banana muffins

These banana muffins are on our list of favourites; not only do they taste good, they also have plenty of healthy ingredients (there isn't too much sugar) – perfect in the children's lunch box. I baked eighty-two of them today for our son's birthday party at his kindergarten next week and of course we ate some too. I thought to myself that I simply had to share the recipe that comes from my friend CafeSigrun. By now, most of you should be familiar with her recipe website (I'm still so happy that it's available in English). I always use large eggs when making these. If you only have small ones then I'd suggest using three egg whites instead of two. You can use one teaspoon of regular baking powder instead of two of the gluten free one. If you want a very strong banana flavour then make sure the bananas you use are very ripe.

BANANA MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g spelt flour
• 50 g rolled oats
• 2 heaped teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites
• 100 g raw cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 5 small ripe bananas or 4 large ones

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
2. Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork (or in a food processor). Set aside
3. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, egg whites, sugar, agave nectar and coconut oil (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use). Add the bananas and give everything a good stir
4. With a large wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Make sure to not stir; the texture of the dough should be light (at this stage it looks like a thick porridge)
5. Lightly grease a silicon muffin pan with some coconut oil and fill each muffin cup about two-thirds to the rim
6. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size and quantity of the bananas, and the size of the silicon muffin pans I use, I get about 15-20 muffins)
7. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack

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pizza dough (yeast free)

Homemade pizza is on our table on Fridays, sometimes on other days as well. Because I make yeast free pizza dough there is no need to wait for the dough to rise, it's ready as soon as the ingredients are mixed. This recipe is from my friend CafeSigrun and I have doubled it because there are five in our household (I make 6-7 thin crust pizzas). I only use ½ teaspoon sea salt because my sauce also contains salt and when each pizza is ready I add a little sea salt on top. I use 1½-2 tablespoons gluten free baking powder but instead you can use about 1 tablespoon of regular. Sometimes I make pizza for lunch while the kids are at school and then I simply divide the rest of the dough into round balls and freeze them. If you want pizza dough with yeast I can recommend Jamie Oliver's recipe; that's the recipe I always made before.

PIZZA DOUGH (YEAST FREE)

INGREDIENTS

• 500 g spelt flour
• 1½-2 tablespoons gluten free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt (you can use more if you want)
• ½ teaspoon oregano (optional)
• 0-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 225-275 ml hot water (I use exactly 250 ml = 1 cup)

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, mix the spelt flour, baking powder, sea salt and oregano
2. Add the olive oil and water and mix the dough gently with a large wooden spoon
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it a bit with your hands. The texture of the dough should be fairly soft and it shouldn't stick to the work surface
4. Tear a piece from the dough, lightly knead it and flatten it out with a rolling pin before placing it on a pizza tin or a baking sheet (I make 6-7 pizzas, depending on how large I want them and I use a pizza stone with a diameter of 32 cm (12.6 inches)
5. Top with pizza sauce and your choice of topping and bake in the oven at 230°C/450 °F/gas mark 8 for 7-10 minutes
6. When each pizza is ready I always drizzle it with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and then I add some sea salt, oregano and freshly ground black pepper

biscotti with almonds

Let me just go ahead and say it: I love biscotti. Dipping a biscotti into my coffee cup is a moment of bliss. I get restless if I don't have these wonderful Italian cookies in a container in my cupboard. I like keeping some in my bag too so I can enjoy them wherever I am with my takeaway latte. The recipe comes from my friend CafeSigrun (how fabulous is it that her website is finally available in English!); it's the only one I've tried and the only one I'll be baking in the future because to me it's perfect. If you want more fibre in your diet then mix wholegrain spelt flour with white spelt flour when making them.

BISCOTTI WITH ALMONDS

INGREDIENTS

• 110 g raw cane sugar, not too coarse
• 1 egg
• ½-1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (from a health food store)
• 240 g spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, gluten free
• optional: ¼-½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 75 g almonds, coarsely chopped
• a few tablespoons cold water

You can add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to make a chocolate version or you can add a handful of chopped organic dark chocolate.

METHOD

1. In a small bowl, mix the raw cane sugar, egg and vanilla/almond extract (you can also use organic vanilla sugar). Add a couple of tablespoons water to dissolve the sugar
2. In a medium bowl, mix the spelt flour and baking powder
3. With a large wooden spoon or a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add water (I use 3 tablespoons) to be able to kneed the dough without it sticking much to the bowl
4. Chop the almonds in a food processor and stir them into the dough
5. Place baking parchment on a baking tray. Use your hands to mould a 12 x 22 cm (4.7 x 8.6 in.) loaf. Make the height of the loaf approximately 1.5 cm (0.6 in.). If the dough sticks to your hands then simply wet your hands with cold water and keep on moulding
6. Bake the loaf at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 40 minutes (160°C if your oven is fan assisted)
7. Place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes and leave the oven on
8. Place the loaf on a chopping board and use a serrated knife to carefully slice it diagonally into 1 cm (0.4 in.) thick slices
9. Place the slices on the baking parchment and bake further for 10-15 minutes
10. Turn the slices over and bake for 5-7 minutes. Turn off the oven, leaving the slices to cool in the oven with door slightly ajar
11. Store the biscotti in an airtight container