This Sprouted Spelt Bread is made with sprouted spelt berries, home-milled whole grain spelt flour, and sifted spelt flour.
The HBinFive Baking Group made sandwich breads this month. Sprouted Wheat Bread is one of my favorite sandwich breads so I decided to continue my experiment with different types of sprouted grains and come up with a new sprouted grain sandwich bread. I used my favorite sprouted bread recipe, but substituted spelt grains for the whole wheat grains and spelt flour for the whole wheat and bread flours. The finished bread is very tasty.
To make the flour, I milled spelt berries (grains) into flour and sifted part of the flour twice to remove a good bit of the bran. I substituted the sifted spelt flour for the bread flour and the unsifted spelt flour for the whole wheat flour called for in the original recipe.
In the photo below, the sifted flour is shown in the top left. The whole grain flour is in the bottom right and the sifted bran is shown in the bottom left.
Additional posts and helpful information on sprouted bread
- How to make sprouted bread
- Sprouted Bread with sprouted wheat & bread flour
- Sprouted Wheat Bread with sprouts and no flour – Take Two
- Sprouted Wheat Bread with sprouts and no flour – Take One
- Sprouted Einkorn Bread with no flour
- Sprouted Einkorn Bread with flour
Other experiments using different grains in sprouted wheat bread
All of these breads include sprouted wheat berries along with whole wheat flour and bread flour.
- Sprouted Barley Bread
- Sprouted Kamut Bread
- Sprouted Rye and Spelt Bread
- Sprouted Spelt Bread
- Sprouted Wheat Bread
Sprouted Spelt Bread Recipe
Adapted fromThe Pleasure of Whole-Grain Breads
by Beth Hensperger
Makes: 3 Medium Loaves or 1 Pullman Loaf and 1 Small Loaf*
*The original recipe makes three medium loaves. I decided to make one loaf in my Pullman pan and one loaf in my small loaf pan. I used about 2/3 of the dough for the Pullman loaf and the rest for the smaller loaf.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 packages) active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of ginger
- 2 cups (260 g) whole spelt flour
- 1 cup (85 g) nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) warm water
- 1/4 cup (3 oz) honey
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Sprouted spelt berries, chopped (see method below)
- 4 cups (540 g) spelt flour (sifted once to remove the bran and germ)
- Wheat germ, for sprinkling (optional)
- Melted butter, for brushing (optional)
Directions:
Step 1: Sprouting the Spelt BerriesDuration:
2 to 3 days
Makes: ~2 cups
1/2 cup raw spelt berries
Place the spelt berries in a bowl and add tepid water to cover by 1 inch. Let stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.
Drain the spelt berries and rinse with fresh water. Place in a 1-quart jar. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Place the jar on its side in a warm, dark place. Twice a day, rinse and drain the berries with tepid water poured through the cheesecloth.
How long should you sprout the spelt berries?
Sprout the berries just until the tiny sprout is barely beginning to show and the grain itself is tender – this could take anywhere from 18 hours to 36 hours, depending on the temperature in your house. If the grain sprouts develop long enough for diastatic enzymes to get started, it will make the bread very gooey and it won’t bake through.
Not ready to use the sprouts just yet?
Refrigerate the sprouts in a plastic bag for up to 3 days. Keep in mind, the sprouts will continue to germinate while in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to bake the bread, grind the berries in a food processor or blender. Be careful not to over process; the berries should be chunky.
Step 2: Making the Bread
Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and ginger over the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of your mixer, combine the whole spelt flour, milk powder, and salt.
Add the warm water, honey, and 4 tablespoons butter. Mix by hand or beat in the mixer for 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and beat 1 minute longer. Add all the spelt berries and the spelt bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low speed until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and spongy, 1 to 2 minutes for a machine mixed dough and 3 to 4 minutes for a hand-mixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking.
Place dough in a lightly greased deep container, turn once to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Grease a Pullman pan and an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with wheat germ.
Divide the dough into two pieces. Use about 2/3 of the dough for the Pullman loaf and the rest for the smaller loaf or divide it into three pieces to make three medium loaves. Shape the dough into balls, cover them with plastic and let them rest on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.
Shape the large dough ball into a cylinder shape. Place the cylinder in the Pullman Pan and cover it with the lid.
