Made with 100% spelt flour, this spelt bread recipe is light and fluffy. Soft and perfect sandwich bread. Just 7 simple ingredients and no starter required. A popular (and healthy) bread for kids/toddlers, and delicious enough for adults too!
Recently I’ve really enjoyed baking this homemade spelt bread recipe! It’s made with 100% Organic Spelt Flour. By making it myself, I know I’m using high quality ingredients that are so pure, wholesome and simple – and I feel good about feeding it to my family.
My 1-year-old, Oliver absolutely LOVES this bread. It’s healthy, easy for him to chew, and is free of bits or seeds – ingredients kids typically don’t like in sandwich bread.
Spelt alone is a nutritious ancient grain that is full of vitamins and minerals like magnesium, potassium, zinc, and folate. It’s also high in protein and a great source of fiber. That makes this bread the perfect loaf to enjoy on a healthy plant-based diet.
In this recipe I’ve used spelt flour from One Degree Organics, one of my favourite brands, which boosts the nutrition even further because they make their organic flours using sprouted spelt.
What the heck does that mean?? Well, when a whole grain has been sprouted, the nutritional content becomes more accessible and easy to digest. This is because the antinutrients in the spelt are broken down, increasing the bioavailability of the vitamins and minerals. Umm, cool right?
If you have trouble digesting whole grains or wheat breads without bloating or discomfort, this sprouted spelt bread recipe may be exactly what you need!
I love this sprouted spelt flour from One Degree Organics! Spelt is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Sprouting boosts key vitamins and minerals, and simplifies digestibility.
(For more recipes using One Degree Organics, check out my Baked Apple Oatmeal.
And, if you love the sounds of this bread recipe, but don’t have time to bake this right now, check out the breads offered One Degree Organics! They’re really tasty and wholesome. I buy it often from the grocery store when I’m short on time).
Ingredient Notes
In addition to organic sprouted spelt flour, you’ll need just 6 other simple ingredients I am guessing you already have stocked in your pantry.
Olive oil adds healthy fats. Some folks may find spelt bread to be dry and crumbly so adding olive oil to this spelt bread recipe helps soften the texture to avoid those issues.
Maple syrup adds natural sweetness, softening the nutty flavour and adding a beautiful color.
Almond milk gives this loaf the perfect golden colour and keeps this spelt bread naturally dairy free and vegan.
If you’ve been intimidated by baking your own loaf bread at home, don’t be! In just a few easy-to-follow steps, you’ll have your own light and fluffy golden spelt bread at home.
Start by activating the yeast. Whisk together the yeast, warm water and maple syrup. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.
Add the remaining ingredients and half of the spelt flour. Stir with a wooden spatula until a soft dough forms.
Knead in the remaining flour until you’ve got a plush dough ball. After 8-10 minutes of kneading, your dough should be soft, but spring back when you push into it with your fingers.
Place in a clean, oiled mixing bowl and rise in a warm spot for one hour. The dough should have doubled in size.
Transfer the dough to a greased and parchment-lined loaf pan and rise once more. Then bake for about 40 minutes, or until fluffy and golden.
Allow the loaf to cool at room temperature on a cooling rack before slicing and enjoying!
Recipe FAQs
Does spelt bread have gluten?
Yes, spelt is a subspecies of wheat and therefore contains gluten. Spelt is actually said to have the highest gluten content compared to its relatives wheat, rye and barley. However, the gluten molecules in spelt are different from wheat and many find it easier to digest.
If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, spelt unfortunately won’t work for you (sorry), but please enjoy any of the recipes in my ever growing gluten-free collection.
Can I freeze spelt bread?
Absolutely! If you’ve baked more bread than you and your family can enjoy before it spoils, stick the excess in the freezer to prolong its shelf life. I’d recommend freezing the spelt bread in slices in an airtight container such as a silicone reusable bag. This way you can pull out 1 or 2 at a time and defrost just what you need for easy lunches or a quick and healthy snack. It’s delicious toasted and can be toasted right from frozen!
Is it cheaper to make your own loaf of bread?
In addition to being healthier and preservative free, baking your own bread at home is significantly cheaper! One you get in the routine of baking a fresh loaf every week, you won’t want to go back to store-bought bread.
Why is my homemade bread dry?
