The Perfect Wholemeal Spelt Bread | Recipe
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Eating healthy doesn’t need to be hard. In fact, this Spelt Bread makes it easy!
Eating wholemeal, or wholewheat, can be tough at times. For me, eating bread should be an aromatic, flavourful, and ultimately pleasurable affair. Sadly, that’s not always the case. Whether you’ve fallen into the trap of buying bags of stodgy sliced pan, or just think you rely too much on white flour, this is a great wholemeal spelt bread recipe to get you out of your bread funk!
Spelt is a great alternative to wholewheat flour, particularly if (like me) you find wholewheat bread can be quite dense and heavy. This spelt bread recipe is second to none when it comes to flavour though, which helps to fix that feeling. It has a wonderfully nutty taste, which I bring out a bit more in this recipe with a combination of oils, seeds, herbs, and flavourings, and it really makes for a fantastic spelt loaf.
Of course the additions are up to you. If you’re not into seeded loaves, just leave them out! I just added some of my favourite flavours. Dried rosemary, seeds, and a touch of onion powder make this wonderful flavourful loaf. However, more exotic flavours are popular when it comes to spelt bread. Cumin or curry powder are popular choices also, as are fennel seeds, caraway seeds, and fenugreek. The world’s your oyster when it comes to flavourings, but do try and pair them well!
Due to the robust nature of spelt bread, this loaf slices up very nicely, and holds its shape well, making it the perfect bread recipe for a sandwich, and it toasts up very well indeed! The chunky pumpkin and sunflower seeds add a great crunch and texture to the soft centre, making for a particularly satisfying bite. I’ve been working hard on cleaning up my diet recently, which of course means going completely wholegrain – and with my love of a crusty baguette or fresh sourdough, I can’t say it’s been easy. But recipes like this certainly help!
It’s always great to have a few healthy bread recipes in the back pocket, rather than relying on store bought regularly. I take inspiration from my Dad, who has a sourdough baking routine in my family home – there’s always a great loaf of sourdough knocking around somewhere!
By getting a bit of practice, and finding a routine that works for you, you can be knocking out a great loaf weekly, and never spending money on flavourless store bough bread again. If you’re new to baking bread, this spelt bread recipe is a great place to start – it’s so easy and tastes wonderful.
Happy baking!
- 500g wholemeal spelt flour
- 300mls warm water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fast action yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp walnut oil, plus extra for kneading
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, mix together your flour, yeast, salt, onion powder, and seeds. Create a well in the centre.
- Measure out the water, and stir in the honey.
- Pour the honey water into the well in the well of the flour, and mix until you have a rough dough.
- Add the oil, and knead for 7-10 mins using a stand mixer, or 10-15 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If your dough it too dry, add a touch more walnut oil or water.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to rise in a warm dry place until doubled in size (around 1 hour).
- Knock back the dough, knead briefly, shape the loaf, and pop it into a very lightly oiled loaf tin.
- Leave the dough to prove for another 30-40 minutes, until it is puffed up a bit.
- Preheat your oven to 220C/430F while the loaf is proving, leaving an empty baking tray on the bottom of the oven.
- Score the loaf right down the middle, and sprinkle a few more seeds over the top just before baking.
- Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until the loaf is a deep golden brown, and sounds hollow when the base is tapped. As you place the loaf in the oven, throw a few icecubes into the baking tray on the bottom. This will create steam for a nice crusty loaf.
- When the loaf is ready, allow it to cool a little in the loaf tin before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.
- Enjoy!
- There are lots of substitutions you can make here. Seeds and herbs are all up to your own taste. Walnut oil is my preference, as it enhances the nutty flavour of this loaf, but you can always use olive oil or vegetable oil instead.
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About Me
I'm Alice - the recipe developer, cook, baker, and mastermind behind Sauce Pots. I'm a passionate amateur cook, and Sauce Pots is an output for my culinary adventures.
My Foodqawker Gallery
Rachel
August 12, 2015
This sounds delicious! This may be a silly question, but do you think it could be made in a bread machine as well?
