Honey Spelt
Bread

Combine the Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the cooked oatmeal, olive oil, honey, baker's yeast, sea salt, and 4 cups of warm soft water using a wooden spoon. Stir until everything is well blended.

Add the First 4 Cups of Spelt Flour

Add 4 cups of spelt flour to the wet mixture. Stir well with the wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Bread likes to be stirred — the more you work the spoon through the mixture at this stage, the better the gluten develops. Continue adding spelt flour two cups at a time, stirring well after each addition, until the dough becomes too stiff to stir.

Turn Out the Dough and Clean the Bowl

When the dough is too stiff to stir, scatter about 1 cup of flour on a clean tabletop. Turn the bowl upside down over the flour to dump out the dough. Put a little flour into the bowl and rub it around with your fingers until most of the remaining dough is rubbed off the bowl and the spoon. Then drizzle a little olive oil into the bowl, swirl it around, and set it aside — this is what the risen dough will rest in.

Begin Kneading — Fold, Press, Rotate

Sprinkle flour on top of the ball of dough and press it in. Flatten the dough enough to fold it in half. For the next 10 minutes, repeat this rhythm: fold the dough in half → press it flat → rotate a quarter turn → fold → press → rotate. That's kneading!

Whenever the dough starts sticking to the table or your hands, sprinkle on a little more flour. Keep going until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticks to the table. Ten minutes of steady kneading is usually just right.

Let the Dough Rise for 1 Hour

Place the kneaded dough into the oiled bowl. Turn it upside down so the oiled surface faces up. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Prepare Your Bread Pans

Have 4 bread pans ready. If using new pans, oil them well and coat them in flour. Once pans have been used for bread, do not wash them — simply rub out any crumbs and store in a dry place. A well-seasoned pan releases bread easily every time.

Divide, Shape, and Pan the Loaves

Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Lightly flour or oil a clean tabletop — use only a little, or the dough won't stick to itself and will develop a large hole while baking.

With one piece, pat it out into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle in thirds (like a letter), then roll it up and place the loaf seam-side down into a prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces.

Second Rise — 10 Minutes, Then Preheat

Cover the loaves with a cloth and set them to rise for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, start preheating your oven to 350°F. The loaves will continue rising gently while the oven heats up.

Bake at 350°F for 50–55 Minutes

Once the oven has reached 350°F, uncover the loaves and place them in the oven. They will finish rising in the oven. Bake for 50–55 minutes until deeply golden brown.

Remove Loaves from Pans

When the bread is done, remove the loaves from the oven. Run a table knife around the edges of each pan to loosen the bread. Using potholders, turn the pans over a clean cloth and dump out the bread. If a loaf doesn't want to come out, loosen again with the knife and give the pan a firm shake.

Cool on Their Sides

Set the loaves on their sides to cool on the cloth. It may take several hours for them to cool completely. If storing in plastic, the loaves must be completely cool first — warm bread trapped in a bag will "sweat," which causes mold to form much faster.

Freeze What You Won't Eat in 5–6 Days

If you won't be able to eat 4 loaves within 5–6 days, freeze some when they are fully cool. Freezing bread does not diminish its flavor or texture beyond what a day-old loaf would taste like — and it keeps you from wasting a single slice of this wholesome bread.