I’ve made this bread so many times, you would wonder if I really meant that I don’t eat many carbs. Truth be told, JT adores it, so whenever we have carb-eating company, this is my go-to bread. I ran out of flour so I added a bit of spelt and it worked out amazing! Thanks Angie for inspiring me to try Spelt flour.
I also discovered well into the bread-making that I didn’t have sesame seeds. Sigh. So I improvised and omitted them from this version of the recipe. I also only wanted one loaf so I cut the recipe in half.
Spelt Egg Bread
Makes 1 30cm loaf,
Original Sesame Bread (from Sawsan, Chef in Disguise)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp powdered milk
- 1/3 cup warm water (it should feel slightly warm to the touch not hot)
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- pinch tsp salt
Directions:
- Combine the yeast, sugar and 1/3 cup water, stir gently and allow to bubble up and foam.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the flour, spelt flour, salt, powdered milk, eggs and vinegar. Rub the eggs into the flour with cookie dough hook and then switch to a dough hook to incorporate completely (apparently the powdered milk makes the dough more elastic because of the sugar content in it).
- Add the yeast water mixture and knead the dough for 10 minutes until you get a smooth slightly sticky dough (you may or may not need to add more water depending on the type of flour you use — spelt absorbs more water).
- Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl, cover it and allow it to rise in a warm place till it doubles in size (this only takes about 45 minutes).
- Pre-heat your oven to 500°F.
- Begin by rolling out the dough to about 30cm x 25cm (12″ x 10″), then roll the dough tightly on the long end and pinch to seal. Pinch the seam along the edge as well so it doesn’t unravel. If the dough is not sticky enough, it WILL unravel, so I sometimes wet my hand and brush the entire rectangle with the water and leave it for a couple of minutes to get sticky before you roll up.
- Allow to rest about 20 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes on the high heat, then reduce to 400°F and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until the bottom is golden.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve warm. Enjoy!
Hello!
I am just making your bread, but I was confused by the two measures of water given..you list 1/3 cup in the ingredient list, but 3/4 cup in the recipe. I actually saw the recipe on Zsuzsa’s cookbook, and there the water is listed as 3/4 also, I think that is not correct as the dough was very soupy.Maybe you could contact zsuza, as I can not. I bet it should be 1/3 cup of water..
I am now one of your followers:-) and have been following zsuzsa’s blog for ages.She is a fantastic cook!
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Hi Dolores, thanks so much for pointing that error out; it seems that no matter how many times I proofread the recipes, sometimes a little error slips by me. I will revise the post with your suggestion.
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Hi Eva! Hope that you didn’t mind that I questioned the measurements..all worked out well for me because I now have two lovely, large, gorgeous breads resting on my counter, plus a little mini loaf, instead of just one loaf.
Since I had doubled zsuzsa’s recipe, I had to add more flour to produce a good dough and, to compensate for the extra flour, I also then added 3TBLS butter, bit more sugar/salt, and baked the breads in a loaf form.The loaves look beautiful, crispy on the outside, but light as air, and they rose beautifully..clearly, one can play with this doughIt is very forgiving!
Next time, I’ll do it the right way.BTW- I made the dough in my Zojirushi bread maker.
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Hi Dolores, no I don’t mind at all; I’m glad that my error didn’t mess up your bread in the long run.
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Eva I just had a slice of your egg bread [without spelt] for lunch. Every fiber in my body wants another slice. I think I am in love.
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Thank you Zsuzsa, I felt the same way! This is why JT keeps asking me to bake it. I love the texture!
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Hi Eva, I’ve been meaning to try spelt bread for ages but never got round to it. Can you explain it’s taste compared to normal white or wholemeal. Would the recipe work with just spelt?
Dave.
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Hi David, it’s my first time using spelt and as I understand it, it can be totally substituted for wheat flour but it absorbs liquid much more readily so you would need to adjust the recipe (I’ve read you would need to use about 75% of liquid as per the recipe). Also, the gluten in spelt are more tender and doesn’t need the kneading as much as regular white flour, over kneading may cause the dough to be crumbly. In this recipe, I found the amount added a lovely sweetness and a very slight nutty flavour to the bread. The dough had the same delicious chewiness and bite as using all white flour. I am not sure how 100% spelt would work in this recipe. Angie at http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.ca/ bakes a lot with spelt and other interesting grains. Check out her blog as she definitely has more experience than I.
Spelt is not gluten free, just a FYI.
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You’ve only gotta mention the “B” word and I’m there! Bread, oh bread – my biggest weakness! Good call on the spelt – I love that stuff, and actually I think I’m out right now – will need to replenish my stocks! Lovely looking loaf Eva – bet it smelled fantastic coming out!
