Whole Grain Spelt Bread with Pecans

Once you get into the habit of baking your own bread, you really don’t want to miss it anymore. There’s nothing like the aroma of freshly baked bread pervading the house and the taste is absolutely the best. You know what you eat because you choose the ingredients. If you don’t like pecans, just swap them for seeds or different kinds of nuts. You can even use dried herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary to give it a Mediterranean flavor. Another favorite of mine is adding caraway seeds which give your loaf a hearty touch. There are so many flours to choose from but, honestly, you can’t go wrong with spelt, one of the ancient grains that have been around for thousands of years. It’s not gluten free but many gluten sensitive people, myself included, can tolerate it very well. Spelt has a little bit of a nutty note and, therefore, pairs very well with pecans. For a gluten free version, please check my notes!

You need:

• A loaf pan about 9 x 4 inches (23 x 10 cm). I used my silicone pan because it never fails to give perfect results.
• Preferably a stand mixer, but you can also use a wooden spoon to beat the dough.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp warm (not hot!) water
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 lb (450 g) whole grain spelt flour, more for dusting (I used ‘Bob’s Red Mill’ organic whole grain spelt berries and ground them myself)
• 2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 4 Tbsp coarsely ground flax seed
• 3 Tbsp psyllium seed husks
• 2 1/3 cups (550 ml) carbonated water
• 1 generous cup (120 g) roughly chopped unsalted pecan nuts
• extra virgin olive oil for loaf pan

Preparation:

Dissolve active dry yeast in 2 Tbsp of warm water and stir in maple syrup. Let sit for about 10 minutes until foam forms on the surface.

Meanwhile, place spelt flour, Celtic sea salt, flax seed, and psyllium seed husks into a large bowl. I used the bowl of my stand mixer. Combine everything very well.

When yeast mixture is foamy, which means the yeast is active, scrape it into the flour blend. Add carbonated water, and stir/beat very well for about 5 minutes. At the very end, stir in chopped pecans.

Cover bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for about 1 – 1½ hours. The dough should have doubled in size. The time highly depends on the room temperature. It rises faster in a warm place than in an air-conditioned room.

After about 50 minutes set oven temperature to 375° F (190° C).

Coat loaf pan with extra virgin olive oil and evenly fill with dough.

With wet hands, even out the surface and dust with more spelt flour. If you want, use a sharp knife to make some deep cuts into the surface. It’s not really necessary but gives the bread a nice, rustic look.

Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 50 minutes. Then, without opening the oven, set temperature to 300° F (150° C) and bake for 15 more minutes.

Remove from oven, let sit for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan.

Here you can see the difference: cuts versus no cuts. Whatever you prefer! It’s perfect either way!

It’s easier to slice the bread when cooled down but, to be honest, who can wait that long?

Notes:

• For a gluten free version of this bread, just swap spelt- for buckwheat flour.
• To keep your bread fresh, let it cool down completely, slice it, then store in a (preferably reusable) freezer bag. To thaw, simply pop slices into your toaster at a lower setting.