Learn how to make the easiest spelt bread. You can mix in less than 5 minutes, place in the cold oven, and bake it for one hour. No kneading and no rising!
This easy homemade spelt bread is absolutely amazing! I discovered this recipe about 15 years ago, and I have been making it hundreds of times ever since.
And considering there is no rising and no kneading involved, this bread is absolutely amazing. It has a good bite, it is crusty, it keeps well for several days, and it tastes wonderful. You can also make it with whole wheat.
More spelt recipes: Homemade Crispbread, Spelt Flatbread, and Ancient Grain Salad with Spelt Berries.
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What is spelt?
Spelt is an ancient whole grain; its earliest recordings appear in the Bible. It is actually a type of wheat, and it contains gluten. Spelt is regaining popularity nowadays, and it is sold as a health food, mostly because it remains untainted by terms like "hybridization" and "genetically modified."
The nutrition in this is much like regular wheat; the contrasts are quite small. Personally, I don't see a big reason to think it's much healthier than wheat. The good part is that it's wholemeal flour, without sugar or any added artificial stuff found in supermarket products.
I like to use spelt when baking because I just love its nutty flavor and the sturdier consistency of the baked goods.
Spelt flour can be either wholemeal or white, and it can replace wheat flour in almost any recipe, either bread, cake, pancakes, and so on.
Recipe ingredients and variations
Flour:
- You can use only wholemeal spelt flour, either store-bought flour or you can grind your own wheat berries.
- And if you are not keen on spelt or you don't have it, you can use whole wheat flour, I have done it dozens and dozens of times.
- You can mix spelt and wheat as well.
- Sometimes, I substitute a small amount of wholemeal flour with some white flour (about 3.5-5.5 oz/ 100 - 150 g) – this makes the loaf a bit fluffier.
- Sometimes, I use a small amount of rye flour, which makes it even sturdier.
- Really, you can be bold and experiment here, find your perfect combination of flours. My favorite would be the whole spelt mixed with a small amount of white spelt flour.
What kind of yeast to use?
Fresh yeast:
- Usually, I would use one cube of fresh yeast. Fresh yeast yields perfect results.
- One cube of fresh yeast weighs 1.5 oz/ 42 g.
- Fresh yeast needs to be dissolved in lukewarm water before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
Dried yeast:
- The bread pictured here is made with instant dry yeast.
- If fresh yeast is not available, you can always switch to active dry yeast or instant yeast, whichever you prefer.
- If I use instant dried yeast, I take two small packs, each containing 0.25 oz/ 7 g. They don't have to be dissolved in water; you can mix the yeast with the flour directly.
- If using active dry yeast, you will have to dissolve it in lukewarm water as well.
Seeds:
- I use equal amounts of sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds.
How to bake spelt bread?
You can mix the ingredients in a matter of minutes, then bake it without letting it rise; you don't even have to preheat the oven. There is also no kneading involved either.
- Take one bowl and place it on the scale (if using a scale, cup measuring works as well).
- Dissolve yeast: Pour in the lukewarm water and crumble the fresh yeast into the water. Stir until dissolved.
Reset the scale. Add all remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon. The dough is wet and pourable.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Place it in the cold oven and bake for one hour.
Expert Tips
Flour: Experiment with the flour types. You can make this bread with whole wheat, whole spelt, or a mixture of whole flour and white flour. You can also include a smaller amount (about 3.5-5.5 oz/100-150 g) of rye flour but don't make pure rye bread using this recipe.
Check doneness: The bread should also have a deep golden brown color.
Tap it on the underside; it should sound hollow. If the underside is too lightly colored, allow the bread (without the tin) 5 or 10 more minutes in the oven.
That is not always necessary. I used to do it in my old oven, but I never do it nowadays. Apparently, my new oven is hotter. It really depends on your oven.
Recipe FAQ
Sure. You will need a total of 5.5 oz/ 150 g seeds; it doesn't really matter which kind (pepitas are also delicious).
You can also include chopped nuts (hazelnuts or almonds, for instance).
The wholemeal spelt bread keeps well for several days at room temperature. You don't have to wrap it or anything.
Once you cut a slice, cover only the cut side with a paper bag or clean kitchen towel to prevent it from getting dry.
You should definitely have a slice of this bread while still lukewarm with some salted butter; it is heavenly.
