Spelt Flour Milk Bread

Spelt flour is the one which I started using very recently due to its nutritional values. Spelt flour is made from a cerial grain, known as Spelt, which is also called Dinkel Wheat or Hulled Wheat. It is not same as wheat, even though both are similar in appearance. Spelt has a harder outer shell than wheat. It is nutty and sweet in taste. 

Spelt flour is used in breads, pastas, pizzas, cookies etc. It is less in calories, high in protein and easily digestible. 

The secret of a perfect bread lies in kneading. You must neither knead it less nor more. Also the proofing time matters a lot. The temperature of the oven is another factor. If you take a good care of these things, you will have an amazing outcome.

If you do not have spelt flour, you can make this bread by using only the wheat flour (4 cups wheat flour for this recipe)
I am preparing this bread for the first time and was happy with the result. I have used 50% whle wheat flour and 50% spelt flour in this recipe. Another main ingredient in this recipe is the Vital Wheat Gluten, which gives this bread a firm texture and elasticity. If you do not have VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, go ahead and replace the whole wheat flour with all purpose flour/maida. 

Ingredients

• Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Spelt Flour - 2 cups
• Vital Wheat Gluten - 1.5 tablespoon (COMPULSORY)
• Warm milk- 1 cup
• Active Dry Yeast - 2.5 teaspoons
• Sugar - 1 tablespoon
• Honey - 4 tablespoons
• Salt - 2 teaspoons
• Melted Butter - 4 tablespoons

Method

• Take a bowl and combine warm milk, yeast and sugar. Mix well and keep aside in a warm place for 10 minutes. Allow it to froth. Make sure that the milk is warm, neither too hot nor cold. Hot milk kills the yeasts and cold milk does not have the ability to make the yeast active. After 10 minutes, if the yeast does not froth enough, you need to start the entire process from the beginning.
• In another big vessel, combine whole wheat flour, spelt flour, Salt and Vital Wheat Gluten. Sieve them 2 or 3 times, until everything is combined well.
• Add honey and 1.5 cups of milk yeast mixture. Use your finger tips to mix then well. Do not knead. Mix until everything comes together.
• Cover and rest it for 10 minutes or so before kneading.
• Now add the remaining milk, butter and mix well. Transfer it to a clean flour dusted working area and start kneading the dough. It will be sticky and this is how it should be. I was not able to knead the entire dough together, so I divided them in to 2 portions and worked out in 2 batches. Knead for about 10 minutes. Do not knead for more time, as it will become rubbery if you do so.
• Wet a clean kitchen towel using hot water and squeeze the excess water from it. Transfer the dough to a greased vessel. Cover with this damp cloth and let it rest in a dark, warm place. Allow it to double in its volume. It will take 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the temperature. In cold places, it will even take 2 hours approximately. Do not over-proof the dough. Let it rest just until it doubles in size and not more than that
• After it becomes double in volume, punch the dough to release the air and give it another knead.
• Grease a loaf pan using melted butter or any flavorless oil. Shape it like a rectangle and rool it to make like a log. Place it in the greased loaf pan.
• Cover using a damp cloth for about 30 to 50 minutes, again depending on temperature, the time varies. Rest only until the dough rises above the loaf pan. Takecare not to over proof as it will become flat while baking, if you do so. 

• Preheat the oven @190 Degrees C for 10 minutes. Place the loaf pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To avoid over browning, once the desired colour is achieved, cover the bread with an aluminium foil and continue baking. 
• Once done, take out from the oven and brush generous butter on them. The crust will be hard now and as it cools down, it will become soft. The aroma of this bread after brushing the butter is just awesome.

• Take out of the pan and allow it to cool down completely. Do not slice before it cools down completely. If you slice it early, the bread will not be soft, instead too rubbery. So make sure you cool it at least for 4 hours before you slice them.

• Slice and enjoy this super soft bread!!