If your loaf came out dry, you likely baked the loaf for too long. Baking for 40 minutes works well for my oven, but you may need to adjust the bake time to suit your oven. This is where investing in a simple oven thermometer can be useful. You’ll be able to tell if your oven runs hot or cold and adjust your bake times accordingly.
Or, it’s possible that you used too much flour. The best way to measure flour is always by weight, and the next best method is the spoon and level method. If you’re scooping a measuring cup directly into the flour then it’s likely to get packed and you’ll be using too much. This results in dry bread.
Top Baking Tips
Make sure the temperature of the water is no more than 115F/45C. (It should be lukewarm). Hotter temperatures will kill the yeast and prevent it from blooming. If the yeast mixture hasn’t bubbled, the water was likely too hot and you’ll need to start over.
If your home is cold/drafty, proof your loaf in the oven with the oven light on. The oven light bulb creates the perfect amount of warmth to properly rise the loaf.
Made with 100% spelt flour, this spelt bread recipe is light and fluffy. Soft and perfect sandwich bread. Just 7 simple ingredients and no starter required. A popular (and healthy) bread for kids/toddlers, and delicious enough for adults too!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water and maple syrup. Add the yeast and whisk again. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes, or until foamy bubbles form on the top. (If the mixture hasn't bubbled, it's possible that the water was too hot and it killed the yeast. Start over.)
Pour in the almond milk, olive oil, and sea salt and whisk to combine. Add 2.5 cups of the spelt flour and stir with a spatula to combine into a wet dough.
Shake in the remaining dough, 1/2 cup at a time, while kneading with your hands until all the flour is incorporated and you've got a plush dough ball with a bit of bounce back when you push into it with your fingers, about 8-10 minutes of kneading. (I found it helpful to knead the dough on the countertop, especially closer to the end. Roll the dough back and forth and shake the flour remains from the mixing bowl onto the dough as you roll).
Clean and pat dry the mixing bowl. Then pour in 1 tsp olive oil and place the dough ball inside. Gently turn the dough to coat with the oil. Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel, or plastic wrap, and proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (If your house is cold/drafty it's helpful to proof in the oven, turned off, but with the oven light on).
Lightly grease the sides of a standard loaf pan with olive oil (8.5-inch by 4.5-inch) and tightly line with parchment paper across the long edge going up the sides. Scoop the dough out of the mixing bowl and gently form a rectangular dough ball the length of the loaf pan. Place into the loaf pan and gently press to fill the pan. (It's okay if it doesn't fill the pan entirely. It will fill as it proofs). Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let proof for 30 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F/190C. When the dough is proofed, turn the oven down to 350F/180C and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the bread is puffed with a firm crust that's deep golden in colour. Rotate halfway for an even bake. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Baking time can vary depending on your oven. I found 40 minutes to be the perfect bake time, you might need a little more or a little less. Nutritional information is calculated per slice. One loaf makes 12 slices.
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We love the flavor and the texture. My loaf did not appear to rise as much as the picture. Should I have let it proof a second time longer than 30 minutes? The first proofing it did double. Easy to follow recipe.
Hi Kathy! It could be that it needed a little extra time for proofing. A method to help speed the process if things are going slower than usual is to put the dough in a warm draft free area of your home (above the fridge works well) or in your oven (turned off) but with the oven light on. Hope this helps and glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! Your instructions were great, and I am so glad this one hit all the targets I needed without my having to substitute anything. This recipe is going into my recipe notebook for sure! I’m not great at bread making, so thank you.
About to make your loaf. Have a question. Do you mean that only the long sides of the loaf tin need parchment paper? Asking further to your instructions: “tightly line with parchment paper across the long edge going up the sides”.
very easy to follow. I am cooking the bread now…Spelt is a favorite and hard to f ind in the U.S. I used unsprouted flour and honey instead of maple syrup ( could not open the bottle) I will use the recommended organic sprouted spelt flour for the next batch..
I just made this for the first time. Wow-this is the best bread. I had to make it in the crock pot because my oven needs a new heating element put in, but even so, the taste was so good, the crumb and rise were perfect. It reminded me of the good whole grain wheat bread I ate as a child. Will be making this again. My whole family loved it. I did sub full fat cow’s milk tho since it is not a problem for us….But I did use the same brand of sprouted spelt.
Hello Hannah. I love the flavour, didn’t have almond milk so subbed
with 2%. All turned out well but the slices had no body, they came apart
very easily.would vital gluten help. Geoff. I’m a newbie at this.