Otherwise, once cold, anything goes. For instance, jam, homemade bread spreads, any kind of cheese, and meats.
What to serve it with?
- Spreads: Best Ever Hummus, The Best Camembert Spread, Zacusca - Red Peppers Eggplant Spread.
- Make sandwiches: Smoked Salmon Sandwich, Smorrebrod - Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches, or Mushroom Garlic Toast with Eggs.
- Serve with soup: Vegan Carrot Soup with Ginger, German Cheese And Leek Soup, or Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Recipe
Spelt Bread (No-Knead, No-Rise Bread)
Equipment
- Loaf pan 12 inches/ 30 cm long
- Digital kitchen scale Note 1
Ingredients
- 500 ml lukewarm water 2 cups/ 17 fl.oz
- 42 g fresh yeast OR 4 ½ teaspoons dry yeast 1.5 oz fresh, Note 2
- 500 g wholemeal spelt flour 17.5 oz/ 4 + ⅛ cups, Note 3
- 50 g sunflower seeds ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz, Note 4
- 50 g sesame seeds ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz
- 50 g flax seeds ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Yeast: Dissolve the fresh (or active dry) yeast in the lukewarm water. If using instant yeast, mix it with the flour.42 g fresh yeast OR 4 ½ teaspoons dry yeast + 500 ml lukewarm water/ 2 cups
- Mix ingredients: Place your bowl on the digital scale. Weigh the rest of the ingredients directly into the bowl. Mix everything with a spoon. The dough will be pretty wet and runny; that is how it is supposed to be. You won't be able to knead it even if you want to.500 g wholemeal spelt flour/ 17.5 oz/ 4 + ⅛ cups + 50 g sunflower seeds/ ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz + 50 g sesame seeds/ ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz + 50 g flax seeds/ ⅓ cup/ 1.7 oz + 2 tablespoons cider vinegar + 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- Grease a loaf pan with butter. Pour the dough inside and level it with the spoon.
- Bake spelt bread: Place the loaf pan in the COLD oven and set the temperature to 400°F/ 200°C. Bake for 1 hour.
- Check doneness: Remove the bread from the pan and check if it's ready by tapping it with your knuckles on the underside; it should sound hollow. The underside of the bread should be a deep golden brown. If the underside is too lightly colored, place the bread in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes directly on the rack, upside down and without the tin.
- Cool: Take it out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Kitchen scale: I strongly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for this recipe. It's not just more accurate, but it also simplifies the entire process. Just put the bowl on the scale and measure all the ingredients directly into it.
- Yeast: You can replace fresh yeast with instant yeast (to be mixed directly with the flour) or active dry yeast (to be dissolved in lukewarm water).
- Flour: Experiment with the flour types. You can make this bread with whole wheat, whole spelt, or a mixture of whole flour and white flour. You can also include a smaller amount (about 3.5-5.5 oz/100-150 g) of rye flour but don't make pure rye bread using this recipe.
- Seeds: You will need a total of 5.5 oz/ 150 g seeds; it doesn't really matter which kind (pepitas are also delicious). You can also include chopped nuts (hazelnuts or almonds, for instance).
Nephe says
Hi Adina, thank you for your patience and kind advice. Did as you suggested and got the Kaiser pan - it does sound like the better size for the job.
Will follow your tips to check for doneness when I try the bread this weekend - didn't get a chance last week unfortunately.
Did test my oven though - found that it takes a full 20 min to reach 200 degC (my friend's much newer oven needs only 10 min). Also had to raise the setting to 210 degC to get it to stay at 200 degC reliably.
Since your bread does the rising in the oven as it heats up, do you think the slower heating time will affect the final baking time? Just wondering if the bread is likely to take longer than an hour to bake through.
When do you think I should start checking the bread? Sorry to keep sending you questions, but I'm worried that the oven temperature might drop too much if I open it too many times.
I'm probably being over-anxious - the dough won't collapse like a souffle - but this will be my very first bread, so I'm a bit nervous. Would be so relieved if it came out somewhat close to yours - not underdone or too dense.
Adina says
Hi. Don't worry too much about it, it will be fine. My oven also takes about 20 minutes to reach 200 grad Celsius, so that fits. If your pan has the same size now, check as instructed in the recipe. If the bottom side is not deeply golden brown at this point, bake the bread without the pan, directly on the wire rack of the oven, and bottom-side up for 5 to 10 minutes. The temperature won't drop too much if you check, if it ever did, I've never noticed a difference.
