Thursday, May 30, 2013

DELICIOUS 100% Whole Grain Kamut - Spelt Bread Recipe

Recently I discovered that some of my stomach troubles were caused by wheat.  I am not allergic, but just intolerant enough that it was messing with my digestion and making my nauseated and bloated.  I LOVE bread so that was a big bummer.  The good thing is that I discovered 2 amazing grains related to wheat, spelt and kamut that could be tolerated well by most wheat intolerant people.  Both of these grains can replace modern wheat in most recipes.  Over the years modern wheat has been hybridized to make it easier for farmers to grow, easier to harvest and cheaper. I still think modern whole wheat is healthy and full of good nutrients but it bothers my stomach.  So now I just bake with these grains instead.

Kamut has a sweet nutty flavor and is my favorite.  It bakes nicely and 1/4 cup uncooked has 7 grams of protein.  Kamut is actually the brand name of Khorsan wheat. It is chock full of minerals and is a good source of selenium, zinc, magnesium and iron.  Spelt is also high in protein and can replace wheat in many recipes.  It is also high in magnesium, zinc and iron as well as phosphorus.  The best part is that all of my family (my plethora of kids and husband)  all LOVE this bread.

We bought a bosch bread mixer and make this bread in large batches that will make 5 loaves at a time.  This way we can eat some fresh and slice the rest and freeze it.

Kamut-Spelt Bread

This makes 5 loaves, and you can use all kamut or all spelt if you choose. This recipe came from a cookbook called "Healthy Recipes from the Heart of our Homes" a cookbook developed especially for the bosch mixer.  You can of course adapt this for a different mixer but cutting the recipe in half.
Preheat oven to 375.
In the bosch mixer with dough hooks in place: 
5 cups of warm water
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil (I use organic olive oil or coconut oil)
1 Tbsp dough enhancer
4 cups freshly ground spelt flour
3 Tbsp yeast
Mix thoroughly for 15 seconds.  Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.
Add: 2 Tbsp Salt 
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4-6 cups freshly-ground  kamut flour
4 eggs (I use local cage free eggs)
Enough spelt or kamut flour to clean the side of the bowl.
Knead on speed 1 for 3 minutes. (Please note that you should only knead spelt and kamut for only 3 minutes or you will overdevelop the gluten and have flat loaves.) Form into 5 loaves. Place into well oiled loaf pans. Let rise until double. Lower heat to 350. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Enjoy and let me know how yours turns out!
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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Shoes, Orphans and Ethiopia


This is a guest post by a friend of mine Ingrid who works tirelessly with a very trusted group 
that serves the poorest of the poor in Ethiopia.  Ingrid's blog can be found here

Famine, Poverty and Injustice...

Right now I'm raising $6,000 for 300 pairs of shoes for my little friends in Ethiopia.  
Fundraising scares me, I feel very inadequate to raise the funds but I know that 
God loves these children WAY more than I do and HE will provide for them.

I visited these children this past March and almost immediately knew that this shoe 
project needed to happen ASAP!  The reason is the picture below.

January 2011

I actually took this picture on my first trip to Ethiopia in January 2011. 
 These shoes belonged to a precious boy named Israel.  When I got him a new pair 
of shoes from our donations he cried.

I cried.  

My life was changed.


January 2011 

As I held him, both of us crying, I knew that I simply could NOT go home and ever be the same.

This past March I had the privilege of seeing Israel again and oh my, he had grown, 
he was taller than me!  HUGE testament to how much these children are benefiting
 from the feeding program.

Within moments of walking into the school, I spotted Israel's face.  After I hugged him, 
I soon noticed something that

broke

my

heart,

Israel was barefoot.

This boy has a special place in my heart and I REALLY wanted to bring him shoes. 
 Children's HopeChest and FOVC have asked that we try to give donations/gifts that
 are similar for all the children.  Therefore, I wasn't able to bring Israel shoes because 
we didn't have enough room to bring 150 pairs, one for every child.  Throughout the week, 
Israel would smile at me and I often wondered if he was thinking about the shoes
 because I was. 

After he outgrew the pair from 2011, he receive another pair from FOVC in 2012.  
Unfortunately, because of lack of funding this past year, FOVC couldn't provide shoes in 2013. 
 Therefore, many of the children are barefoot or wearing very worn shoes.

Ugh!  My heart is broken and I SO desperately want to provide new shoes. 
 $6,000 will provide 300 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs per child for the next year.

PLEASE donate a pair (or 2) today.  Follow THIS LINK to make a donation.  
I, along with Israel and 149 other of my little friends in Ethiopia, greatly appreciate your support.

March 2013

Thank you Ingrid for working so tirelessly for these little ones and being bold
on their behalf!  I would love to help her raise the funds by spreading the word! 
 Please help if you can and please share this on pinterest and on facebook 
to put shoes on these little ones feet.  Shoes are just one of the many blessings
we take for granted every day.  Lets celebrate our gratitude for these things 
by sharing what we have and spreading the word!


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