Seeded Spelt Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g strong wholemeal bread flour
• 100g spelt flour
• 1tsp sea salt
• 5g dried quick yeast (we like Doves Farm, but a 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast is fine)
• 50g mixed seeds (we used sunflower and linseeds), plus extra to sprinkle over
• 1tbsp honey, treacle or maple syrup
• oil, for greasing
• 1 free-range egg yolk, for glazing

You will need:

• 2 x 900g loaf tins, lightly oiled

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients together, including the 50g seeds. Now add the honey and around 325ml tepid water. Mix together to form a dough (if it’s a bit dry, add a little more water, 1tbsp at a time). Now either knead by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook until you have a soft, springy dough that gives a little bounce back to the touch. Put into an oiled bowl then cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size.

2. Then knead the dough briefly to remove the air bubbles. Divide into 2. Knead into a loaf shape, put into the loaf tins and cover with oiled clingfilm again. Leave to prove - it should increase by at least half again - for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

3. Heat the oven to 200C, gas 6. Brush with egg yolk and scatter with the seeds. We made little snips along the centre with scissors. Bake for about 20 minutes. To check it’s cooked, remove from the tin and tap the base. If it sounds hollow, the loaf is cooked. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack. You can now freeze one for later!