Usually on this blog, I stick to strictly gluten-free recipes and will continue to do so in the future. However, I wanted to make an exception today for what I consider to be an exceptional recipe.
First, let me explain that while Gabriel is allergic to wheat – thus our gluten-free diet – he’s not necessarily allergic to spelt. I know there’s a controversy over whether spelt is okay for the person with allergies to other glutenous grains.
We’ve done numerous tests with spelt, in fact, at one point, Gabriel went over a year without eating it, and has never been able to see an allergic reaction to it. Thus, our position at this point is that spelt is fine for him.
With that said, we don’t usually buy spelt because of the price – I think it’s roughly the same as most pre-packaged gluten-free flour mixes – and to be honest, gluten-free sandwich bread is pretty good anyway!
But this past summer we came across a steal of a deal on some spelt berries and jumped on it (if we ever get around to figuring out how to clean feed-grade spelt berries for human consumption, they’ll probably be a regular part of our diet).
So, we’ve been cooking with spelt a little here and there. Our three main uses for it are homemade spelt tortillas (personally, I prefer spelt tortillas over the wheat equivalent), pizza crust, and bread.
This spelt sandwich bread recipe is amazing. For the longest time, I didn’t make spelt bread much because it has a tendency to dry out really quickly and get crumbly.
But then a friend was telling me that she puts guar gum in her to make the perfect Spelt Sandwich Bread Recipe. My reaction at the time was “Whaaaaa!? you don’t put guar gum in spelt!” But after digesting it for a while (no pun intended), I decided it was worth a try.
Oh my goodness, the results were amazing! We devoured that first fluffy loaf of goodness in record time.
I don’t think I’ve ever tasted wheat-based yeast bread that was better, and quickly decided that we better reserve this recipe for special occasions because it’s just too good not to eat it up – which isn’t very good for our health when we’re talking two (maaybbee three if Garrett is lucky enough to not be taking a nap when it comes out of the oven) people consuming an entire loaf in day.
And if we do have leftovers? There isn’t much better than homemade spelt bread with peanut butter and sugar-free strawberry jam!
PrintPerfect Spelt Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups spelt flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Guar Gum
- 3 Tablespoons sugar/honey/sorghum
- 3Tablespoons oil
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in bowl (preferebly a mixer with a dough hook).
- Add wet ingredients, and knead for roughly 4 minutes.
- It’s said that spelt doesn’t require as much kneading as wheat, and I’ve found four minutes to work very well.
- let rise in bowl, covered with a light cloth until double. shape into a loaf, and let rise again in a greased loaf pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 30-40 minutes in the center of the oven.
- Let cool on a cooling grid, slice, and enjoy!
Get Your Garden Cheat Sheets!
Want to know exactly when, where, and how to plant your vegetables? Sign up to get our FREE companion planting guide, and garden planting cheat sheet printable.
Autumn says
Will this recipe work with white spelt flour?
Elise says
Yes, my mother-in-law makes it with white spelt, and it’s delish!
debora cadene says
Hi there. I just found your recipie and am going to give it a go, but have a couple of teeny questions. What is the purpose of the Guar gum in this recipie? Could I use xanthum instead? And I was wondering if I could use molasses instead of sugar or honey?? AND last one….will the texture of the dough be a little stickier or does it need to be smooth like regular white bread?
thanks bunches!!
Debbie.
Elise says
Hi! The reason for the gum is that spelt doesn’t contain as much gluten as wheat, so it tend to be a little dry and crumbly without it.
And YES to both the xanthan gum and molasses. Although, by molasses, I mean light molasses (like sorghum) and not blackstrap. Although you could certainly try black strap, it would definitely change the flavor and color.
Also, yes, the dough should be as soft as possible, but kneadable – use like regular white bread.
debora cadene says
Thank you so much for your reply. For the yeast…do I need to proof it with sugar? IF so, would I just use 1 tsp, as it says on the package, then decrease that amount from the total?
