Simply Cinnamon Spelt Bread – Whole Grain
Ah, it had seemed like forever since I baked a fresh loaf of bread. My husband had some toast cravings, so I eagerly walked to the store for the necessary supplies. That is when I spotted the spelt flour. I have always loved the taste of whole grains, but something about the light sweetness of spelt always wins me over.
Though we both loved my Hearty German-Style Spelt Bread, I was craving something a bit lighter in taste for this week’s breakfast bread. I opted to adapt the very simple recipe from Arrowhead Mills Spelt Flour, but since I had just purchased a 1 lb bag of good organic cinnnamon ($4 – no joke!), I also decided to spike the loaf with a touch of spice.
Unfortunately, I didn’t pay close attention to the quantity of the recipe from the get-go. This makes an 8 x 4-inch loaf, while I only have 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Now this is something that always baffles me. Why are so many bread recipes written for 8 x 4 loaf pans when 9 x 5 loaf pans are sold everywhere?! I seriously cannot find an 8 x 4 pan in any of the stores around here.
The recipe still came out nicely, but my husband had this look of concern when he saw the freshly baked loaf sitting in the pan on the counter. I toasted two slices for him and with a smile he said, “This is good, not at all hard like I expected.” Because the loaf was so squat, he thought it was going to be uber-dense. He didn’t realize it was just a recipe that was too small for the pan!
I topped his toast with his favorite, nut butter and jelly, and mine with a homemade honey spread – hmmm, maybe I should share that recipe too?
Of course, this is still a “hearty” bread. Not a speck of those white-processed flours within, so do not expect fluffiness. But, it is tasty, and a recipe I will be working with more to really make it my own. For now, here is the recipe for you to enjoy …
Simply Cinnamon Spelt Bread
At present, I still enjoy making all of my bread recipes by hand, but this loaf can also be made in a bread machine. I have included those instructions (from Arrowhead Mills since I haven’t tried it!) also. This recipe is Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, and optionally Vegan.
- 2-1/4 Teaspoons or 1 1/4-ounce Package Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 2 Tablespoons Honey, Agave Nectar, or Sweetener of Choice (I used honey)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-Light Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Melted Coconut Oil, or Light-Tasting Oil of Choice (I used the olive)
- 3 to 3-1/2 Cups Whole Grain Spelt Flour, divided (I actually used Bob’s Red Mill as the local store didn’t have Arrowhead Mills)
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Combine the yeast, warm water, sweetener and oil in a large mixing bowl, and let it sit and “proof” for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add 1.5 cups of the flour, plus all of the cinnamon and salt. Mix for a minute (I used a hand mixer) until it is well combined.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the loose dough sit for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm place to rise. It should double in size.
Beat in the flour gradually, and begin kneading it with your hands as the dough gets stiff. The original recipe called for 3-1/2 cups of flour, but I only used 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons, and the dough was a good consistency – smooth, just a touch sticky, but not sticking to my hands and easy to knead (the full amount would have made it too tough). So I suggest adding 1-1/2 cups and then adding in the final 1/2 cup as needed.
Shape the dough into a loaf shape that will fit nicely into a greased loaf pan (preferably 8×4-inch!). Cover it with that damp cloth and let it rise for about an hour in a warm place (I tend to make bread when I am in the kitchen cooking or doing prep anyway, so I place the loaf on top of the oven if it is on – this is a nice warm spot).
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and bake the loaf for 30 to 40 minutes. Once done, the crust will have a nice deep brown hue, but not burnt.
Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
BREAD MACHINE INSTRUCTIONS: Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer’s instructions [since I haven’t tested it, I would suggest using the full 3.5 cups of flour as recommended in the original recipe]. Bake on shortest cycle (NOT quick bread cycle). If loaf falls and craters during baking cylce, decrease water slightly next time.
Yields 1 8×4 loaf or 1 squat 9×5 loaf
Happy Baking AND Eating …
26 thoughts on “Simply Cinnamon Spelt Bread – Whole Grain”
I. Love. Cinnamon. 🙂
Oh yummy! Home made honey spread sounds lovely too!