Nephe says
Hi Adina, thanks so much for this recipe - this bread sounds amazing and just what I've been hunting for.
"Real" breads are hard to find in my location and quite expensive too, so I want to try making my own.
I've been searching for a savoury quick-mix bread recipe just like yours, but most recipes seem to be for sweet tea-cake breads. Or they use oil and other ingredients that I'd rather not include.
I came across your recipe quite by chance, and it's just what I need - a healthy seeded German-style bread with a good "bite" - so I'd love to try it.
But I'm totally new to bread making, so I'm worried about how pan sizes would affect the baking times etc.
Your recipe calls for a 30cm pan - that's about 12in. I recently invested in two heavyweight pans - 9in (about 23cm) and 8in (about 21cm) - as they seem to be common in many recipes, and can't really afford to get a third pan right now.
Can I halve your recipe, and if so, should I use the 9in or 8in? And how would that change the baking times?
Thanks again for sharing this great recipe, and for such clear instructions. Being able to weigh out everything will be so much simpler for me than trying to figure out how much goes in a cup.
Adina says
Hi Nephe, thank you for the comment. I think you can bake the whole recipe in the large tin and increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the tin and check if it's baked through as instructed in the recipe (it should sound hollow). If it's not done yet, continue baking it without the tin (on the oven rack) until golden brown and sounding hollow, 5-10 more minutes should do it, but check.
You can bake half the recipe in the smaller tin, the baking time should not change much because the thickness of the bread should be more or less the same. But check after 45-50 minutes just to be sure.
I've always baked this bread in just the one tin, so I can't tell for sure how the baking time will change, it's best to check yourself the first time and then you will know for sure.
Happy baking!
Nephe says
Hi Adina, thank you for replying so promptly. Your advice sounds very sensible - I'll let you know the results ☺️. Think I'll probably use the smaller pan and halve the recipe for my first try.
Of course, the simplest solution would be to get the same size pan - it's probably worth the investment as that seems to be the standard size for your bread recipes, and there are several others that I'd love to try out if my first attempt goes decently 😊.
I checked out our local bake shop today, and there are two 30cm pans going for a good price, but they're different widths.
The Kaiser is 8cm wide while the Norpro is 11cm wide. Can I just double-check whether what you use is 30x8 cm or 30x11 cm?
Sorry to be such a bother - there are so many different sizes and shapes, it's a bit overwhelming!
Adina says
No problem. My tin is 30 cm long if you measure the upper side and 27 cm if you measure the bottom. It's labeled 30 cm here, but I don't know how that is where you are. The bottom width is 9 cm and the depth is 7 cm. But don't stress too much about this, a similar size is ok (1-3 cm here or there) and you can always adjust the time a bit. I hope this helps.
I would take the Kaiser, the bread would turn out too flat in the other one.
And another thing: this recipe is so forgiving. If the bread has a brown top, a golden brown bottom and sounds hollow, it's done. If it's a bit overdone, it will still be good, just make sure that the top doesn't get burnt. One or two tries and you'll get the hang of it.
Phillip says
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe. What is the point of using yeast since there is no time for it to rise? When baking batter breads, for example, a rising time is included.
Adina says
Thanks for mansplaining. I find it unbelievable when people judge a recipe without even trying it and just assume they know it better. If there were no point in the yeast, I would leave it out. It will, of course, help the bread rise while the oven heats. This bread rises perfectly thanks to that yeast, tastes fantastic, and keeps for days; it's healthy and easier to make than any other bread. I took the liberty of changing the mean star rating to 5 because, in this case, I know it better.
Amaia says
Hi! I’m really excited to try this recipe, sounds great! I was wondering if it is suitable for freezing? Thank you!
Adina says
Hi. Yes, you can freeze the bread. Happy baking!
Helen says
I just can't believe how well this bread turned out for such an easy recipe! I used hemp, sunflower and sesame seeds because that's what I had in the cupboard and it's absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Adina says
I am so happy to hear it, Helen. I bake this bread all the time.