Elise says
For this recipe, I didn’t. If you have doubts about your yeast you may want to though…
debora cadene says
Thanks Elise. Its been WAY to long since I’ve made any bread. I proofed it, but should have not dumped all 3 cups of flour in all at once. It mixed super fast, like in seconds and was really stiff. I covered it and let it sit in the oven with the light on, so it could rise, which it did, but not alot. Its sort of an ugly dough…but its not sticky. It feels tough…not silky. Its in the pan to finish its rising before baking, but I’m thinking its not going to go above the pan,unless I let it sit a long time. I’ll try again tomorrow as you have it written above, but with less flour to start. I used Fleischmann’s Traditional Active dry yeast. Is that correct?
Tasha says
I’ve made this bread a few times now and it really is perfect. Thanks for this! Since guar gum is hard for me to get right now (I’m living in Saudi Arabia), I used psyllium husk powder as a substitute . It seems to do the trick.
Jessica says
This bread is delicious! However, I don’t seem to get quite a large enough loaf to use for sandwich bread when I make this recipe. I tried making the bread by doubling it, but it really didn’t rise well when I did that. Do you have any suggestions for making a larger loaf or getting it to rise better?
Klaudia says
Recently went gluten free and this is the best bread recipe i’ve tried. I substituted tapioca starch for gar gum (because that’s what i had on hand), agave nectar for honey and I used walnut oil. Followed your steps only I just mixed w/ a spoon and kneaded by hand just till combined well. VERY moist, light and delicious. My husband loved it too. Thank you so much for sharing!
Leelah says
Just in case you did not know spelt is wheat
Richard D Frazier says
Spelt is on older version before the advent of GMOs, the gluten in spelt is a far simpler and easier to digest I’ve had digestive issues for 30 years this is the only gluten I can eat.
Karen says
I’m trying this in my bread maker machine. Do you think rapid white cycle or gluten free cycle would work better? Thanks, karen
Elise says
I’m not really familiar with bread machine cycles, but I’d probably choose which ever has the shortest kneading cycle.
Karen says
I tried it on both cycles. The rapid cycle tasted good but it was dens
Karen says
Oops I hit send by mistake. Rapid was dense. Gluten free cycle rose wonderfully. But fell during bake cycle. I used bread machine yeast. Could that affect it. I am now trying it with two tsp yeast to see if that works.
Erran Shape says
Thank you for this recipe! I had pretty much given up baking bread since I became sensitive to wheat. I was happy buying spelt bread from my favorite baker until they discontinued it. So I found your recipe when I searched for a non-crumbly spelt bread. It was super easy, and the finished bread greatly exceeded my expectations. My kids who normally turn up their noses at spelt bread were begging for more of this!
I substituted xanthan gum, otherwise followed the recipe pretty much as written. Mine rose fast, 45 minutes (with the bowl set in a larger bowl of warm water) was plenty to double it. People should be aware that if bread rises too much it can collapse and ruin the texture.
Stacy says
Didn’t rise properly. Followed meaurements and directions perfectly. Disappointed. Hate to waste organic, expensive ingredients.
Maria says
Hello!
Thank you for this recipe, I love it! I’ve had varying results depending upon the brand of spelt flour I use, but I figured out which brand would work the best by trial and error! Question: Is there a reason you don’t activate the yeast first before adding the other ingredients? Just wondering if this would produce a better rise. Thanks!
Maria
Elise says
Glad you like it!
The reason I don’t proof the yeast is just that I was so happy with the way this one turned out as it was, I didn’t do any further testing. lol 🙂
Maria says
Thanks! I made it again tonight and I proofed the yeast first. The rise was a bit better, but not a huge difference. I brush a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle some coarse salt which makes a crusty, salty top. Yum! My family is obsessed with this bread. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!
Helen says
what size loaf pan do you use 5X9 or 4X8? And do you ever double it?