You know, I never really ever thought about loaf pan size except in terms of making cooking times longer/shorter until I moved in w/ Johnny. His kitchen had JUST been finished a few months before and as a bachelor who ate out almost every meal it was uh.. sparsely supplied, even w/ the shopping help of a female friend! Luckily he had an Ikea gift card w/ a few hundred on it from an appliance ordering snafu so I got to go w/ him to spend it. He only had ONE loaf pan before (I require many hehe) and I just looked now and it says 8.5″ and is about 3.5″ deep. It’s about the size of the pans my mom has and I grew up baking w/ so I was SHOCKED when we got to Ikea and all they had were these massively long skinny pans. I just measured now and they’re about 12″ long and 2.5″ deep. At first I was really nervous b/c they seem so much bigger but I actually love them now and use them before the 8.5″ one. It just seems like it gives the bread a lot more room to fluff up and bake and seems like a whole, huge loaf instead of this denser one! I don’t adjust the recipes, just the time shortened by about 10 min. and wouldn’t switch back! So there may be something to these longer, squattier loaves! 😛
The addition of cinnamon is genius! I bookmarked this recipe to try, and soon! 🙂
Beautiful bread–I bet it is just wonderful as toast with the cinnamon in it!
Isn’t cinnamon the most awesome thing?
Yum! That looks so good. I have the same problem. I’ve never seen the smaller loaf pan.
Nice grain on the bread! It looks and sounds delicious. I love a dense bread. That is probably why I like gluten free breads so much!
Ooooo pleasssseeee send out a recipe for the honey spread!
Oh wow. That looks scrumptious! And so wholesome! Oh your kitchen must have smelled marvelous!
Ive never made bread in my entire life…and being GF doesn’t inspire me to try.
But wanted to say that yes, we could probably swap cupboards, i.e. nooch, cinnamon in bulk, and now maca…ha! Try it, I enjoy it but as mentioned, I have a palate of steel for herb-ey tasting “natural” stuff. The only thing i cannot hang with is hemp and pea protein. LOL
I love cooking with spelt flour…and cinnamon. This bread looks amazing!
I actually have an 8×4 inch loaf pan but it seems so small. I’d much prefer some 9×5 inch recipes!
Honey spread? That is what i need in my life.
ohhhhh le sigh homemade bread…I am just way too lazy, but the smell, the taste..mmm
Wow, this looks amazing. I now have weekend plans that do not involve cupcakes.
This looks wonderful. I’ve always wanted to try spelt flour but have yet to find some in our local store that hardly keeps simple whole wheat. I make my own whole grain bread too, from the simlpless whole wheat there is. Your recipe is on my “to try” list as soon as I get my hands on some spelt. Thanks for a great looking recipe!
I found that it easier to just shape the dough into a loaf instead of trying to fit in a pan. Gives it this rugged “country” air too.
Cheers!
I just made this and it is AMAZING! I tripled the batch – because I can’t stand to only make one loaf at a time if I can make more. My entire house smelled fabulous and the kids’ mouths were watering as it cooked. We all love it – plain, with butter and with honey. Wil try later with peanut butter on it too. THank you for sharing.
My only pans are the smaller size. They are older – like more than 12 years – glass pyrex. And some newer metal ones. It is the same size my mother always had. I thought that was normal size until a bread making friend saw one and said “Oh, you have small loaf pans.” Who knows. Maybe the old ones were small and new ones are big? Kind of like portion sizes. 🙂 But I would love some larger loaf pans. Our family clears a loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven – and would take out another if I let them!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Do you happen to know if spelt flour needs to be refrigerated after opening?
In response to all the GF references- I don’t think spelt is gluten free.
i am totally on a bread baking kick as of this week- and i came across this recipe. it will be the first on my list for sure! and then i will bake your butternut squash rolls…. never did get around to that either. all your stuff always looks awesome… aloha, andrea
you can get the small pans at the dollar tree!
Thanks Katie!
I was just talking to my friend tonight about making an egg free spelt flour bread (she’s a vegan). This sounds AMAZING and I’m going to try making a loaf tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
That’s great! I hope you two enjoy it Lesley!
I made this last week and it’s currently our favorite bread 🙂 I added in raisins and this makes the BEST toast the next day! thank you for a fantastic recipe that will be used over and over again 🙂
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