Wild Sourdough Spelt or Khorasan Christmas Cake BY HAND
VEGAN option: use vegan butter/margarine
Gluten Free option: use brown rice starter (avail from my website) and Gluten Free plain flour
I always adore making and eating fruit cake, so creating this recipe was a joy. This cake has the texture of a classic Christmas cake – dense and complex in flavour, which is what you want for an exceptional and easy-to-digest Christmas cake. You do have the option to add a teaspoon of baking powder to make this cake lighter but it is not essential. This recipe is versatile so you can change the dried fruit mix (about 325–400g) to suit your taste. One combination I love is dried pear, hazelnut and ground cardamom.
The method is quite simple, just like making any traditional butter cake. The white sourdough starter is added at the end of the mixing before the addition of fruits and nuts. The long fermentation allows pre-digestion of gluten, fat and sugar. You can use wheat instead of spelt or kamut/khorasan. Khorasan is worth a try, because for some people this unhybridised/ancient wheat is easier to digest than modern wheat. However, please consult your medical practitioner for advice.
NOTE: This cake is full of fruit, so the cake mixture will not double in size. If you prefer a more complex flavoured cake, you need to make this cake 1–2 months before Christmas.
Use the best quality organic dried fruit you can buy!
Wild Sourdough Spelt or Khorasan Christmas Cake (Thermomix Method)
VEGAN option: use vegan butter/margarine
Gluten Free option: use brown rice starter (avail from my website) and Gluten Free plain flour
always adore making and eating fruit cake, so creating this recipe was a joy. This cake has the texture of a classic Christmas cake – dense and complex in flavour, which is what you want for an exceptional and easy-to-digest Christmas cake. You do have the option to add a teaspoon of baking powder to make this cake lighter but it is not essential. This recipe is versatile so you can change the dried fruit mix (about 325–400g) to suit your taste. One combination I love is dried pear, hazelnut and ground cardamom.
The method is quite simple, just like making any traditional butter cake. The white sourdough starter is added at the end of the mixing before the addition of fruits and nuts. The long fermentation allows pre-digestion of gluten, fat and sugar. You can use wheat instead of spelt or kamut/khorasan. Khorasan is worth a try, because for some people this unhybridised/ancient wheat is easier to digest than modern wheat. However, please consult your medical practitioner for advice.
NOTE: This cake is full of fruit, so the cake mixture will not double in size. If you prefer a more complex flavoured cake, you need to make this cake 1–2 months before Christmas.
Use the best quality organic dried fruit you can buy!
USING NEW MAGIMIX CE DOUGH BLADE
Ancient Purple Wheat and Heirloom Wheat, both unhybridised species of ancient wheat grains, have recently become available in Australia and are now being grown either organically or sustainably in the northern part of NSW. Even better the ones I have been able to get my hands on are stoneground, so they have retained the wheatgerm where all the goodness (vitamins, minerals, beneficial oil) lies. I have never been this excited since I found stoneground Australian organic Khorasan (aka Kamut)!
Purple wheat has the added benefit of the high antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives the same purple colour that exists in blueberries. All three ancient grains above (Khorasan, Purple Wheat, Heirloom) also have the added benefit of high protein but of a different variety than the usual kind; hence they are much more easily digestible compared to modern wheat protein/gluten. Though of course in my opinion, every grain must be either soaked, sprouted or lacto fermented as it is in sourdough bread fermentation prior to consumption.
I like to support this new wave of using ancient grains and the organic and/or sustainable farming of it here in Australia, as these grains are naturally drought and pest resistant, and are therefore much easier for our farmers to grow in Australia’s desert-like climate. Spelt on the other hand, is better suited to colder climates as it requires a lot more water to grow. So with this being said, lets support our farmers or these ancient varieties will become extinct and we will end up with only hybridised types of wheat.
And did I mention that it is so DELICIOUS ??? So here is a recipe for an amazingly delicious and highly digestible sourdough loaf. If you don’t already have a starter culture, you can make your own or purchase my 35+ year old starter culture from the online shop.
Do not over-knead or over-rise… the protein/gluten in these ancient varieties cannot tolerate vigorous kneading or over rising and high temperatures (26-28C is perfect).
For those of you on a FODMAP or low GI diet this bread may be suitable for you, but consult your health practitioner for advice.
Purple and Heirloom Ancient Wheat Sourdough
Ancient Purple Wheat and Heirloom Wheat, both unhybridised species of ancient wheat grains, have recently become available in Australia and are now being grown either organically or sustainably in the northern part of NSW. Even better the ones I have been able to get my hands on are stoneground, so they have retained the wheatgerm where all the goodness (vitamins, minerals, beneficial oil) lies. I have never been this excited since I found stoneground Australian organic Khorasan (aka Kamut)!
Purple wheat has the added benefit of the high antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives the same purple colour that exists in blueberries. All three ancient grains above (Khorasan, Purple Wheat, Heirloom) also have the added benefit of high protein but of a different variety than the usual kind; hence they are much more easily digestible compared to modern wheat protein/gluten. Though of course in my opinion, every grain must be either soaked, sprouted or lacto fermented as it is in sourdough bread fermentation prior to consumption.
I like to support this new wave of using ancient grains and the organic and/or sustainable farming of it here in Australia, as these grains are naturally drought and pest resistant, and are therefore much easier for our farmers to grow in Australia’s desert-like climate. Spelt on the other hand, is better suited to colder climates as it requires a lot more water to grow. So with this being said, lets support our farmers or these ancient varieties will become extinct and we will end up with only hybridised types of wheat.
