Dark Rye Spelt Olive Rolls

So it’s been a month since I started my detox diet. This is how long I haven’t been eating gluten (most wheat), meat, dairy, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. I guess in the past week, I’ve started to eat white meat chicken and eating a little yogurt and low fat cottage cheese, but for the most part, I’ve been good! The reason I started this whole diet was because I got to be heaviest that I have ever been (I blame this on the stresses of architecture thesis with its sleep deprivation and lack of time to cook) and I felt sluggish, low energy, and basically felt terrible. After being on this diet of mostly vegetables, a little protein, no refined sugar and gluten, I feel terrific! I have renewed energy, I feel more emotionally stable, I am definitely a happy camper. I even lost 10 pounds! That was pretty easy because you all know that I’ve still been eating very well.

Brown rice and Quinoa have been in my diet since and home made dark rye bread is what’s keeping me from craving croissants. I really don’t miss bread that much, but once in a while when I get the urge to eat it, I bake myself some of these dark rye olive rolls and that makes me happy, eating them straight out of the oven.

I tried out this recipe to make it purely no wheat with brown rice flour, but it ended up becoming more like a hockey puck than anything, so my baker best friend told me to try using spelt (it’s a whole grain but it contains very little gluten. Some Celiac people can actually eat it too). So although this isn’t completely gluten free, it’s a great alternative to white bread.

You should try the detox if you are feeling sluggish, easily cranky and low energy. Even for a weekend. It’ll make you feel lighter, more lively and happy. This recipe makes around 6 or 7 rolls that are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. If you want to bake it as a loaf… I haven’t tried that yet, but I think you can put it in a lower temperature oven and leave it in there longer, maybe 40 minutes. Try testing the center with a wooden skewer. If it comes out clean, and the outside isn’t burnt, you’re golden! Good luck!

Final Result:

2 cups of Organic Dark Rye Starter
1/2 can of sliced Black Olives, if you are really an olive lover, you can use Kalamata Olives or green olives too
1/4 cup of Organic Agave Nectar (sugary syrup derived from agave plants. Great for diabetics as it keeps blood sugar levels stable)
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups of Organic Dark Rye Flour (doesn’t have to be organic, but I like it better)
2 cups of Organic Spelt Flour (approximate, use more or less depending on the dough)
Pinch of salt

Note: You can add caraway seeds like a traditional Rye, but I don’t really like it, so I didn’t put it in. Sometimes I mince some fresh rosemary in there, sometimes I add sundried tomatoes. Add whatever you like.

1. Take some of your yeasty, sour smelling Rye Starter and put it in a large bowl. Leave some of it back so that you can keep feeding it every day and keep it going. Some famous Sourdough companies have had their starter going for over 100 years! They keep it under lock and key, and have surveillance on it too. Crazy!

This is how much I kept back
2. Chop up your olives

3. Add Agave Nectar, Olive Oil, salt, 2 cups of Rye flour and whatever else you’d like to put in there (rosemary, caraway seeds, etc). Mix thoroughly to make a dough.
 
4. Once it’s all mixed up, mound the 1 cup of spelt flour on your clean work surface and keep adding more flour as you knead the dough with floured hands. Keep kneading for 10 minutes or so to get a soft dough that’s no longer really sticky. Form it into a ball.

 
5. Cut it up into evenly sized pieces with your bench scraper or use a serrated knife.
 
6. Form each one into balls with lightly floured hands.

7. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour. I know it’s a while to wait, but go paint your nails or clean up or read a magazine or something. In a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven, put in the rolls.

Optional: Rub some olive oil on top and sprinkle on sesame seeds before putting it in the oven


8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until it’s golden brown on top. Enjoy with some butter or margarine!