I am not a very accomplished cook, and I certainly don't consider myself a seasoned baker. However, I found an incredibly simple bread recipe for a bread that met all my nutritional standards. It's made primarily from spelt flour which is far more nutritious than wheat (and not refined), and contains no yeast. I found the recipe in The Ultimate pH Solution by Michelle Schoffro Cook, which is a great guide to eating a mostly-alkaline diet.

You can alter many of the details of this recipe to make a variety of breads. This loaf pictured is what I'm calling "Slightly Sweet Spelt Bread," and the exact details are as follows:

2 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 cup quinoa flour
2 tsp ground psyllium hulls (sometimes called husk)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp powdered stevia
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup organic virgin coconut oil
cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8- by 4-inch loaf pain with virgin coconut oil or olive oil.
2. In a food processor or mixer [I use a blender], combine dry ingredients. Add almond milk and coconut oil; process until smooth.
3. Pour into pan and bake for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Don't be intimidated by the seemingly strange ingredients. A simple trip to your local health food store should have everything you need. Psyllium hulls were the most unfamiliar thing to me, but I found them buy the flours and baking supplies. Make sure to buy unsweetened almond milk, and if you can't find any, it is quite simple to make your own: Combine half a cup of raw, unsalted almonds with 2 cups of pure water (a few drops of stevia extract if you're so inclined), and blend. Strain if necessary.

Variations
- The core components of the recipe are the spelt flour, psyllium husks, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, and almond milk. You want most of the flour to be spelt as it is very alkalizing and nutrient-dense. You can usually substitute about a cup of flour with another healthy choice such as quinoa or amaranth flour. If not, you can have all 3 1/2 cups be spelt flour.
- For a more savory bread, omit the stevia extract and cinnamon and add 1/2 cup of fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, or chives.

A nice addition to the bread was a healthy butter substitute recipe, also found in The Ultimate pH Solution. This was very exciting for me as I don't use butter (I generally avoid dairy), but I also don't use margarine since most are over-processed and ridden with chemicals. This simple recipe just combines 1/2 cup of coconut oil with 1/2 cup of flax oil. Melt the coconut oil on low heat in a small pot, then immediately combine with flax oil in a separate container. Refrigerate until solid. It tastes great, is completely natural, and boosts the health benefits of two powerful oils.

Bread-making seems like a long and exhausting process, but this recipe makes it simple and devoid of the nutritional downfalls of most bread. Give it a try!

Be healthy,
Emily