And did I mention that it is so DELICIOUS ??? So here is a recipe for an amazingly delicious and highly digestible sourdough loaf. If you don’t already have a starter culture, you can make your own or purchase my 35+ year old starter culture from the online shop.
Do not over-knead or over-rise… the protein/gluten in these ancient varieties cannot tolerate vigorous kneading or over rising and high temperatures (26-28C is perfect).
For those of you on a FODMAP or low GI diet this bread may be suitable for you, but consult your health practitioner for advice.
This recipe was created for my dearest girlfriend who had been asking for a sourdough loaf that is strongly flavoured with caraway seeds (she is part Czech if you must know!). The secret to success in this recipe is to follow the recipe to a tee and resist the temptation of adding extra rye flour because you will find the dough become a paste in no time. Rye contains a glue-like non-starch polysaccharide called “pentosan’. When rye is mixed with water these pentosans form glue/gel which increases the viscosity in the dough, absorbing and holding on more water than other form of wheat, hence most rye bread are incredibly moist and if you have no idea how to work with rye, a brick like loaf may be the reward of your painstaking labour, so FOLLOW the recipe!!!
If you don’t already have a starter culture, you can make your own or purchase my 35+ year old starter culture from the online shop.
For those of you on a low GI diet this bread may be suitable for you, but consult your health practitioner for advice.
(can be made VEGAN*)
This is the softest sourdough chocolate hot cross buns you will ever make, and it has the great benefit of containing some good fibre from oats without being recognised by your more fussy little (or big) ones. Making this in the Magimix CE is a breeze…I promise you!
I love a hint of chocolate which pairs nicely with the more traditional hot cross bun mixed spice flavour. If you can get a good quality mixed spice that is fine, but I prefer to use Dutch speculaas spice for a more delicious aroma. You will find this spice from Dutch and South African shops or you can google it and make it from scratch.
If the idea of beetroot frightens you, you can use apple/pear/orange juice instead. For me the beetroot kvass complements and adds depth of flavour to the chocolate.
For chocolate lovers or for your little ones, you can omit the spice completely and use good quality chocolate chips instead of dried fruits.
*for VEGAN version:
Substitute full fat nut milk,substitute butter with vegan butter or macadamia or olive oil, and substitute egg with chia gel made from 1tsp chia and 50g water. Make sure you let the chia gel form which will require some stirring and 3-4 hours to gel or alternatively use hot water, stir and allow to cool.
(can be made VEGAN*)
***FOR MACHINE (THERMOMIX, MAGIMIX CE, KITCHEN AID, KENWOOD, ANKARSRUM) INSTRUCTION SEE BELOW***
This is the softest sourdough chocolate hot cross buns you will ever make, and it has the great benefit of containing some good fibre from oats without being recognised by your more fussy little (or big) ones. I love a hint of chocolate which pairs nicely with the more traditional hot cross bun mixed spice flavour. If you can get a good quality mixed spice that is fine, but I prefer to use Dutch speculaas spice for a more delicious aroma. You will find this spice from Dutch and South African shops or you can google it and make it from scratch.
If the idea of beetroot frightens you, you can use apple/pear/orange juice instead. For me the beetroot kvass complements and adds depth of flavour to the chocolate.
For chocolate lovers or for your little ones, you can omit the spice completely and use good quality chocolate chips instead of dried fruits.
*for VEGAN version:
Substitute full fat nut milk,substitute butter with vegan butter or macadamia or olive oil, and substitute egg with chia gel made from 1tsp chia and 50g water. Make sure you let the chia gel form which will require some stirring and 3-4 hours to gel or alternatively use hot water, stir and allow to cool.
Hainan Chicken Rice (Chinese Steam Chicken and Rice)
This is one of my favourite easy meal, but I usually have to dirty a big pot to cook the chicken, a rice cooker to cook the rice plus another small saucepan to cook the sauce.
Well, this recipe is an all in one recipe in your Magimix CE, and the best part you can multi-task while it is cooking away!
Once you are familiar with this recipe you can be more adventurous and make coconut turmeric rice instead by substituting 400ml of the water for cooking the rice with a can of coconut milk and add 1tsp of turmeric powder into the steaming liquid.
Quick Banana Chocolate and Walnut Loaf – spelt or khorasan or gluten free
This is a banana bread extraordinaire, soft, moist and caramely, the secret is using bananas which have been left to ripened with brown spots all over them. I use Billington Light Muscovado sugar which is unrefined cane sugar but you can use organic raw, rapadura or palm/coconut sugar, which will give you a slightly denser texture but won’t change its delicious taste.
It takes just under 2 minutes to mix in your Magimix CE Food Processor. This loaf batter is runny so do not panic!
You can also make this glutenfree by substituting the flour with your preferred glutenfree flour mixture.
You will need a medium size heavy bread baking tin, mine measures 11cm wide x 25cm length x 10cm height
What could be better than the smell of freshly baked bread…well, frankly, freshly baked sourdough bread made by your very own hands! This recipe is based on one of the favourite sourdough breads in my third book, Wild Sourdough By Hand. I have used homemade almond milk to add softness to this already moist and ‘light’ loaf. I prefer to use Australian grown black chia seeds but white chia is fine too. The crumb has a deep caramel brown colour due to the use of wholemeal spelt flour, and is studded with tiny black specks of chia seeds. This loaf will rise faster than the basic loaf as it has double the amount of starter. Start the night before to soak the chia seeds and activate the starter culture. If you don’t already have a starter culture, you can make your own or purchase my 35+ year old starter culture from the online shop.
For those of you on a FODMAP or low GI diet this bread may be suitable for you, but consult your health practitioner for advice.