Honey N Spelt Sandwich Bread
A deliciously soft and nutritious loaf of bread!
Why I Like This Recipe
My kids love a sandwich, and one of them is a crust hater who will eat this crust (most of the time). It's 60% whole spelt, with a bit of honey and avocado oil you can swap for any sweetener and fat you like.
Ingredients
Dough (makes 2 loaves)
Instructions
- Mix and knead: Mix all ingredients and knead well. I like to use a stand mixer. Mix just until shaggy, let it rest for 10–15 minutes, then mix slowly for another 10–15 minutes. Make sure the dough does not exceed 82°F/28°C. Mix until the dough smooths out and has a nice clean stretch to it. Here's the video of how I made this bread. In the video I hold back the salt, honey and oil and add them after the initial mix, but I did all sorts of testing and didn't notice a huge difference than when I mixed everything at the same time, so please use whatever method feels right for you.
- Coil folds: After 30 minutes, do a coil fold. If you used a mixer and the dough has reached windowpane and is very smooth at this point, one fold is enough. If not, or if you mixed by hand, give it up to 4 folds every 30 minutes or so. Exact timing doesn't matter, what's most important is that you wait until the dough relaxes between folds.
- Bulk ferment: My dough, at about 78°F after mixing, took 5 hours at 75°F for the bulk fermentation. You are looking for it to rise and dome, you don't want it to fully double in size. Some jiggling, some bubbles. You can reference the video to see what my dough looks like when I shaped it.
- Shape: At this point, you can choose to shape and stick it in the fridge, or skip the fridge and bake the same day. For a same-day bake: split the dough into two 590g pieces and preshape each loaf. Let them rest for about 30 minutes, then shape into a cylinder and place in an oiled 4.5" x 8.5" loaf pan. For an overnight cold proof: follow the instructions up until this point but after shaping, cover it and put it in the fridge until the next day. Pull it out and continue following the next steps.
- Proof and bake: Proof until the dough rises ABOVE the rim of the pan and until you feel uncomfortable. I am serious! The dough should be jiggly and above the rim, not just at it. Preheat your oven to 375°F, score, and bake for 40–50 minutes. You do not need steam, but you can bake them in a Dutch oven if you have one that fits the loaf pan, just know that will create a thinner, crispier crust. Your choice! The loaves need to reach 200°F internal temperature before they're done. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan so they don't soften and get wet from the steam. I like to slice one as soon as it's fully cooled and pop it in the freezer so we always have sandwich bread ready to go.
Laila's notes
- Feel free to sub out different sweeteners or fats. You can also make a spelt starter: mix 100g starter, 100g warm water and 100g spelt flour, place in a warm spot and use it 3–4 hours later in this recipe. This is also called making a levain.
- On spelt: Spelt is very extensible, which means that even at a lower hydration it's stretchier and less elastic (it doesn't snap back as well as wheat flour), so if the dough seems loose, that's normal and okay!
- On fermentation: This recipe uses whole spelt, so it will ferment faster. If you're baking in the summer, your kitchen may be quite warm. Keep a close eye on that bulk fermentation!
- Don't rush that second rise! I had to test this recipe so many times because tearing happened at the edges of my loaves every single time, until I scored the top AND pushed the final rise until I felt almost scared to bake. That's when it turned out perfectly even and fluffy inside.
- Wanna skip scoring? I tested and tested this recipe and wasn't able to keep the dough from ripping if I didn't either score it or bake it with steam (and I don't want a crispy crust so I don't want to bake it with steam). They don't look perfect but if you prefer not to score your sandwich bread, you can skip it.
Behind the Bake
I wrote this recipe for Honey N Spelt Sandwich Bread because my kiddos love a sandwich, and one of my kids is a crust HATER, and I can get her to eat this crust (most of the time). I’m also passionate about making sure my kids get enough whole grains in their bellies, so this loaf has 60% whole spelt flour. It has a bit of avocado oil and honey, but you can sub pretty much any fat and sweetener you like. This one took me over 20 tries to get right.
Laila's Tools
More Like This
100% Hydration Bread
This one is for the overachievers or the "we'll see!" people. It's just starter, flour, salt, and a lot of water, and it will test your instincts. Is it worth it? I don't know! But it's fun.
French Onion Sourdough Bread
Two things I love, french onion soup and sourdough bread, combined into one of the best smelling (and tasting) breads I have ever made. Caramelized onions, funky aged Gruyère, and fresh thyme.
Blueberry Lemon Sourdough
Fresh blueberries give you that jammy, luscious bite; freeze-dried give you an even crumb with berries in every slice. Either way you end up with a delicious loaf, and the lemon zest is what makes it.
My Rating
Made this recipe? Tap a star to rate it.
Comments