Perfect spelt bread that is 100% whole-grain, with a soft and chewy texture and delicious flavor. Great for sandwiches or just eating with butter, hot out of the oven. Oh yes, my friends–that is heaven.
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Hello, Hello, Hello.
Is there anything better than homemade bread?
I am seriously doubting it right now.
And the smell when it is baking and as it comes out of the oven is intoxicating. Those cook’s treat privileges take priority at times like that, let me tell you.
Today I’m sharing a recipe for whole-grain spelt bread. But first I want to give you a bit of background on spelt because some of you may have never heard of it before.
What is Spelt?
Spelt is an ancient grain that has existed for thousands of years. In fact the biblical references to “fitches” in Ezekial 4:9 and Isaiah 28:25 are believed to be the grain spelt.
Spelt is in the same grain family as wheat and is high in gluten. While it is not good for those with celiac disease, some people find that it is easier for their body to digest than wheat. It has a sweet, pleasant flavor, often described as nutlike.
With streamlined food processing in modern society, wheat has become the staple grain because it is easier to process. Consequently spelt is not as well-known in today’s world.
Spelt is slightly longer and more reddish in color than wheat, which you can see in the picture below (wheat is on the left and spelt is on the right).
Where can you buy spelt?
Thankfully modern convenience has once again made it accessible to buy almost anywhere. Spelt can be found in most health food stores. And depending on where you live, many regular grocery stores carry it as well. Or you can purchase it online.
I prefer to buy the actual spelt grain and grind it myself in my grain mill (aff. link) because that way I can buy it in bulk. And like wheat, it lasts forever if stored properly–I normally store it in a sealed 5-gallon bucket.
You can also find the flour that is already ground for you. I’ve included links at the bottom for options for purchasing spelt through amazon (which I am an affiliate for).
And now for the spelt bread…
This spelt bread is one of my favorite breads ever.
I adapted the recipe from my tried and true Whole Wheat Bread which is the bread I make most often. The texture is soft with just the right amount of crumb when you cut it. Unlike most whole-grain bread recipes, it doesn’t crumble into a million pieces when you break it. Instead it is super tender and makes the best sandwich bread. It tastes just as delicious after being frozen (as long as you freeze it the same day you bake it).
If you are new to bread making and want to see step-by-step instructions (with pictures and lots of tips and tricks), check out the Whole Wheat Bread post I did. All of those tips and tricks can be applied to this recipe as well.
I love using spelt in my baking. Not only does it add nutrition, but a lot of flavor to baked goods. This bread is a shining example of that.
Are you ready to try your hand at baking perfect spelt bread?
Update (5/21/2020): If you are new to breadmaking (or just looking to up your breadmaking game), I wrote up a super detailed guide to baking with yeast. It will walk you through a lot of common breadmaking pitfalls and help you become a breadmaking expert.
Perfect Spelt Bread {Whole-Grain}
Perfect spelt bread that is 100% whole-grain, with a soft and chewy texture and delicious flavor. Great for sandwiches or just eating with butter, hot out of the oven. Oh yes, my friends–that is heaven.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- ⅓ cup (3.65 ounces) canola or other vegetable oil see note
- ⅓ cup (2.5 ounces) brown sugar or (4 ounces) honey
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup (1.25) ounces gluten flour see note
- ½ cup (1.75 ounces) ground flax seed optional, see note
- ½ cup (1.75 ounces) rolled or quick oats optional
- 5 ½ to 6 ½ cups spelt flour see note
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast see note
Instructions
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Grease 3 standard sized bread loaves well or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
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Heat water in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or on the stove until it is between 110 and 130 degrees F.
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Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment add the oil, sugar (or honey) and salt. Add the heated water to the stand mixer. Then add the gluten flour, flax seed, quick oats, and 3 cups of spelt flour. Put the yeast on top of the flour, making sure that it does not directly touch the salt or the hot water.
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Turn on mixer and mix, adding additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to pull away from the center. Stop adding flour at this point even if you have not added the full amount listed in the recipe. Then let the mixer mix for an additional six minutes.
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Divide dough into 3 loaves. Put dough in prepared pans and cover with a thin, lightweight dish towel.
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Let the bread dough rise in the pans until the bread is doubled and fills the pans. This should take about a half an hour, but it may take a little longer if your kitchen isn’t warm enough.
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While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F (leaving the loaves in the oven the entire time) and continue baking for 20-25 min or until loaves are golden brown. Remove bread from the pans immediately and let loaves cool on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
1. I usually use canola oil but any oil with a mild flavor will work in this recipe.
2. I use Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour in this recipe. I buy mine in a 25 pound bag at WinCo, but they also sell it in their bulk bins. If you don’t have a WinCo you may be able to find it in smaller quantities at Walmart or another local grocery store or buy it online (Amazon carries gluten flour). If you can’t find gluten flour you can use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of all spelt flour. You will need to experiment with how much – maybe 2 cups or more in place of the spelt flour to get it to a good stick-together consistency.
3. Adding the ground flax seed and oats is optional, but I love the flavor and texture that they add to the recipe. I usually grind whole flax seeds in a high powered blender because they have too much oil to grind them in a grain mill. The oats do not need to be ground.
4. I use freshly ground spelt flour that I grind in my grain mill (this is the grain mill I have) at home. If you do not have a grain mill you may be able to find spelt flour in the grocery store.
5. I use the SAF brand of instant yeast that I buy in a large block and keep in the freezer in a sealed container.
6. For step-by-step basic bread making instructions with pictures see this whole-wheat bread post: https://thecookstreat.com/whole-wheat-bread/
Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted from my tried and true Whole Wheat Bread
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
I will not use canola oil. It is a toxic oil from the rapeseed plant that makes Canada (can-ola) some cheap money. I buy a more expensive but very good sprouted spelt flour from Second Spring in Ontario, Canada. I also buy their whole wheat and whole rice. Sprouted grains are ‘supposed’ to be easier to digest. Adding some ground oats to the liquid (1/2 cup) also gives it a good texture. I skip the flax.
The best bread ever! My husband and I love it… I used 1/2 cup of barley flour and 1/2 cup of oat flour (both home milled) and 1/4 cup of okara… this bread is to die for. I got two big loaf in 9” x 5” pans. Now I am making hotdog buns with it and probably hamburger buns… thank you so much for the recipe. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I forgot to say that I let the 3 cups of flours, oil, honey, water, salt stand covered (after mixing with a spoon for 1 minute) stand covered for 15 minutes so the home milled flours can better absorb the water. Then I added 2 1/2 cups of spelt flour while mixing in my KichenAid… added enough all purpose flour until it was perfect… then let it rise for 30 minutes. Then divided in 2 9”x5” pans, covered with a clean towel, then let it rise 30-40 minutes, until they were ready to be baked. And voilà! ❤️ Perfect bread! ❤️
Wow that’s great Danielle. Glad you liked it!
I made this bread again and it came out dimpled after I removed it from the pan and let is sit on rack to cool for an hour. Any ideas as to what may have caused this? It was nice and smooth when it came out of the oven initially
Hey SD, I have two thoughts about what it could be. The first thought is that maybe your bread rose too long before baking. If that is the case then the gluten structure is not as strong and it could cause the dimpling. The other thing that I have noticed is that sometimes that can happen if bread goes from hot to cool too quickly. Leaving it in the pan to cool for about 5 minutes before removing it from the pans is a good idea. And then I like to cool it near the stove in the warm kitchen so it doesn’t cool too quickly. Hope those ideas help you! Good luck.
Thank you Heather! I will add these to my notes! I think the latter may be the case since i baked the bread at night and I usually do so in the day when it is warmer in the house. I will also cool the breads closer to the stove next time.
This bread recipe is awesome I have made it three times now! I am wondering if I can leave the gluten flour out and still achieve the same result soft chewy texture? If I want to do add ins like raisins, etc, at what point should I do that? Thank you in advance for your response
Hi Shay, in my experience the gluten flour is what gives the bread the ability to get that soft chewy texture. I use it mostly with whole-grain breads. You can also achieve that by doing half gluten flour, half all-purpose white flour if you prefer that. I would just add the raisins in at the very end after the dough has been mixed completely. Thanks for the questions and glad you like the bread. 😊
I made this without the gluten additive. I didn’t have any on hand (plus, gluten doesn’t generally sit well in my gut), so I tried using ground chia seeds – 2T and about 1/3 c water. I mixed it in at the time when gluten should have been added. I figured it would help hold the bread together.
And I accidentally forgot to turn the temperature down from 400° to 350°. And found that it cooked in less time, but no harm done! Yay!
It is very nice bread 🍞!
Yay Ruth! So glad the recipe worked for you. That’s good to know about the substitutions you used too! Thanks for sharing those.
Hi Heather. I have switched to spelt as my main wheat this year, so I’m always looking for new spelt recipes. However, I’m not sure which size loaf pan you consider “standard”. I used to always consider 9×5 standard for a yeast loaf, and 8×4 standard for a quick bread like banana bread. But, it seems that isn’t always the case with ancient grains. Or even seeded loaves. So, I’m learning to try and be more precise so the bread will fit nicely in the appropriate bread pan.
This looks like it will be a delicious loaf! I love oats and flaxseed. Thank you!
Hi Felicia, that’s a great question. I’ve used varied sizes of loaf pans for this bread with success but the recipe was written assuming a 8.5×4.5 loaf pan. Hope that helps!
I would like to try this recipe, I have what I consider failures when making spelt bread. Your recipe looks delicious!
What type of mixer do you use and what speed do you kneed the dough at?
I have a Bosch mixer but actually would prefer to use my Kitchen Aid.
Thanks, I look forward to a response.
Hi Peggy, I was excited to see your comment this morning. I use a Bosch mixer for all my bread making. I have found that it does the best job at kneading the dough and developing the gluten that gives the dough the texture it needs to rise. I talk a lot about my technique over on my guide to baking with yeast (https://thecookstreat.com/guide-to-baking-with-yeast-includes-faqs-my-quick-rise-bread-method/) so I definitely recommend you read through that before trying this recipe. Hope that helps! Good luck to you. Let me know if you have any other questions.