I like making bread on a rainy day, for somehow the weather messes with the dough and it goes wonky with weird bulges, tears, and bubbles.

It's homely bread and its imperfections make me smile. It may look rustic and odd, but it tastes every bit as good and is just as nutritious and nourishing.

We are big fans of spelt flour in our house.

As a whole grain it provides slow-release energy throughout the day, and with its lower gluten content, it doesn't leave you bloated or uncomfortable the way high-gluten flours sometimes do.

It's also delicious, and we use it in nearly everything we bake.

Over Thanksgiving it made delicious pie crusts for my beloved Canadian butter tarts.

This week it found its way into loaves of banana bread studded with dark chocolate, walnuts, and sultanas, a tea cake flavored with homemade speculoos - a delectable Belgian invention dubbed "cookie butter" in other parts of the world, and ginger biscuits filled with dried, sweetened cranberries.

Yesterday I made bread as the rain fell. It's such a pleasant project, quiet and methodical, almost meditative.

I love seeing such simple ingredients work their magic and transform from squishy batter into firm yet airy loaves.

The bread works beautifully for sandwiches or toasted and topped with fried eggs for breakfast.

As it ages a bit, it's lovely diced and fried into croutons for soup and salad.

My favorite way to use up leftover spelt bread is in a breakfast casserole.

Prepared the night before and baked the next morning, it is an excellent dish to make over the holidays when you want to sleep in and not worry about cooking.

Simply sprinkle cubed bread in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

Top with layers of fried pork sausage, onion, and Tasty cheese, drizzle with a mix of egg, milk, and spices, then chill overnight.

The next morning, just pop it in the oven, sit awhile with your cup of coffee, and 45 minutes later you have a piping hot, savory breakfast.

What is your favorite way to use up leftover bread?

Spelt Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• day old spelt bread, cut into cubes
• 6-8 pork sausages
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Tasty cheese
• 2 cups full cream milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp sage powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 5 large eggs

DIRECTIONS

• Butter a casserole dish and spread bread in the bottom to cover.
• Use kitchen shears to snip sausages into small (1 cm) pieces, and fry until browned and cooked through.
• Remove sausage with slotted spoon (reserve grease in pan) and sprinkle evenly over bread cubes.
• Add onion to saucepan and fry until clear and golden. Sprinkle over sausage and bread.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly over bread, sausage, and onion.
• In medium bowl, whisk together milk, mustard, sage, salt, pepper, and eggs. Pour over mixture in pan. Cover the casserole and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, preheat oven to 180 F.
• Uncover casserole and bake until set and golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Serve warm.