Nourished Kitchen's Homemade Yogurt and Spelt Crackers

This recipe comes from Nourished Kitchen (one of the most righteous food blogs in all of cyberspace), and quickly became a new favorite. The method is special in how the flour is mixed with yogurt and soured overnight to improve digestibility, nutrient density and flavor. The result is a deeply flavorful cracker, with buttery, nutty quality.

Ruminant animals who primarily live off of grasses (and grass seeds/grains) have the advantage of multi-chamber stomachs to help break down the anti-nutrients found in these foods. Us humans however, must use our large brains (in proportion to these animals) to carefully prepare grains instead, to avoid compromised digestion.

As discussed in the original recipe, soaking and souring of grains, legumes and seeds provides an environment similar to the first stage of digestion, allowing the properties which hinder nutritional absorption (like phytic acid) to be released prior to eating. Proper souring also provides an environment for friendly bacteria to multiply. This is why sour leavened breads and fermented foods are highly regarded for their superior nutritional quality.

I used homemade kefir in place of yogurt which proved to be a lovely substitute, and I allowed the dough to rest for the full 24 hours. These crackers are so good, they will literally fly off the baking sheet. Heavenly with slices of aged, grass-fed raw milk cheddar.

For the complete recipe, visit the original post by Jenny at Nourished Kitchen. You will be glad you did.