-all an appropriate morning for brioche.
Ingredients
300g spelt flour (or plain flour if you prefer)
100g butter, melted
100g coconut oil, melted (you can substitute this for a further 100g of butter)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons dry bakers’ yeast
2 tablespoons cold water
4 eggs, beaten
40g cane sugar
Dilute the dry yeast in 2 tablespoons’ luke-warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, beaten eggs, melted butter and oil. Either knead by hand or beat in a mixer (better if you’re lazy). The dough must stay elastic in consistency so add a drop more water, if necessary. Leave the dough to rise in the mixing bowl for about an hour at a temperature of between 25-30°C (it should double in volume). Beat and knead the dough and leave to rise for a further hour. Beat and knead again and put the dough in the loaf tin. Leave to rise one last time. Preheat the oven to 200°C and cook for 25 minutes.
15 Comments
annelifaiers
What a lovely recipe and your bread looks just perfect! Poor you being so waterlogged! It is utterly ridiculous isn’t it? I am off to Mennorca later this week to seek out some long forgotten sunshine. #thisisnotwhatisignedupfor xx
The Healthy Epicurean
Thanks Anneli – it is deliciously light. This weather is getting beyond a joke. We usually start swimming in the pool at the beginning of April – it’s mid-June and we haven’t been in once yet this year. Good idea going off to find sun elsewhere – I hope the weather’s good there because in Northern Spain at least, it isn’t…
Fig & Quince
A moat? I want to chuckle but I feel for you and the damp state of life at the moment. Brioche sounds perfect. Lap up your writing – you say so much in just one little paragraph – and by the way I am assuming you’re kidding about drying horses with hair dryer. It is a joke … right?
The Healthy Epicurean
That’s OK – feel free to giggle – I’ve found my waders 😉 Re the horses, let’s just say that I really really wanted to; poor darlings, they were like drowned rats, but having already exploded the jet-wash this week, I thought I’d better step away from using the hairdryer outside in the rain. The mind boggles at the potential consequences!
apuginthekitchen
Wow, thats a lot of rain, I can just see Hugo taking one look and going back to bed. The pugs won’t go out if the ground is wet, spoiled brats. Your bread is amazing. I would love for you and Hugo to do a guest post on my blog, would you be interested? You pick the recipe love your GF creations.
The Healthy Epicurean
And, in Hugo’s case anyway, the irony is that although he refuses to go out when it’s wet ‘underpaw’, he usually throws himself into every river and ditch in sight 😀 Hugo and I would be honoured to do a guest post on your blog. If you email me at thehealthyepicurean@orange.fr we can discuss it?
apuginthekitchen
I will do that. Thanks
andreamynard
Blimey, sounds as if the best thing to do is stay in your kitchen baking. That brioche looks wonderfully comforting too – love the idea of making rich, decadent treat food healthier. Just made the more-fruit-than-cake-cake from Little Leon book at the weekend and it has lots of figs & red wine but spelt flour and honey rather than sugar, so I can kid myself I’m eating myself healthier while scoffing with my coffee!
The Healthy Epicurean
That sounds delicious. I must look out for that book. I’ve just bought ‘Love, bake, nourish’, which I’m loving – loads of healthy cake recipes…
Katy
I saw this recipe on Foodgawker, and wanted to look into it as it was labeled as “gluten-free” and “spelt”…I am not gluten-free, but I work in a bakery where we grind our own flours, spelt being included. **Spelt Flour is NOT gluten-free.**
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you for your comment Katy. On Foodgawker I actually described this bread as wheat-free and NOT gluten-free because, as you say, spelt obviously contains gluten…
Jessie
Oh gosh, I hope it’s dried out a little at your place. A moat? Looks like a boat may be in order 😉
I love a good brioche, and this looks like a fantastic one! Thanks for sharing!
The Healthy Epicurean
Yes a boat would have been very useful. It’s dried out quite a lot now but is very hot so now we’re plagued by mosquitos! This brioche is really easy and really tasty. 🙂
Autism United
You poor things, too much rain for sure. I did have to laugh about the chickens getting web feet though, sorry.
Lovely looking recipe, haven’t had since I was a child and my grand mother would make for us.
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you and that’s OK; the hens don’t seem any the worse for it 🙂 Was your grandmother French?