Hey Geoffrey! I’m sorry to hear that the bread went crumbly on you! Although I haven’t recipe tested with 2% milk I imagine this wouldn’t affect the consistency of the dough. My guess is that perhaps you didn’t knead the dough for long enough? It can be an arduous process, but the benefit of kneading the dough is that it allows the glutens to realize and makes for an elastic dough which holds together really well when cooked – also helps keep things light and fluffy. Another option is that your oven may run a bit hotter and so the bread cooked to a point where it started to dry out. You might try reducing the cook time by 10 minutes, or lowering the heat by 15 degrees or so.
I hope these tips help and please let me know how you get on if you try the recipe again!
Hi Linda, this recipe does not require an overnight proof before kneading. Although I have not tried using instant yeast with this recipe, my recommendation would be to to proof the dough in the bread pan until the dough has doubled in size. If you’re using instant yeast in may be a titch faster that dry active yeast – which was about 1 hour. Do let me know if you try this recipe with the instant yeast, as I’m sure others would like to know too. 🙂
Would regular milk work instead of almond milk?
Hi there, is the 4 cups of flour mentioned in the recipe an error as it says 500gms in brackets? I used 4 cups and felt my dough was too dry.
We love the flavor and the texture. My loaf did not appear to rise as much as the picture. Should I have let it proof a second time longer than 30 minutes? The first proofing it did double. Easy to follow recipe.
Hi Kathy! It could be that it needed a little extra time for proofing. A method to help speed the process if things are going slower than usual is to put the dough in a warm draft free area of your home (above the fridge works well) or in your oven (turned off) but with the oven light on. Hope this helps and glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! Your instructions were great, and I am so glad this one hit all the targets I needed without my having to substitute anything. This recipe is going into my recipe notebook for sure! I’m not great at bread making, so thank you.
This is amazing Gabrielle! Thank you for such a nice comment!
About to make your loaf. Have a question. Do you mean that only the long sides of the loaf tin need parchment paper? Asking further to your instructions: “tightly line with parchment paper across the long edge going up the sides”.
very easy to follow. I am cooking the bread now…Spelt is a favorite and hard to f ind in the U.S. I used unsprouted flour and honey instead of maple syrup ( could not open the bottle) I will use the recommended organic sprouted spelt flour for the next batch..
This is so great Rickie! Let me know how this recipe works out!!
Hi, could I use date syrup instead of maple syrup? Thank you
I just made this for the first time. Wow-this is the best bread. I had to make it in the crock pot because my oven needs a new heating element put in, but even so, the taste was so good, the crumb and rise were perfect. It reminded me of the good whole grain wheat bread I ate as a child. Will be making this again. My whole family loved it. I did sub full fat cow’s milk tho since it is not a problem for us….But I did use the same brand of sprouted spelt.
Amazing Ann! SO happy it worked out great!
Hello Hannah. I love the flavour, didn’t have almond milk so subbed
with 2%. All turned out well but the slices had no body, they came apart
very easily.would vital gluten help. Geoff. I’m a newbie at this.
Hey Geoffrey! I’m sorry to hear that the bread went crumbly on you! Although I haven’t recipe tested with 2% milk I imagine this wouldn’t affect the consistency of the dough. My guess is that perhaps you didn’t knead the dough for long enough? It can be an arduous process, but the benefit of kneading the dough is that it allows the glutens to realize and makes for an elastic dough which holds together really well when cooked – also helps keep things light and fluffy. Another option is that your oven may run a bit hotter and so the bread cooked to a point where it started to dry out. You might try reducing the cook time by 10 minutes, or lowering the heat by 15 degrees or so.
I hope these tips help and please let me know how you get on if you try the recipe again!
Can oat milk substitute the almond mild?
Yes! Oat milk would be a great substitute, or soy milk. 🙂
Can instant yeast work in this recipe?
Does it need to proof evernight before kneadibg?
Hi Linda, this recipe does not require an overnight proof before kneading. Although I have not tried using instant yeast with this recipe, my recommendation would be to to proof the dough in the bread pan until the dough has doubled in size. If you’re using instant yeast in may be a titch faster that dry active yeast – which was about 1 hour. Do let me know if you try this recipe with the instant yeast, as I’m sure others would like to know too. 🙂