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Thanks Charles, this particular loaf has the right amount of chewiness that an egg bread should have. JT goes nuts for it! I have to freeze the second loaf usually or just make one loaf so he doesn’t eat it in all one sitting!
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You are the bread making queen Eva!
My daughter was asking for your Morrocan olive bread knots yesterday 🙂 They are a family favorite.
Thank you kindly for the shout out 🙂
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How sweet you are Sawsan! Thank you for your kind words. I’ll have to make those knots again, but JT always gives me the look for the beautiful sesame bread and it wins time and time again.
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I should get back into baking bread again. It does smell and taste so good. This looks delicious Eva. I can see why it’s one of JT’s favorites. 🙂
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Thanks Kristy, the egg certainly gives it a lovely chewy texture and the spelt gave it a nutty sweetness.
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I can see why this is a favorite.
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Thanks Greg, the egg adds a wonderful texture to the bread but it’s still light and airy.
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What a great looking bread Eva! I’m amazed at your ability to improvise when baking! I don’t bake often and always follow the recipe to the letter… I’m too nervous not to!
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Thanks Amber, it doesn’t always work out, but experience helps.
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Aha! You are using natural dough enhancer too. Yes, this would be a good bread!
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I’m flattered, your such an accomplished cook, Zsuzsa, thank you.
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Angie has some great recipes, doesn’t she? I’ve never baked with spelt flour, but this recipe looks like a great place to start.
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Thanks Beth, I love how Angie uses whole and ancient grains in many if her recipes.
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I’m so glad to hear you’ve gotten through the power loss! I love spelt flour, it has a distinctive nutty flavor that substitutes well in most recipes. This one looks like the perfect loaf of bread! xx
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It really made a very nicely flavoured loaf, Barbara. Thanks.
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I’ve never baked bread using spelt flour! I should buy some and get baking 😀
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Thanks Lorraine, it makes the bread slightly sweeter and nuttier than regular flour. Or maybe that’s just me ;)!
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It looks fantastic, Eva! I have never baked any bread… I always think that I already eat too much of the bread I buy 😉 so if I started to bake… Bread is my biggest carb addiction in life (just after the rice, but I rice is more filling and easier for me to eat in small amounts).
Spelt flour is one of these weird things I have in my kitchen and always promise myself to start using… You have convinced me I should really give it a try. (I don’t risk running out of sesame! I buy it in 1 kg bags in organic shops and sprinkle on something almost eery day! Another addiction of mine).
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Thanks Sissi, even if you don’t use spelt flour you will love this recipe; the egg makes the bread slightly chewy, not quite the texture of egg bread but similar. And the sesame seeds are wonderful on it. I’m making it again on Saturday for a dinner party.
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Great looking bread, Eva. Does this mean you have your power back?
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Hi Maria, yes we got it back yesterday morning and our friends on the east side got there’s back this morning. Everything in the chest freezer was fine, but almost everything from the fridge and its freezer had to be tossed. At least it wasn’t too bad.
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Good to hear that you didn’t lose your chest freezer. I know you said you had a bunch of meat in there.
Speaking of chest freezers … I can see the bottom of mine. At least in some places. Pantry is still pretty full but there are definitely some gaps there as well.
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Thanks Maria, I was actually hoping to clean our’s out; last year it was too warm for to clean out. But I’m glad we didn’t lose too much.
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Nothing beats a fresh loaf hot out from your own oven!
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So true, Angie.
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Bless you, Eva! I’ve got spelt flour and no idea how I was going to use it. I bought it for a gluten intolerant relative but, unfortunately, she cannot tolerate it either. I’m loathe to throw away food so I’ve been hoping to find a recipe, from a reputable source, that uses it. You are that reputable source, Eva. And with a chill in the air, what better time to bake bread? Yay! Thank you!
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Thanks John. You should check out Angie’s blog Taste of Home http://schneiderchen.de/ she has a lot of spelt recipes.
Yes the aroma of baking bread on such chilly days is perfect. Not to mention it’s a great way to get rid of some aggression, should you feel the need!
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There is something about a fresh loaf of bread. Lovely recipe.
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And how it makes the house smell so great while baking, Minnie! Thanks
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Your are so good at improvising. Is your electricity restored? Home you did not suffer much loss.
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Thanks Norma, all is back to normal, or what ever normal is.
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Your homemade bread must taste like heaven 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks CCU, it does have a wonderful texture and taste.
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How fabulous that you make your own bread, Eva. I just love the look of this loaf. It sounds like that in the kitchen you’re very good at improvising. Glad the spelt worked out fine xx
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Thank you Charlie, I love this loaf and will make it again for a dinner party on Saturday.
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