Alice | Sauce Pots
August 12, 2015
Hi Rachel,
There’s no reason why this recipe shouldn’t work in a bread machine. I don’t use one myself, but the only thing I’d be skeptical of is the addition of seeds and whether that would affect the machine. Otherwise, there should be no issue for you making this in a bread machine! Let me know how you get on 🙂
Alice
I am so totally tempted to bake 1 as last week I made one loaf and was a fail
August 26, 2016
Totally tempted to bake 1.
Alice | Sauce Pots
August 26, 2016
Hi Rachel,
It’s definitely worth trying this loaf again! What was your problem previously? I find that substituting half the flour in this loaf for strong white bread flour makes it a bit easier to work with, if you’re looking for a slightly easier bake!
Alice 🙂
Emmy
October 27, 2015
Hi Alice – I love spelt bread and regularly make it here at home, I really want to give your recipe a go as it looks absolutely scrumptious and I am a big fan of bread with seeds!! 😉 Do you think it would work as well without the onion powder? Also I don’t have any walnut oil in so I was hoping I could cheat and use olive oil as I would do in the recipe I normally use?:) Thank you!! xxx
Alice | Sauce Pots
October 27, 2015
Hi Em!
Yes these changes are definitely all doable! Both the onion powder and olive oil are little tweaks I add to to enhance flavour, but you could definitely make this loaf without them.
Alice
Emmy
October 27, 2015
:0 thank you dear! so excited to make this I will let you know how I get on! 😉 <3 xxxx
Neeli @ Neeli's Unique Creations
January 21, 2016
I’m loving this recipe for whole-grain spelt bread. I discovered spelt flour a few years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I like both the white and whole-grain variety and bake with them often. I still like my regular all-purpose flour, but it has little to no nutrition. I also love Einkorn, flour, and sometimes I make my own oat flour, too. By the way, you have a great-looking blog.
Alice | Sauce Pots
January 22, 2016
Thanks Neeli,
This recipe is a personal favourite of mine too, and a great alternative to store-bought white bread!
Alice
Helen Bundrick
June 16, 2017
I don’t have a scale. How much is 500 grams in cups?
Alice | Sauce Pots
June 16, 2017
Hi Helen,
It’s just a little over 4 cups. I would use 4 cups and then add a little more flour as necessary. I would recommend a scale for baking if it all possible though as it’s much more accurate! 🙂
Hope this helps
Alice
Helen Bundrick
June 18, 2017
Thanks much! I broke down and bought a scale today after watching the great British bakeoff.
Lidia
April 21, 2018
Hello, is it ok if i skyp the honey and I don’t replace it?
Alice | Sauce Pots
April 22, 2018
Hi Lidia,
The honey in this recipe is used to help activate the yeast, so I would recommend using some kind of sugar. This can be a dense loaf so the yeast needs to work hard to create a good rise 🙂
Thanks!
Alice
harriett schulte
August 17, 2018
If you reduce the spelt flour to half in this recipe do you reduce the warm water also?
Alice | Sauce Pots
February 3, 2019
Hi Harriet,
I would introduce more white flour while you’re kneading the dough if it’s too wet. You could also add the water in increments. Try adding half the amount stated in the recipe, and then adding it bit by bit until the dough comes together. Measure as you go if you can so you know how much you need if you make it again!
Alice x
Sue
February 1, 2019
Hi, I made this loaf yesterday and everything seemed to go ok, but it didn’t rise very much in the oven. The bread tastes good but leaves a yeasty taste at the back of my tongue. Any ideas as to where I went wrong? Thanks.
Sue
February 1, 2019
Hi, I made this loaf yesterday and thought I’d done everything as per the recipe, but it didn’t¡t really rise any further in the oven and is much flatter than the one in the photo. What could be the problem? Thanks.
Alice | Sauce Pots
February 3, 2019
Hi Sue,
Firstly I would activate your yeast to make sure that it is working. Just add the yeast to the warm water and honey instead of the dry mixture and leave it for a few minutes to see if it froths (make sure the water is warm, not hot).
Also, you could substitute strong white flour for a portion of spelt flour to lighten up the dough. If you do this, your dough might be a bit wet but just add in more white flour while kneading until you reach the desired consistency.
Lastly, make sure you find a nice warm place to rise the dough. The recent weather we’ve had here in Ireland makes bread making tricky, so if it’s cold where you are that could be part of it! A hot press is the perfect place as it’s usually warm.
I hope this helps!
Alice x