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Spelt Bread Recipe – A quick Sandwich bread loaf

Spelt Bread Recipe is a sweet nutty bread that’s quick and easy to make. Homemade Spelt Bread makes an amazing turkey sandwich or delicious avocado toast. It’s easy to make and delicious to eat.

A loaf of browned spelt bread sitting on a cooling rack over a blue striped napkin and wooden background. A pat of butter in a white dish and a white plate sit behind it.

I originally made this Spelt Bread recipe as a part of a group of breadmakers that have a monthly challenge.

The theme was to bake completely with “ancient grains flour”.

I chose Spelt Bread, from whole grain spelt flour because it was something I’d wanted to try. How difficult could it be? Spelt is just flour, right?

What are ancient grains?

The Whole Grains Council,  generally define ancient grains loosely as grains that are largely unchanged over the last several hundred years.

This means that modern wheat (constantly bred and changed) is not an ancient grain, while einkorn, emmer/farro, Kamut®, and spelt would be considered ancient grains in the wheat family.

Heirloom varieties of other common grains — such as black barley, red and black rice, blue corn — might also be considered ancient grains.

Other grains largely ignored until recently by Western palates (such as sorghum, teff, millet, quinoa, amaranth) would also be widely considered to be ancient grains. Sometimes less common grains, like buckwheat, or wild rice, are also included.”

That doesn’t mean it’s gluten-free however and it’s not safe for people with celiac disease.

The second proofing rose above the rim of the pan but had a bit of spread too. All I could think of was this is going to be one beautiful loaf of bread.

Well, long story short, after my second proof, I watched my perfectly domed loaf flatten. Nooooo!

My beautifully domed bread was delicious but resembled a brick!

Spelt Bread is an ancient grains flour. The sweet nutty flavor makes one delicious bead.
1st loaf of 100% Spelt flour bread

Was it just me? I didn’t know if the way this bread baked up was a characteristic of spelt or something that I did.

Where would we be if we never tried anything new? Our bread baking community is responsible for my baking outside the box.
Success or failure, I’m better with the experience and want to pass on this experience to you. ~Jules~

This was very consistent with what I’ve since read. Spelt flour has a lack of structure because it doesn’t have the gluten content of other wheat flours.

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Ingredients you’ll need

  • Whole Grain Spelt Flour
  • Bread Flour
  • Salt. We use fine sea salt for baking bread. It dissolves easily which reduces the chance of getting a bite of salt in the finished loaf.
  • Butter. We use unsalted butter so we can better control the amount of salt in our loaf.
  • Yeast. We use rapid rise also known as instant yeast. For a description of the difference, see our “Baking Basics” article.
  • Honey. We use local honey

How to make Spelt Bread

When I make a Spelt Flour Bread, I now combine it with wheat flour or bread flour depending on the recipe that I use.

It’s also important not to over-knead this dough. It can be a very loose and sticky dough.

At first, I was worried that I would lose some of that sweet nutty flavor.

A partial loaf of spelt bread with a slice of bread sitting in front of it on a wooden cutting board. A butter knife and dish of butter sit to the side.

How did this Spelt Bread Recipe taste? This bread had a sweet nuttiness to it and was soft and tender. It was everything that I wanted in a Spelt Flour Bread. I didn’t need to worry a bit.

Spelt makes an amazing Sandwich Bread recipe. We made some amazing turkey sandwiches and it made the best toast!

  • Loaf Pans – I like that these pans are a little bit bigger. I use them for meatloaf and bread recipes.
  • Organic Spelt Flour – I use this brand for a lot of my baking. It’s consistent and of good quality.
A slice of avocado toast sitting on a white plate over a wooden cutting board. A cut loaf of bread and half of an avocado sit in the background.

John thought this avocado toast was a gourmet delicacy!

Since remaking this Spelt Bread recipe, I’ve gained enough confidence to make a Spelt Sourdough Bread. It’s just amazing and has that same sweet nutty flavor but with that crispy crust, you want with artisan bread.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

A partial loaf of spelt bread with a slice of bread sitting in front of it on a wooden cutting board. A butter knife and dish of butter sit to the side.

Spelt Bread Recipe – A Quick Sandwich Loaf

Author: Hostess At Heart
An easy and simply delicious bread made with Spelt, an ancient grains flour. Spelt bread has a sweet and nutty taste. It is soft and tender, and makes a delicious sandwich or avocado toast!
4.67 from 6 votes
Prep Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword: Ground Turkey and Spelt Skilllet, Homemade bread, Spelt Bread
Servings: 12

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup warm water non-chlorinated
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
  • 1 cup bread flour plus additional for dusting
  • 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Instructions
 

  • Put one cup of water in a large bowl and heat it in the microwave until warm. Add honey and stir until combined.
    Stir in butter and salt and when combined, stir in the flour and the yeast. Stir briskly with a wooden spoon. Add more flour until the dough comes together. It is a sticky dough, but you will want to be able to handle it.
    Turn it out on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic.
  • Put the dough in a well oiled bowl, turning once to coat both sides. Cover and allow the dough to raise in a warm area for 2 hours.
  • Shape the dough and put in a well greased 8 x 4 loaf pan. Cover and allow to raise for 1 hour.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F for 25 to 35 minutes.
  • Remove the bread from the bread pan and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Video

Notes

It’s also important not to over-knead this dough. It can be a very loose and sticky dough.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 44IUCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Now if you want to see how the pros bake bread, take a look at the other #BreadBakers contributions.

Our BreadBakers’ theme is Ancient Grains, hosted by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story. Ancient grains are generally accepted to mean grains that have remained largely unchanged/un-hybridized over the last several hundred years, which means NO MODERN WHEAT. Here’s what our creative bakers came up with.

4.67 from 6 votes
Recipe Rating




SN

Monday 5th of July 2021

Just wanted to comment and let you know that this was easily the best bread I've ever made! I used an Italian 00 flour and the yeast I normally use for pizzas mixed with some organic whole grain spelt (that I normally have a hard time using up). The result was a super soft, super delicious but nutty and healthy tasting sandwich bread. Thanks a lot for posting!

Julie Menghini

Wednesday 7th of July 2021

Thank you so much for letting me know! We love the taste of spelt and glad to know that it works with the Italian 00 flour!

MICHAELA KENKEL

Wednesday 25th of March 2020

I have been in such a baking mood as of late, and breads have been my most favorite thing. It's like I hit the jack pot over here!! I made this one -- and next I am going to try my hand at your chibatta!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 26th of March 2020

Thank you, Michaela!

Sandra Shaffer

Tuesday 24th of March 2020

This looks perfect to me and I can only imagine how delicious this bread smells like while baking. Spelt is one delicious grain thank you for sharing. I'm feeling braver now to give this a go. Practice makes perfect!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 26th of March 2020

Thank you, Sandra! They should bottle that scent!

Kathleen Pope

Sunday 22nd of March 2020

Julie, I love all of your details and tips with this bread, I love spelt and this will be a fun recipe to try!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 26th of March 2020

Thanks, Kathleen!

Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet | Hostess At Heart

Saturday 9th of July 2016

[…] but that’s not the case with him.  Since that was such a success, my next attempt was Spelt Bread. It was truly delicious so I was confident that I could use Spelt berries in a recipe.  This […]

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