Some of My Favorite Spelt Bread Recipes

I enjoy using Spelt in breads for a number of reasons. It has a delicious, nutty flavor; it’s fairly easy to find in stores or at the farmer’s market; and it’s a genetically unmodified grain.

Spelt is one of the super grains. It has 42 chromosomes like modern wheat, but it’s hybridization occurred naturally. It’s a descendant of Emmer and another wild grass.

It is a hulled grain, like emmer and einkorn, and belongs to the same family of plants as bamboo, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane and modern bread wheat. It is the most similar to modern wheat and can be used in a lot of the same ways you would use modern bread flour – i.e. bread and pasta.

Spelt contains more protein than modern wheat, and the protein is easier for a lot of people to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate it. It has gluten, just like wheat, so it is not suitable for a gluten-free diet.

All-purpose Spelt can be used as a substitute for bread flour and the whole grain flour as a substitute for whole wheat flour, but the proteins are fragile so the dough requires less mixing and kneading. As a general rule, you’ll need to reduce the liquid by about 25% because it doesn’t absorb as much water as modern bread flour.

How do you use spelt in breads?

Spelt flour can be used as an exact substitute for whole wheat flour in baking recipes, although the flavor will be deeper and richer, and the texture will vary slightly.

According to Purity Foods, the company that reintroduced spelt into North America in 1987, there are some important considerations that need to be taken into account when working with spelt.

Source: http://www.ochef.com/108.htm

1) You must use the correct amount of water. Too much, and the dough is sticky and weak and will not be able to hold the gasses that are produced during the fermentation process. Too little, and the dough will be dry and dense. It will not rise properly because the water never fully gets into the protein and there is nothing to hold the loaf up. Also, the dense loaf is too tight to allow the yeast gases to expand the loaf.

2) You must also mix it just right. Too little mixing causes the dough to be crumbly (one of the problems you mention) and it will not develop the necessary protein to cause it to expand properly. A dough mixed too long will break down the fragile protein strands that hold in the gases. The first few minutes of mixing are critical, the company says. From the moment you add the water to the flour, you should take no more than 4 minutes to mix the dough completely.

 

You might enjoy one of these spelt breads

Here are some of the breads I’ve made using spelt.

Note: Not all of the spelt breads I’ve made are listed here so to find more, just type “spelt” into the search box and you’ll be presented with more options. And please do check back. More recipes will be added as I continue baking with this ancient grain.

Breakfast Breads

Kefir Milk Spelt Semolina Bagels – These Spelt Semolina Bagels, made with spelt and semolina flours, and filled with cheese, are fermented with kefir milk and require less yeast.

 

Cranberry Orange Biscotti with Spelt is a special treat made of whole grain and all-purpose spelt, dried cranberries soaked in orange juice and toasted slivered almonds.

 

Sour Cream & Banana Spelt Waffles – Made with whole grain flour, ripe bananas and a bit of sour cream.

 

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Crackers

Sesame Spelt Crackers – Using a combination of whole grain spelt and white spelt flours, these crackers are risen with yeast and enriched with butter, honey and topped with lot’s of sesame seeds.

 

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Breads baked in a Loaf Pan

 

This Spelt Anadama Bread with Seeds is a new twist on an old theme.  It incorporates several different types of seeds along with the cornmeal and molasses.

 

Chocolate & Prune No Knead Spelt Bread – A deliciously chocolate bread with dried plums.

 

Crusty Spelt Bread with overnight sponge– Made with whole grain and all-purpose spelt flours.

 

Easy Bread made with Spelt -This easy bread is made with whole spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour and spelt flakes instead of rolled oats.

 

If you are looking for a sandwich bread with character, and are ready to think outside the sandwich box, you might enjoy this Spelt and Honey Sesame Sandwich Loaf.

 

Sourdough Pull Apart Bread – Delicious pull apart bread with garlic & herbs and Spelt flour.

 

Hildegard’s Spelt Loaf – 100% Spelt Loaf made with spelt flour and spelt flakes.

 

Sourdough Multigrain Bread – This healthy bread is made with an overnight soaker and the ancient grains Spelt & Einkorn.

 

Spelt Loaves with Multigrain Soaker – This Spelt Bread with Multigrain Soaker is made with 50/50 mixture of white spelt flour and whole wheat spelt and utilizes an overnight Pâte Fermentée and a multigrain soaker.

 

Spelt and Whole Wheat Bread – A light and clean-flavored Spelt and Whole Wheat Bread which utilizes an overnight pâte fermentée to boost the flavor and improve the texture of the bread.

