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When I was back home in Germany recently I had the urge to make bread. The feeling must have been prompted by being surrounded by all those fantastic Germany bakeries.
I was also inspired by the availability and low price of spelt products, I was inspired to make a spelt bread.
Full disclosure – I found a frozen fresh package of a mix of eight herbs in the supermarket and used it in this bread. This made the process quicker and easier.
However, since the season is here, I encourage you to use fresh herbs from your garden or purchased from your local farmer’s market.
To finish the bread, before baking, I sprinkled some lemon scented large crystal sea salt over the top. The great healthy taste of spelt combined with the pop of salty herb flavor in this bread is fantastic.
Mixed Herbs Spelt Bread
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of chopped fresh herbs of your choice. Use at least 4 different kinds.
- 2 packages of active dry yeast
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch of white granulated sugar
- 2+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1+3/4 cup spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Large crystal salt (your choice)
Directions:
- Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm water. Add the olive oil and white granulated sugar. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and spelt flours with the teaspoon of salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix together. Knead in the freshly chopped herb mixture. Knead everything into a smooth dough.
- Place the dough on a cutting board and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Stow the dough in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead vigorously for five minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf.
- Transfer the loaf shape to the baking sheet. Cover again with the damp kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Use a sharp knife to score the top of the bread several times from the short side.
- Sprinkle with the coarse salt.
- Fill an ovenproof dish with water and place it on the bottom of the oven.
- Place the bread in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
