How to Make the Best Spelt Bread Recipe

Do You Enjoy Spelt?

Do you love the smell of fresh bread as it bakes in the oven on a chilly winter afternoon or even on a hot summer day? Does just thinking about homemade bread make your mouth water? Mine does.

I want to share my new favorite bread recipe with my fellow bread lovers. And honestly, who isn't a bread-lover? Even though diets say we shouldn't enjoy bread and carbs, whole wheat spelt bread is high in fiber and nutrients and wonderfully healthy. If you know anything about spelt, you know it is easier for your body to digest—it is more water-soluble and jam-packed full of goodness. How could you not enjoy something so good for you?

I always use a Bosch Universal (or Universal Plus) mixer with their patented dough hook attachment. These mixers easily handle large batches of dough that bog down other machines.

Ingredients

• 12 cups whole-wheat spelt flour, sifted
• 6 cups hot tap water, not hot enough to burn
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp SAF instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 1-2 cups flax or bulgar wheat, optional

Instructions

1. Add water, oil, honey, salt, and six cups of flour to your mixer.
2. Mix on speed one until smooth. The mixture will be runny.
3. Add the yeast. I like to sprinkle it in as it mixes.
4. Start adding the remaining flour one cup at a time. I usually add about three cups of flour, then increase to speed two.
5. Continue adding flour one cup at a time until the dough starts to clean the edges of the bowl. As the dough becomes more consistent, increase to speed three. Gradually add smaller amounts of flour until the bowl is thoroughly cleaned by the dough.
6. Set a timer for five minutes. Spelt has fragile gluten, so you do not want to overwork the dough. Kneading in the mixer for five minutes is long enough.
7. Halfway through, turn off the mixer. Tap the bread to test for stickiness. If the dough doesn't stick to your fingers and has a sort of smooth shine to it, it is ready. If your fingers do have dough stuck to them, you will need to add small amounts of flour (1/4 cup at a time) until it passes the sticky test.
8. Finish mixing for the remaining time. When your timer rings, your bread dough is finished kneading.
9. Spray your countertop with vegetable or canola oil or your favorite non-stick cooking spray. You can also spray your hands while you are at it.
10. Dump the dough from the Bosch bowl onto the counter.
11. Separate the dough into five to six equal parts using a sharp knife.
12. Shape each part into a loaf.
13. Generously spray the bread pans and place a loaf of dough inside each one.
14. Line up your bread pans and cover them with a clean, lightweight towel.
15. Let the bread dough rise until double in size. (About 45 minutes.)
16. Uncover and bake your bread at 350º for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
17. Remove immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

Spelt Recipe Variations

I must admit; I don't always follow the recipe exactly as prescribed above. Here are some of the variations I like to use.

Mixing Flours

I have roughly 200 pounds of hard red wheat in my downstairs emergency food storage. Since it needs to be rotated, I usually grind my own and mix my flours. I use about four cups of hard red wheat, four cups of spelt flour, and four cups of white bread flour. Sometimes I only mix two of the three options; it just depends on what I need to use up in my storage. Please note any variation of this bread is yummy. Sometimes I use only whole wheat flour, and it still turns out great.

White Wheat Flour and Dough Enhancer

A friend of mine uses this recipe, but she uses hard white wheat that she grinds into flour. She adds two tablespoons of dough enhancer. You can use practically any kind of wheat with this recipe, and it will turn out amazing. Spelt does have a tendency to be a little heavier when used alone, so the dough enhancer helps to get a better rise.

Other Uses

I have used this spelt bread dough recipe to make pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, and dinner rolls. I'm sure it could be used for other things as well. It's not too sweet, and it's healthy!