This bread is ready start to finish in about 3-4 hours with no kneading, tucking or folding! Seriously this is the most simple and quick yeast bread I have ever made!! With my wheat gluten sensitivities I am always trying new variations of bread recipes that do not use wheat flour to get that classic bread that is crusty on the outside and soft and spongy in the middle!! Like a French bread. This one hits all the notes straight out of the oven and next day leftovers are easy to slice thin or thick for sandwiches and toast! You can’t beat it!
Spelt flour has been a game changer for me. I get zero hives or other uncomfortable reactions that I normally get with wheat flour. The gluten in spelt is water soluble unlike wheat gluten and easier to digest. You can substitute spelt flour cup for cup with any wheat flour recipe. Which means if you have found this recipe you can use wheat instead of spelt if you like. Just watch the grind. This recipe uses a white unbleached fine all purpose flour not a stone ground.
Ingredients:
4 3/4 cups fine all purpose spelt flour (Measure loosely do not pack tight)
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt or sea salt
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups room temperature water
Directions:
In a large bowl mix together your dry ingredients including the yeast. Make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired. Old yeast will not rise well.
Now add all of your water to the dry ingredients. Stir them together with stand mixer, spoon or spatula. It will look shaggy and wet which is normal. It will not look like regular bread dough.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Place in a warm area and let rise for 2-3 hours. The dough should double in size if you are yeast is fresh.
When your two hour timer goes off set your oven to 420°F. If you’re using a cast-iron Dutch oven place it in the oven while it’s preheating. Take out a square of parchment paper or a little longer than square is OK if using bread pan lightly spray with oil or rub with a little oil or you can dust some flour on top. Do not mix the dough just gently scrape it onto the parchment paper in the center. It will be a blob of sticky dough. Grab the four corners and place it into the preheated Dutch oven or into your loaf pan. Place cover on top and put in the oven. Cook covered for 35 minutes and then remove cover and cook for 10-15 minutes more until top gets a golden hue and internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
For a regular size loaf pan the bread will need to cook 35 to 45 minutes. If you do not want to use parchment paper then use a spray oil to coat the pan. It should be lightly browned on top. If you have a thermometer your internal temperature from the middle of the bread loaf should be between 190° Fahrenheit . Another method if you don’t have a thermometer is to take the bread out of the pan and knock on the bottom it should sound hollow. I was never good at this method so I bought a thermometer lol.
Health Coaching & Healthy Recipes 