Spelt loaf recipe

Details

• Cuisine: English
• Recipe Type: Bread
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Step-by-step

1. Mix the yeast and tepid water until the yeast has dissolved. Combine the flours in a bowl, add the dissolved yeast and the salt, and bring together into a raggedy dough. Tip it out on to the work surface and knead vigorously for 15 minutes to make a soft, stretchy dough. Your dough will now be elastic, but not so elastic as regular wheat dough. Transfer to a bowl and cover it. Allow to prove until doubled in size (no more than 1 hour), in a warm place.
2. Grease a large (2lb) loaf tin. Once the dough is proved, shape it into a firm ball between cupped hands, then place it on the work surface and gently roll with the flat of your hands until it is the length of the tin. Place it in the tin, cover and leave to prove for a further hour or until doubled in size.
3. Heat the oven to 230°C/Gas 8. If you have one, put a baking stone into the oven to heat up at the same time.
4. Sprinkle the loaf with spelt flour and sea salt and transfer to the hot oven (to the stone, if using). Spray the oven with water spray and close the door to create a crust. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, take out of the tin and leave to cool completely.