Proverbs31woman says
Lazy Saturday morning after hurricane Ian passed through my neck of the woods in central North Carolina. Craving a hearty grain and seed bread and decided to give this a try. Had to make a few tweaks but the result was spectacular! I used 50/50 organic spelt/whole wheat flour with organic black sesame seeds, chia seeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Didn’t have whole flax seed but added a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seeds to the mix. Used 2 pks of instant dry yeast and organic apple cider vinegar. My loaf was cooked in a glass loaf pan and was ready after 50 minutes in a 400 degree f oven. This is a healthy and versatile bread without added oils and fat that I can feel good about serving to my family and friends. I will definitely be making this throughout the year. Thanks so much for such a healthy and easy recipe!
Adina says
I am so happy you liked it. It's our favorite bread, I bake it all the time.
Rod says
Thank you for this recipe! just one side note about spelt gluten, According to Nature;s Legacy:
Q. Does spelt contain gluten?
A. Yes, but . . . the gluten in spelt has a different molecular make-up than the gluten in modern wheat. It is more fragile and more water soluble, which makes it easier to digest. Spelt is also higher in fiber than wheat, and the extra fiber aids in the digestion of the gluten. Modern wheat has been bred to contain a high gluten content for the production of high-volume commercial baked goods. The content and character of the gluten in spelt has not been modified from its natural state
Adina says
Thank you for the information, Rod, that's good to know.
Bernadette says
Hi Adina, I followed the instructions exactly but my loaf did not rise at all. What could have gone wrong?
Adina says
Hi Bernadette. Probably the yeast. Either not good anymore or the water you dissolved it in was too hot. The salt should also not come into direct contact with the yeast. First water and yeast, then flour and the rest and the salt at the end. Then mix.
Nikki says
I've made this recipe about 4 times and I love it so much about it. I am having trouble with the side of my loaf splitting every time. I've tried varying the water measurement and it still splits. A quick Google search states the splitting can be due to underproofing, but I'm not sure what to do because there is no proofing in this recipe. Do you have any thoughts?
Adina says
My bread also splits occasionally; it could be because of under proofing; it only has a little time for that while the oven gets hot. As the dough is so wet and different from regular bread dough, I am not sure what would happen if I left it for longer; maybe I should try just to see. However, it tastes fantastic and it's fast, so I just live with the splitting, it's only a bit at the surface.
V- says
I'm going to be sticking to this recipe! I love that it has no oil and can be done with 100% whole wheat and seeds. It browned to perfection, tastes amazing, and very importantly, is the easiest and fastest bread process I've encountered. Thanks for sharing.
Adina says
I could not describe this bread better! We love it too, I don't think there is a recipe that I've baked/cooked more often than this one.
Grace Wieber says
Fabulous recipe! Worked well, and is so tasty. Thank you
Adina says
Thank you for the feedback, Grace, we love this bread too.
Cheri says
Hi Adina,
I ended up getting some flaxseed when I was at the grocery store. I'm anxious to make this bread. What I'm wondering about is adding poppy seeds. Should I add them or not? If so, how much?
Thank you
Adina says
Hi Cherry. You should have a total of 150 g seeds in the bread, mix them how you like it. This bread is so easy to make and so forgiving, you could hardly go wrong. Happy baking!
Cheri Nigh says
Hi,
I don't have any flax seeds. Would it still work without them?
Thank you
Adina says
Yes, no problem. Increase the sesame and sunflower seed amount to make up for the flax seeds.
Cheri Nigh says
@Adina,
How much would I increase the sesame and sunflower seeds to?
Adina says
Hi Cheri. To make up for the missing flax seeds. You need 50 g of those, so you can replace them with 25 g sunflower seeds and 25 g sesame seeds.
Cheri says
Hi Adina,
What size loaf pan would I use? I want to make this, but I need to know what size pan I would use.
Thank you
Adina Beck says
@Cheri, hi. I answered earlier today ( see above). I use a 12 inch long loaf pan. Use something that's closest to this size. 9 inch still seems a bit small, the bread might need longer, check as instructed in the recipe, it should sound hollow.
Cheri says
Hi Adina,
What size loaf pan would I use? I only have a 9x5 and an 81/2x4 This bread sounds very yummy. I will be making it in the near future, but I need to know the size of the pan first before I can make one.
Thank you
Adina says
Hi Cheri. The size of the pan is mentioned in the recipe instructions, it should be 12 inches long.