SEEDED LOAF

This nutritious, nutty wholemeal loaf is full of grains and seeds, making it perfect for lunchboxes or to enjoy for breakfast with a topping of your choice. It is chewy and rustic, the way really good bread should be.

If you leave the dough to ferment overnight in the fridge, you only need half the quantity of yeast, as the yeast multiplies over the longer proving time. This produces an even more delicious and complex-flavoured loaf. It also makes the best toast because the lightly toasted seeds and spelt combine to give a great taste. You can use equal quantities of wholegrain and white spelt flour, if you prefer.

Seeded Loaf

Makes: 900g loaf.
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¼ hours rising. Cooking time: 55 mins

 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 55g pearled spelt
  • 500g wholegrain spelt flour
  • 350ml lukewarm water
  • 10g fresh yeast, crumbled, or 4g fast-action dried yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)
  • 1½ tsp sea salt
  • 115g mixed seeds, such as linseed, sesame, pumpkin, hemp, sunflower, chia, poppy
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tbsp spelt porridge flakes, for sprinkling

 

Method:

  1. Lightly oil a large bowl and a 900g loaf tin. Cook the pearled spelt in boiling water for 20 minutes, or until tender, following the packet instructions. Drain and leave to cool slightly.
  2. Put the flour into another large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the lukewarm water, oil, yeast, sugar, salt, cooked pearled spelt and mixed seeds, reserving a tablespoon for later, mix together, using a wooden spoon, to a rough dough.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5–8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when poked. Transfer the kneaded dough to the prepared bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to 1cm/½in thick shape into a rectangular block and put in the prepared loaf tin. Cover again and leave to rise in a warm place for a further 30 minutes until the dough has doubled in size and no longer springs back when poked.
  5. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. When you’re ready to bake the loaf, beat the egg with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash, then brush over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with the reserved seeds and the spelt porridge flakes. Splash a little water in the bottom of the oven to create steam to help the bread to rise. Bake just above the centre for 10–15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 35–40 minutes, or until the bread is well risen, firm and hollow-sounding when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Don't forget to get your spelt ingredients:

14th March 2019

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