Spelt Bread Rolls

"That is the simple secret of happiness. Whatever you are doing, don't let past move your mind; don't let future disturb you. Because the past is no more, and the future is not yet. To live in the memories, to live in the imagination, is to live in the non-existential. And when you are living in the non-existential, you are missing that which is existential. Naturally you will be miserable, because you will miss your whole life."  Osho

Two boys, about six, seven years old - one cycling, one on a scooter. I saw them through the window today. And it struck me how preoccupied they were, how deep they were in that action, how much they were living in that particular moment, in "here and now", how joyful, how happy...

Do you still live like that? Deep in one particular moment, feeling it, enjoying it, just being it it. No matter if you are at work or playing with a child or washing dishes, are you feeling just alive and happy because of that, not overthinking everything?
I can't. Or I do it too rarely. Definitely too rarely. I live in thought world too often, no matter what I do - I think how to plan a future, or what I should have done in the past but I didn't, or compare myself to others. I think about life but I don't feel it in every particular moment. I want to change it.

Of course some plans have to be made, decisions have to be taken - it would be impossible to live without them. But I don't want to worry so much about future or think that, if some conditions will be fulfilled I will have completely happy live. I don't want to think over and over again about past mistakes. Or if others are better than me, happier, luckier...

I want to really enjoy beauty I experience and see in everyday life, because it is plenty of it. I want to really taste my morning coffee, I want to smell my perfume, I want to feel silkiness of my dress and deeply enjoy every minute of walk with my husband. I want to feel, taste, see, hear more and feel joy because of it.
And really be aware of it, even if doing something I don't particularly like - really be in it, not thinking that I want to do something different, that I want to be at a different place, that I should do at this time something more important or better....
I want to capture as much moments of my everyday life as possible and keep them close to my heart.

I invite you to do it with me - make these rolls and enjoy every minute of it, feel it with all your senses and your heart.

First, smell the flour - does it smell a little bit like a hay? Touch it - is it soft, cold, nice to touch? Do you like this feeling when you pass it through your fingers? Knead the dough, feel this miracle that your hands are doing - creating something soft and elastic, something real from only the flour and water. Isn't it amazing? Look how the dough is growing promisingly. Enjoy shaping rolls. Look how they are growing and getting coloured in the oven. Deeply inhale this mouth-watering smell of baked bread. Taste them when still warm. Share with your beloved ones. Feel happy.

"Just live the moment with intensity and totality. Live it with as much joy as possible, with as much love as possible, with no fear, no guilt. This existence is yours and this moment is a gift — don’t let it go to waste."  Osho

Spelt Bread Rolls

Ingredients:

makes: 8 rolls

500 gram/approx. 17.6 oz white spelt flour

300 ml / 10.14 fl oz  water (you may need a little bit more - amount of water needed can vary depending of type of flour used. Add water gradually. Water should be just hot enough to hold your finger in)

2 tsp. quick yeast (7 gram/ 0.24 oz)

3/4 - 1 tsp salt (I used sea salt without additives)

1 Tbsp. light honey or sugar ( I used unrefined brown sugar)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. milk

poppy seeds to sprinkle (about 1 Tbsp.)


Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, salt, olive oil and honey or sugar. Add the water. Knead by hand or mix on a first speed (with a dough hook) in a mixer until ingredients are incorporated. Check a consistency of the dough -  add a little more water if the dough seems dry. Knead by hand for 10 min. or mix on a medium speed for 5 min. The dough should be elastic and not stick too much to the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a cling film. At this moment you can leave the bowl in a fridge overnight and bake rolls in the morning. If you want to bake them on the same day leave the bowl in warm place, free of draughts, for 1-1,5 hour. The dough should double in size.

If you bake rolls on the next morning, remove the dough from a fridge and leave for about an hour at room temperature. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and form little balls. If the dough seems sticky resist the temptation to add more flour - lightly oil your hands instead. Place balls on sheets pans (seam-side down) leaving about 10 cm between them (they will rise more). Cover with a slightly oil cling film and leave for half an hour - they should rise in size by half.

In the meantime heat the oven to 200 C. (392 F)

5 min.before the end of rising time place a heatproof dish with approx. a cup of boiling water on the bottom.*

Brush rolls with milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds. After 5 minutes open the oven door (be careful - there may be an outrush of hot steam) and place sheets pan in the oven making sure there is enough space around each pan for the steam to circulate. After 10 min. remove the dish with water wearing the oven mitts (once again be very careful - there will be an cloud of very hot steam). Bake for another 15 - 20 min. for crusty rolls. They should sound hollow when upturned and tapped. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack  before eating .

Enjoy!

*NOTE: you can skip the step with a dish with hot water but it gives moisture to the oven which helps bread to achieve better volume