Elise says
I use a 5×9 (well, I use to – we’re completely GF now). and yes, double, and even triple it! 🙂
Pamela says
Good afternoon on this rainy, HUMID, lazy Sunday afternoon, I just discovered your site today while searching for a gf homemade noodle recipe. My mom makes the BEST homemade noodles and I haven’t had any for years. You don’t do a gf slippery pot pie by any chance, do you? I’ve had a lovely time looking through all the recipes and I can’t wait to try quite a variety of them. I’m the gluten free eater in my family being diagnosed with celiac disease about 10 years ago. However, don’t ever let anyone tell you God doesn’t have a sense of humor. Out of the entire family its little ‘ol me that develops this, the ONE person in the family who considers spending the entire day, every day, baking the most enjoyable time possible. I LOVE to bake, I am a cake decorator, I spend as much time as possible either in the kitchen, with the oven on, or else with my nose in a cookbook or in front of a computer screen like now searching for recipes or decorating ideas and tutorials. I selll items at time but seem to bake for church and others FAR more than I bake for myself. Believe it or not, 90% of the baking I still do is regular gluten baking. However, this question concerns my dad. He has Type II diabetes. In a way, he has to watch out for eating too much wheat also. We’ve learned that when he consumes ordinary bread, pasta, etc made with ordinary white flour his blood sugar levels jump up terribly. But……if he has pasta etc made with whole wheat instead it not nearly as high. Therefore, he and my mom prepare very little pasta or any starches. So many people don’t realize when you’re diabetic its not just sugar you have to watch, anything starch turns to sugar in your body.
Years ago when I was a kid (I began baking very early in life) he would absolutely love it when I would make loaves of homemade bread. His favorite way was the warm bread spread with locally made apple butter. (we live smack in the middle of orchard and farm country) As my folks are getting up there, my dad will be 77 this year) I try to make as many of the favorite foods from his childhood and life for him as I can. But, obviously, I don’t want to take items to him that will hurt his health. I’ve been wondering how spelt is with sugar levels. Do you know? Will spelt skyrocket sugar levels like regular bread or will it be a small rise like the whole wheat? Is there a bread recipe that’s best for diabetics?
Elise says
I have read that the glycemic index of spelt flour is 54, whereas wheat is around 75, but I don’t know if they were talking about while, or whole grain, or other factors. Sorry!
You might enjoy looking into baking with coconut flour. It’s very fibrous, rather than starchy, and is surprisingly good!
I totally sympathize with you on loving to bake, and then having to go gluten-free! Even though in my case, it’s my husband who has the food allergy. 🙂
Mami says
Hello, I loved your bread. It was so soft. I was wondering if I can use buttermilk for this recipe? If I could should I omit 1cup warm milk? Do you have suggestions? Thanks so much.
Elise says
I’ve never used buttermilk in this recipe, but for every amount of buttermilk you want to put in, you’ll need to omit the same amount of water, or just slightly less.
Laura M says
You mention in the recipe 3 Tablespoons sugar/honey/sorghum. Is that 3 Tbs of each, or 3 Tbs of one of them( my choice)? I am looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow as I just found spelt and LOVE it!
Elise says
Your choice of one. Sorry for the confusion!
Laura M says
Thank you for the quick response! Cannot wait to try it tomorrow…. I will keep you posted. Do you have a favorite of the 3 choices? Any recommendations for high altitude?
Elise says
You’ll love it! Spelt is the best! 🙂 I personally prefer either honey or brown sugar.
Kristin says
It really is perfect. Thank you! I used 2 cups white spelt, 1 cup regular spelt, and dark maple syrup. It’s soft and fluffy and perfect. I think my oven runs a little hot but this only took a little under 30 minutes for me.
Janice says
Hi just made this, and it turned out great. Question though, can I reduce the sugar down a lot? Or will it affect texture or rise or something in the bread. We are just not used to that amount of sugar in our bread, prob like 2teaspoons normally used. Thanks!
★★★★★
Elise says
Hi Janice, you can reduce it, the only affect will be potentially less moist, more crumbly bread.
Laura says
Hello. I baked this bread today and it tastes very good! However, it ended up baking flat, as if it lost its rise.
I noticed that the dough was very sticky and difficult to knead. I did the best I could manage with dough sticking to my hands, and tried not to add too much additional flour – perhaps a small handful overall.
I let the dough rise in the bowl for 2 hours, covered with a towel, in a warm slightly sunny spot.
Then, I transferred to the loaf pan and let it rise for 3 hours. I saw the dough deflate immediately upon removing the towel. It then baked for 35 minutes.
Do you have any suggestions for trying it next time, to give it a successful rise?
Thanks!
