No fuss crusty spelt bread

By Sari Huhtala

It’s mind boggling that the food industry uses 16 plus ingredients in the making of a loaf of white bread, when this homemade, no fuss, crusty spelt bread only uses only four. It’s whipped up in less than a minute, then baked to golden goodness.

Ever wonder what’s in a loaf of white Wonder bread? Just in case you haven’t read the label, brace yourself, here’s a list of its ingredients:

Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Calcium Propionate, Vegetable Monoglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl-2-lactylate, Sorbic Acid, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid, May Contain Added Wheat Gluten, Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters Of Mono- And Diglycerides, L-cysteine Hydrochloride.  

Try this recipe instead.

Crusty spelt bread

To get the full crusty bread effect you will need to use either a Dutch oven or casserole dish with a cover when baking the bread. I use a cast iron pot and a cast iron pan as a lid when I bake this bread.

• 3 cups spelt flour
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 2 tsp Himalayan or other healthy salt
• 2 tsp dry yeast

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and yeast. Stir in warm water. Do not use hot water, it will destroy the yeast. Stir well. Then cover and set aside for two hours or longer. When you’re ready to bake it, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If you are using cast iron you will need to preheat the cast iron pot and pan for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Preparing the dough for baking

Sprinkle about ¼ cup of flour over a cutting board or clean surface. Line a medium size bowl with parchment paper. You will be transferring the dough onto the parchment paper, then lifting it into the cast iron or the casserole dish. Do not mix the dough. With a spoon, carefully scoop the dough onto the floured surface. Then, using either a large spatula for turning or a dough scraper, fold each side into the centre to make it smaller, then slip the spatula under the dough and quickly lift it into the parchment paper covered bowl. The dough will be quite sticky so you want to do this part in one swoop.

Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven then let sit for a while before slicing. Enjoy!

Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007.  She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca