Perfect Spelt Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (105f - 110f)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 6 cups spelt flour (use any combination of whole or spelt.)

Recipe

• 1 combine the yeast, water and honey in a large warm bowl. let stand for 10 minutes or until the yeast softens.
• 2 stir in the butter and salt and 3 cups of flour. stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
• 3 add the remaining flour in increments until the dough become too stiff to stir, then place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
• 4 knead for about 6 minutes, adding the remaining flour as necessart, until the dough become smooth and elastic. do not overknead!
• 5 place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. (i find that sometimes it only takes an hour, make sure to check!).
• 6 grease two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans. punch the dough down to deflate it and divide it in half. form each half into a smooth loaf and place in a prepared pan.
• 7 cover and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for about 1 hour or until the dough has risen to the top of the pans. (again, i find that it seems to take less time than listed here.).
• 8 preheat the oven to 350°f.
• 9 uncover the risen loaves. place the pans on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the tops are light brown and crusty. remove from the oven and tap out of the pan into the baking sheet. turn the oven off and return the breads to the oven to crisp for 5 minutes. remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.