Laura
Elise says
Humidity can affect how much flour you need to an extent, so you may have needed more.
As for the deflating, if it was sticky, did you cover stick to it? That could have caused it.
Laura says
Hi Elise,
Thanks for your reply!
Would you suggest I use a damp towel to cover during the rise, then? I live in southern CA and it’s rarely humid here.
It was sticky from when I mixed the ingredients, though I measured exactly as you suggested. But no, the towel I covered it with didn’t stick to the dough.
Laura
Zee says
I follow the recipe ingredients to a T, however the liquid was to much for the dry ingredients. I was very soupy, however I added 3 handful of flour. Then could actually knead. Not sure what the final product will be but it look promising.
★★★
Anissa from WI says
Well I tried this recipe and loved it. I did have to add more flour about 3/4 C worth otherwise it was too sticky. It is a very soft dough compare to the 100% Winter white wheat I used to make. We have to give up the harder gluten and this was suggested. It is delicious. I wish I could post a picture of my loaf it is beautiful…lol Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Jacquie says
What size loaf pan do you recommend?
Elise says
9×5 inch.
Miranda Sherlock says
Wow! best bread I have made yet, I made it using a bread maker on the gluten free setting, which cooks for an hour. The crust is nice and crispy which is good but next time I will take out at 40 mins and see what its like with a softer crust…
Thank you Thank you !!! 😀
★★★★★
Katie says
Have you made several loaves and then frozen them? I’m curious as to how well they do in the freezer, how long they last. Does it need to be refrigerated once you’ve baked it?
Kenny says
I freeze 2 lofes out of 3 so yes
Val says
What can you substitute for guar gum?
Elise says
Xanthan gum is a good swap.
Jenna Dooley says
I can’t wait to try this recipe out. My friend was telling me about the amazing spelt bread she’d been making and sent me the recipe. It was this one. Lol I had seen you post about it on Instagram a while back and just haven’t tried it yet. This is the week! ????
Elise says
It’s pretty fabulous – hope you like it!
Stewart Dean says
Here’s what seemed to me a relatively cheap source of whole grain spelt if you don’t mind buying a lot: $25 lb for $40, ppd, which works out to something like $1.60/lb…about the same as artisanal wheat flour!
Kristi Poirier says
I made this a week ago and I’m making some right now. Today I added cinnamon and raisins. I’ve been baking with spelt for about 20 years. This is my favourite bread recipe that is not made in a bread machine. Love love love it.
★★★★★
Les says
My first time ever making bread or for that, any baking at all. The bread worked out just right and is so tasty and soft with a nice crunchy crust, I can’t stop eating it. It was a little sticky so I used a small amount of Olive oil on my hands and in the bowl, this seemed to eliminate the dough sticking to the bowl or hands. Excellent outcome, taste, texture, crust, flavour and the smell was unreal. By the way as I have no mixing machine I made this by hand mixing. Than you for sharing your recipe.
New Zealand.
★★★★★
Elise says
Yay! So glad your first foray into break making was successful! Yes, a little olive oil is perfect when the dough gets sticky. 🙂
Kenia says
I’m so glad I came across this site. This is the best recipe I came across so far for bread making. I followed the recipe as is; however, I did 2 cups of whole spelt, 1 cup of white spelt, coconut oil and honey. My bread came out so soft and moist. Super delicious.
★★★★★
Brenda says
This looks like a great bread recipe. I want to try it. Do you have any idea how it could be adapted for dinner rolls or burger rolls? I almost gave up on spelt rolls because of them being so dense and crumbly, even with xanthan gum. and how much xanthan gum to use for rolls?
Elise says
I would use the same recipe and shape it into rolls personally. We use this recipe for rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc. the smaller your piece of dough, the lighter, and fluffier it should be able to rise.
John Miller says
I have been using this recipe for around a year and like it very much. I wanted to see if I could make it in a bread machine. My 1st try was to dense for my liking even though I made the bread machine knead for 5 minutes. I took the water and added 2 TBL of tapioca starch. Once mixed I brought it almost to a boil so the starch was thickened. With this addition I can use it in the bread machine. So far I have only tried the whole wheat bead cycle on my machine. The bread dough does not seem to care if I let go through the whole knead cycle which is much longer than the 4 minutes you mentioned.
I use 2 cups of Vitaspelt white spelt and one cup of Bobs Redmill whole spelt.
★★★★★
Wendy says
I just tried this recipe with Anita’s organic all purpose white spelt flour, doubled the recipe. Used cane sugar, almond milk & olive oil *xanthan gum, baked 40 minutes in good quality bread pans and am highly impressed! I was leery to not be proofing the yeast with sugar/liquid prior but followed the instructions as listed and the 2 loaves turned out beautifully! Not crumbly but instead are dense yet light & fluffy. So good that we’ve already dug in before they’ve completely cooled!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – I can now stop looking for the perfect one as I’ve now found it!!
Diane Mantia says
I just bought a bread maker and bought organic non gmo winter spelt berries to make my own flour! I have been having problems eating todays wheat products, and have wondered if it could be because of everything they do to our food! Will the bread maker work with your recipe?
★★★★★
Bryn Morgan says
Hi – this sounds (and judging by the picture) looks amazing! I will look forward to trying this! Would you happen to have your recipe for using spelt or the pizza dough?
Elise says
I haven’t made spelt pizza in years, but if I did I would probably just use the same recipe and roll it out on greased sheet pans, and pre-bake before topping.
Bryn Morgan says
Thanks a stack Elise. I want to try it in the not too distant future! Can you make Fruit Loaf with this Spelt Bread Recipe too and have you tried it making the loaf with fruit?
Penny says
Thank you so much for providing this recipe. I made it today and it turned out amazing! After trying many spelt bread recipe’s this is the one that I can finally say that I am happy with and will be making this as my ‘go to’ loaf of bread for my family.
★★★★★
Elise says
So glad to help!
Deb says
I followed this to the letter and the bread was very tasty but just didn’t rise that much. The yeast was in date so not sure what else I could try, any suggestions?
Elise says
Hmmm, there could be a lot of factors such as temperature and air pressure.
Lynnae Lyons says
I have tried this recipe three times. Twice with Fast acting yeast and the last with regular acting yeast. I only get a dense like bread as well. I really want to eat a sandwich but the bread is not tall enough to even pretend it is regular bread. I really want this to work. Any suggestions?
Kane Sarota-Novak says
Hi there, this recipe sounds great. What type of oil did you use?
Elise says
I usually use light olive oil.
Judi says
I love your recipes but would appreciate a calorie/nutritional breakdown on them. Is this possible?
Linda helen says
I made this recipe with a bread machine on express bake with the small addition of 1T water it’s came out perfect
★★★★★
Amber says
Shalom, is there a substitute for the guar gum?
Jill says
How many loafs will this make??
Ste says
I was doubtful. I tried this bread. I am very happy that I tried it and I am a big fan! My husband also likes it. I will be making this again soon!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Emily says
I have made this recipe so many times I have it memorized, lol! When I use Berlin bakery’s white spelt flour I get a perfect loaf to slice for sandwiches. Recently I decided to try purity foods white spelt flour, my loaf is very different…it’s really dense and doesn’t rise as high, using this flour what could I try different to make it less dense? The purity foods spelt flour Seems to have a little more coarse texture.
★★★★★
Jutta Sinclair says
What yeast do you use ?
pcake says
Is that white or whole grain spelt flour? I’m going to try it – it looks delish!
Elise says
The ones pictures are white spelt. my mother-in-law prefers white bread – for us I use whole grain. 🙂
Chanda Washington says
Do you use quick yeast or regular yeast?
emma says
What can you substitute anything for guar gum?
Elise says
You can leave it out, but your bread may be a bit more crumbly.
Kara says
I’m pretty sure you can substitute xanthan gum for guar gum. In fact, it might be better than guar gum for baked goods according to this article.
See: https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/recipes/guar-gum-vs-xanthan-gum/
Brenda Locken says
Very new to this spelt bread baking, am trying the sandwich loaf and used guar gum as in recipe. I found 1 cup of water made the spelt flour too stiff, added a tiny bit more liquid. I used traditional dry yeast. You didn’t stipulate in recipe what kind of yeast. I usually buy bread machine yeast as I use my dough cycle to knead the bread for me.Any other hints?