Flatten the smaller dough ball on the counter and pat it into a rectangle. Then, roll it up jellyroll style into a loaf shape. Press the seam closed with your fingers and place, seam side down, into the prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until level with the rims of the pan, about 1 hour.
About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake the loaves for 45 to 50 minutes, or until crusty and golden. Remove the loaf from the pans to cool on a rack and brush the top with melted butter (if desired).
Let the loaves cool, then slice and enjoy.
I like this bread, it has a great flavor. It makes a great grilled cheese sandwich and tastes yummy spread with jam.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
I would suggest not sprouting the grain any longer than 18 hours. As soon as the wheat berry shows a radical or the first bud of a root system, it has come to life and starches are converting to simple sugars. Allowing the sprout to grow any further than that risks the development of cellulose or plant structure – not conducive to bread making. This is evident as a gummy texture to the bread and it never seems to fully bake. It’s also why so many sprouted grain bread recipes only call for a small portion of actual grains with regular flour making up the bulk of the recipe. It is possible to make a loaf of bread with 100% sprouted whole grain. We do it and we use absolutely no flour.
Doug
baker
columbiacountybread.com
Doug, Thank you for visiting my blog and for taking time to submit your tips regarding sprouting grains. I have made bread with 100% sprouted grains. On my first attempt, it turned out like a gummy brick because I sprouted the grains too long. My subsequent attempts fared much better when I only let the sprouts just barely sprout. It also helped to use a food processor to knead the dough.
Thanks for this great recipe! I’ve been looking for some info about how to make homemade sprouted grain bread and this fits the bill perfectly.
Hi Heather, thanks for visiting my blog. So glad you found what you needed. You can find some other sprouted wheat recipes here https://www.breadexperience.com/sprouted-bread.html.
Great post. I have a pullman pan that I have used once. Now I’m going to have to pull it out and make this bread!
Thanks Elwood! Let me know how you like it.
Thanks for showing us this process. I find it really interesting. I’ve never sprouted grains before.
I love your site! I have been searching and searching for some sprouted grain bread recipes and your site is by far the best and has the most information. I can’t wait to get my grain mill and start making your recipes 🙂
Thanks Merilu! So glad you find the site helpful. You’ll enjoy your grain mill. Let me know how your sprouted breads turn out.
Really glad I found your site as I’ve been wanting to know how to bake sprouted grain breads. You’ve made it so easy for me to follow along and given me the courage to try to bake a loaf. Can’t wait to mill my own grains! Thank you Cathy, really appreciate your time and sharing it and all the best.
Thank you Jue! So glad you stopped by. I enjoy milling my own grains and making sprouted breads. Please let me know how it turns out.
I followed this recipe and my bread is sitting in the pans for the final stage prior to baking and has not risen. Has anyone else had a problem with this?
Hi Melinda, Did the dough double in bulk during the first rise? If it’s cold, you may need to let it rise longer in the pans in order to reach the rim.
It would be helpful if you change the sprouting instructions in the blog. I hadn’t read the comments before making my first batch and it didn’t turn out. After reading the comments today I realize it’s likely because I let the berries sprout for too long. I’m looking forward to a successful 2nd try. Thanks.
Hi Sherilyn, thanks for the suggestion. I have written about this in several posts, but not on this post. I’ll add a note and links to my other posts. I hope you do try it again. Happy Baking!
I have made this recipe several times and each time the top of the loaf falls in a bit-it’s either flat or sunken. I started making only half the recipe so I wouldn’t be wasting as much. Do you have any suggestions ?
Hi Sherilyn, I’m sorry you’re having difficulty with this bread. Your loaves might be overproofed if they collapse or sink in the oven. I just had that happen with another loaf. You could try using less yeast and/or shorten the final proof.
Hi, have you ever tried a sprouted wheat sourdough bread?
Hello, no I haven’t tried a sprouted wheat sourdough bread yet. Have you? If so, how did you like it?
I made this today and they’re the prettiest and tastiest loaves I’ve made yet! The three of us ate half a loaf already!
I didn’t have powdered milk on hand, so I subbed the water for warm regular (whole) milk. I also used 2 9″ loaf pans and they made a nice full sandwich loaf. Also, my sprouted spelt flour was really fine and nothing came out when I sifted it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Jamie, thank you for sharing your experience with this bread. I’m so glad you liked it.
Happy Baking!
Cathy