Spelt Recipe: Popovers

Popovers are delicious. Their light, crispy crust and tender inside are irresistable! This recipe for spelt popovers creates a high, puffed popover that is just as delicious as ones made from common wheat flour. And as a bonus, they're super-easy to make, too.

Those of us with type 2 diabetes will appreciate the use spelt flour in baking as an alternative to traditional wheat flour. Diabetic recipes sometimes use ingredients that are lower on glycemic index scale - and that includes spelt flour. A lower GI means that the food is less likely to cause dramatic effects ('spikes') on blood sugar levels. Because of this, it could be considered as a natural way to control blood sugar. Make sure you monitor the effects of spelt on your blood sugar until you know how your body reacts to it (and discuss with your doctor and diabetes educator too). Keep in mind that portion control is still important, so enjoy in moderation.

Ingredients

Makes 8 muffin-tin sized popovers

• 1 cup of spelt flour (white spelt or whole spelt flour, whichever you prefer)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3 eggs
• Optional: 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like), diced into small cubes
• Optional: 1/4 cup of low-sodium ham, diced into small cubes
• Coconut oil, for greasing muffin tin

Directions

Leave yourself at least 90 minutes to make these popovers. They are quick and easy, but need to 'rest' before going into the oven. A blender also makes things much faster - and it's best if you have one with a little 'window' you can remove from the lid, so that you can add things as you blend. If you don't have a blender, a whisk works just as well.

• Crack eggs into the blender, add the salt, and blend until a nice, creamy yellow (around 15-20 seconds).

• In a small pan, heat the milk until hot but not boiling.

• With the blender on, slowly trickle in the hot milk, blending all the while. If your blender doesn't have a way for you to pour through a small hole in the lid, you might have to dump out the egg mixture and whisk in the milk by hand.

• Finally, add the flour and blend for just a few seconds. Spelt can be overmixed, so only blend until just mixed.

• Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes, ideally 45-60 minutes.

• While waiting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• Put a small dollop of coconut oil (about 1/2 tsp) into each of 8 regular-sized muffin tins and slip the muffin pan into the oven so that the coconut oil melts.

• Remove the hot pan from the oven. Spread the coconut oil over the bottom and sides of each muffin tin, making sure that they are generously greased.

• Give the batter a quick whisk (just a few seconds). Evenly distribute the batter between the 8 muffin tins. If using, drop bits of ham and cheese on top of each muffin.

• Bake for 45-50 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Enjoy hot out of the oven!

Variation: instead of using ham & cheese, try sprinkling a few wild blueberries on top. If you like, you can lightly coat the blueberries first with a small amount of coconut sugar.

As tempting as it may be, don't rush to stick these in the oven - they work best if the batter can rest before being baked. These spelt popovers are so wonderful all on their own... or add a bit of your favorite topping. This recipe makes lovely, high popovers with a crispy outside and a tender inside. They're delectable, hearty and filling, too! There are lots of spelt cookbooks with more tasty recipes.