Brenda Locken says
Did not rise with traditional dry yeast!!!!
Marta says
I would love to try your recipe tomorrow. But I have 2 questions.
[1] Are you using Active Dry Yeast or instant yeast?
{2} Will the dough made of 3 cups of flour fit in just one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan without overflowing in the oven?
Thank you for your advice. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Marta
Kim Lapointe says
I used this bread as a part of fasting. It is incredibly wonderful and my house smells amazing as it bakes first thing in the morning!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Christine says
I buy spelt bread but have run out. So I am going to try you recipe and make my own. But I do not have any guar gum. What can I do to stop it from being crumbly.
Shanna Dick says
I used xanthan fun and it is a substitute for guar gum.
Shanna Dick says
Xanthan gum.
Charlotte says
I am literally making the first loaf of bread in my life. These instructions are a little vague for an am-mature. Doesn’t Yeast have to be activated with sugar and water? If so, is that why those are listed in the ingredients? Or is what’s listed, IN ADDITION to the activated yeast and I dump that in when it calls for the wet and dry ingredients? Does that make sense? Help me!
Lori says
If you use instant yeast, you don’t need to proof it beforehand and it can be added directly to a recipe.
Suzanne says
My family and I love this recipe! The bread tastes so good and is nice and fluffy and I like that it doesn’t require alot of work. I normally don’t comment on recipes I find online but this one was so good! I use arrowroot powder instead of guar gum and it turns out perfect every time!
Mack Holter says
Very very helpful. Hallelujah. Thank you!
★★★★★
Lori says
Can I use sprouted whole grain spelt flour?
Mitch says
I came across your recipe while looking for a good and easy spelt bread. Your bread looks great and recipe is pretty easy. I grind my own berries so I hoping that is not my problem. On the first loaf I used maple syrup for the yeast. Everything went well mixing, rising ect… but it never did rise when it was cooked just came out dense. The second loaf I used sugar and again everything went well and again dense nothing like your picture. So, if you can want I’m missing or need to do let me know, such a easy recipe I don’t want to give up on it.
Courtney says
Hi there, I’m wondering how long you let your loaf rise on the first round, and again on the second? Just an approximation would be much appreciated ????
★★★★★
Christina Conte says
I made this recipe on Sunday and it is Tuesday and the bread is still soft! No toasting needed. I was skeptical at first because I had to add more flour when I was kneading because it was so sticky but it rose beautifully and tastes great!
★★★★★
Mack Holter says
Wonderful. Thanks. It appears the directions assume you already know how to test your yeast to make sure it’s active, which is fine. It just looks like that has made some others a little confused at the simplicity of the instructions.
★★★★★
Gabriels says
een vraagje 350 graden Fahrenheit ?
Stephanie says
My all time favorite bread recipe!!! I also some times add 1/2cup of raisins soaked in rum and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
Nialyn says
I usually don’t comment on recipes. But, spelt is SO expensive, I came here just to save someone else.
Now, maybe this recipe would work wonderfully with more thorough instructions. However, as written, it is very confusing and leaves a lot of room for user error.
Firstly, the flour to water ratio is off. My dough was exceptionally wet. Instead of adding more flour, I just assumed that’s the nature of the spelt beast. I let it rise. Then put it into my loaf pan. The dough was wet, but rose. Then i let it rise again. It rose. Then put it in the oven. Did not rise again. Super flat, dense bread.
Please, please. Write more detailed instructions so that the ppl at home aren’t left in the dark guessing what the consistency of your dough is, how long you let things rise, etc. Instructions are supposed to help ppl recreate your beautiful – and allegedly delicious – loaf of bread. Yours fel exceptionally short and wasted money!
★
Erica White says
This turned out phenomenal! I used a very small amount of my sourdough discard starter in place of a bit of the spelt bc i was short handed. This is my new favorite bread. I love spelt, especially sprouted, even though it’s my hobby floor and not my say to say due to cost, I’ll sure enjoy this recipe again and often. I’m so glad you shared it. I’ve been working with Bread being, mostly sourdough, for 5 months. So pretty novice, and it turned out beautifully and delicious. Thanks again!!
★★★★★