Fresh Milled Flour Crusty Spelt Bread
This crusty spelt bread made with fresh milled flour has become a favorite staple in our home. It is made with 100% spelt, although, you could play with other grains and see which your family prefers. The crusty exterior is made by baking this simple loaf in a covered pan, such as a dutch oven, or similar. But, one of the greatest things about this loaf, is that you don't need a mixer, and it requires very little hands on time. So, for busy homes, this loaf is an excellent choice!
Equipment
- Covered baking pan such as a Dutch oven or similar vessel.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups of fresh milled spelt flour 390g to start Will need extra for shaping
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast active yeast will work, just bloom it first with some of the water and a pinch of sugar.
- 1 cup warm water 240g 90-110*F Not too hot, or it will kill the yeast.
- *Optional- 1 TBSP honey 21g
Instructions
- Firstly, mill the flour. See notes for other grain options besides spelt.
- In a large bowl combine fresh milled flour, sea salt, and yeast. Try to place the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt on the other side of the bowl. Then, stir the dry ingredients together.
- Then, to the dry ingredients add warm (NOT HOT) water, and honey if using.
- Stir all the ingredients together, the dough should seem shaggy and a bit dry at this point. If it seems wet and sticky, add a bit more flour until you get a shaggy dough.
- Cover bowl, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size. I usually let mine rise for around 3 hours. (If your house is cold, it may take longer. But, if your house is warm it may be less time.)
- Once the dough has doubled, mill some more spelt flour for dusting and shaping. Take the dough out of the bowl, and onto a clean, floured surface.
- Then, with the bottom of the loaf side up, fold the dough edges into the middle of the dough. Flip the dough over so the top is facing up, and cup and shape the loaf until there is some surface tension. It should look like a tight smooth ball. The dough should hold its shape pretty well, if it doesn't, then make sure to pinch the bottom into itself, so that the top has some tension.
- Transfer the loaf to a piece of Parchment paper. dust the top of the loaf with the leftover spelt flour, and score the top of the loaf if you prefer. If you don't score the loaf, it will crack or split on it's own creating a surprise masterpiece after baking.
- Place the mixing bowl upside down, over your dough while it is on the counter to cover it. Allow to rise for about 20-30 minutes while your oven is preheating with your Dutch oven and lid inside during the preheat.
- Preheat your oven to 450*F with your baking vessel inside. This step is important to get a nice crusty exterior. The covered hot vessel holds the steam in the loaf in which is how you get a crackly crips crust.
- Once the dough has risen slightly, and the oven is preheated, then using the parchment paper as handles, transfer the dough into the hot baking vessel. Place lid on, and bake for 35 minutes. *Be careful not to burn yourself!)
- After the 35 minutes, remove the lid, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 205*F.
- Use the parchment paper handles to remove bread, and place on a wire cooling rack.
- Let bread cool before cutting into it.
- Enjoy!
Notes
You can double this recipe to make 2 loaves, but it may rise a bit faster.
If you want to experiment with different grains other than spelt, the amount of flour to water ratio will vary. If using Hard wheat or Kamut, you will need more water. Einkorn and spelt are usually pretty close in hydration, so it should be pretty similar with einkorn. I don't recommend soft wheat for this recipe.
To store this fresh milled flour crusty spelt bread, I like to keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can wrap the loaf in a cotton or linen bread bag, a clean kitchen towel, or place it in a paper bag. This allows the bread to breathe, preventing it from becoming soggy while maintaining the crust’s crispness. For longer storage, slice and freeze after it cools at the peak of freshness. Freeze in a freezer safe bag for up to 4 months.