 

Sprouted Spelt Bread – Sprouted Spelt Bread is made with sprouted spelt grains and spelt flour. It takes a couple of days to sprout the grains but it’s worth the extra effort.

 

Whole Grain Sourdough Spelt Oatmeal Bread – This 100% Whole Grain Sourdough Spelt Oatmeal Bread, made with a “wild yeast’ starter and whole grain spelt, is based on my family’s favorite oatmeal bread recipe.

 

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Artisan Loaves

5-Grain Loaf with Cranberries & Walnuts – Includes oats, rye, brown rice, and Spelt flour.

 

Ancient Grain Tartine – Tartine loaf made with Spelt, Einkorn & KAMUT flours.

 

Spelt Sourdough with Flax Seed Soaker – This sourdough bread is made with a Spelt levain, a flax seed soaker, white Spelt flour and Whole Grain Spelt Flour.

 

Einkorn & Spelt Pain au Levain with Caramelized Onions – a delicious sourdough herb loaf with onions.

 

Five Grain Spelt Levain – A delicious and chewy loaf made with spelt flour and a mixture of flax seeds, sesame seeds, oats and rye flakes.

 

Italian Chocolate Chip Bread with Spelt – A delicious Italian Chocolate Chip Bread made with a mixture of all-purpose and spelt flours and a little bit of cocoa and semisweet chocolate chips.

 

Italian Spelt Loaves – The biga and dough for this Italian Bread is made completely Spelt flour.

 

Multi-grain Sourdough Spelt in a Pot – This loaf, baked in a pot, includes a mixture of several grains and seeds and can be made with a sourdough starter or poolish.

 

Rustic Garlic Spelt Bread – with sourdough, home-milled flour, garlic and cheese.

 

Semolina Spelt and Sesame Seed Loaves – The semolina and sesame seeds provide a slightly nutty and crunchy flavor and the Spelt provides extra nutrients.

 

Soft Crust Spelt Sourdough Sandwich Bread – A sourdough bread for all seasons and flours. It can be baked as a soft crust sourdough sandwich loaf in a loaf pan (or freeform) to please picky kids or adults.

Sourdough Asiago Rosemary Spelt Bread – Sourdough bread infused with flavor due to the fresh rosemary, cracked black pepper and Asiago cheese.

 

Sourdough Irish Soda Bread with Spelt – Utilizes sourdough instead of baking soda and includes all-purpose and whole grain spelt flour.

 

Speedy Gonzalez Spelt Bread with a Hat – This spelt bread is called Speedy Gonzalez because it’s really fast to make.  It’s also known as Cuban Bread.

 

Country French Loaf – A simple French bread made with Spelt.

 

Spelt Loaves with Pecans and Raisins – Spelt Bread with Pecans and Raisins is a sweet and nutty flavored bread that contains no added sugar, just sweetness from the raisins.

 

Spelt & Rye Loaves with Walnuts & Cranberies – Made with all-purpose and whole grain Spelt.

 

This Lemon Rosemary Spelt KAMUT Campagne Boule, made with whole grain spelt and Kamut, is filled with a slurry of rosemary, lemon zest and olive oil.  The crumb has a slightly tangy flavor due to the lemon zest and the crust has a toasty undertone due to the inclusion of whole grain spelt and KAMUT flours.

 

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Pretzels

Soft Spelt Pretzels – Pretzels made with all-purpose and whole grain Spelt flour.

 

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Rings of bread featuring a hollowed out middle filled with sautéed onions and poppy seeds is how I characterize these Traditional Onion Bialys with Spelt.

 

Easy Cheesy Sourdough Spelt Popovers – with parmesan and cracked pepper.

 

These Garlic Rosemary and Cheese Spelt Rolls, made with olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary, Asiago, and Parmesan cheeses, are my answer to two questions: 1) how do you make cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon? and 2) why use three different leavening agents in the same bread?

 

Honey Spelt Rolls – These rolls are super easy! The dough can be made ahead of time and frozen.

 

Hazelnut Spelt Twists – These delicious and fun bread twists are made with a spelt levain, spelt and all-purpose flour, hazelnuts and dates.

 

These Sourdough Pepperoni Rolls with Spelt and Rye utilize an enriched dough that is rolled around slices of spicy pepperoni similar to how you would spiral cinnamon and sugar for cinnamon buns.

These Sourdough Spelt Onion Pockets, made with 100% spelt flour and filled with an onion/poppy seed mixture, are slightly sweet and nutty.

 

 

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Scones

Pumpkin ‘N Spice Scones – Scones for Fall, made with pumpkin puree and spelt and just a hint of spices and chopped nuts.