Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Loaf

Spelt is an ancient grain with a genuinely different personality than modern wheat – nuttier, slightly sweet, and built around a gluten structure that’s fragile rather than strong. This loaf leans into that instead of fighting it: gentle mixing, gentle folds, and a quiet overnight rest in the fridge before it bakes into a tall, tender sandwich loaf.

It’s mostly whole spelt flour, with just enough bread flour blended in to give it the structure to rise properly in a pan – genuinely whole-grain, not a token gesture.

Why You’ll Love It

• A genuinely whole-grain sandwich loaf – mostly whole spelt flour, not a dusting of it
• Spelt’s nutty, slightly sweet flavor that plain wheat sandwich bread doesn’t have
• A soft, tender crumb from a touch of honey and butter, still sliceable for sandwiches
• An overnight cold proof that fits around a normal schedule
• A great entry point into ancient grains if you’ve only ever baked with bread flour

Ingredients

Volume measurements are included for convenience, but they’re approximate – for the most consistent results, weigh your ingredients on a kitchen scale, especially the flour.

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• Whole spelt flour (350 g / 2¾ cups)
• Bread flour (150 g / 1¼ cups): for structure – see Tips
• Water, room temperature (320 g / 1⅓ cups)
• Active sourdough starter (100 g / ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp)
• Fine sea salt (10 g / 1¾ tsp)
• Honey (20 g / 1 Tbsp)
• Unsalted butter, softened (30 g / 2 Tbsp)

Equipment

• 9×5-inch loaf pan
• Kitchen scale
• Bench scraper
• Instant-read thermometer (optional, but the most reliable doneness test)
• Plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover

Sample Schedule (2-Day)

Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Loaf

A soft, nutty sandwich loaf built mostly from whole spelt flour, handled gently to protect spelt’s fragile gluten – genuinely whole-grain, still tall enough to slice for sandwiches.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Bulk Ferment 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs

Servings: 12 slices

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Calories: 140

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 350 g / 2¾ cups whole spelt flour
• 150 g / 1¼ cups bread flour for structure – see Tips
• 320 g / 1⅓ cups water, room temperature
• 100 g / ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp active sourdough starter
• 10 g / 1¾ tsp fine sea salt
• 20 g / 1 Tbsp honey
• 30 g / 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• 9×5-inch loaf pan
• Kitchen scale
• Bench scraper
• Instant-read thermometer optional, but the most reliable doneness test
• Plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover

Method

 

1. In a large bowl, mix the spelt flour, bread flour, and water together by hand just until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes.
2. Add the starter, salt, honey, and softened butter. Mix gently just until fully incorporated – a few minutes by hand is plenty. Avoid kneading hard or long; spelt’s gluten is fragile and breaks down with too much handling.
3. Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 4–5 hours, giving the dough two gentle folds (fold each side in toward the center) in the first 2 hours, then leaving it undisturbed. It should look puffy and about 40–50% risen, not doubled.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape gently into a log the length of your loaf pan. Place seam-side down in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–12 hours).
6. The next day, let the pan sit at room temperature for 45–60 minutes while the oven preheats to 375°F (190°C). The dough should crest just above the rim of the pan before it goes in.
7. Score the top lightly with a single lengthwise slash and bake for 35–40 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the top is browning too quickly.
8. The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped and reads 195–200°F (90–93°C) in the center.
9. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour, before slicing.

Notes

Spelt was the first whole grain flour that made me actually understand what “fragile gluten” means – treat this dough like wheat dough and you’ll overwork it into a gummy, dense loaf. Handle it gently and it rewards you with a genuinely tender, nutty crumb.

I don’t bake with 100% whole spelt here. A quarter of the flour is bread flour, just enough to give the loaf the structure to rise tall in a pan – this is still a whole-grain-forward loaf, not a compromise.

The honey and butter aren’t traditional to every spelt loaf, but they’re what make this one genuinely work as a sandwich bread instead of a rustic hearth loaf – soft enough for a lunchbox sandwich, not just toast.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Don’t overwork the dough: spelt’s gluten is fragile and breaks down with too much kneading or folding – mix and fold gently and stop as soon as things come together.
• Why the bread flour: 100% whole spelt can struggle to hold its shape in a tall pan loaf; the quarter of bread flour here gives it just enough backbone without diluting the whole-grain flavor much.
• Trust the thermometer over the clock: spelt loaves can look done on the outside before the crumb has fully set – 195-200°F in the center is the reliable test.
• Curious why spelt behaves so differently from bread flour? The site’s Ash Content article walks through why.
• No fridge space overnight: you can skip the cold retard and let the shaped loaf proof at room temperature for 2-3 hours instead, until it crests the pan, then bake.

How to Store

To store: keep sliced or whole in a bread bag at room temperature up to 4 days.

To freeze: slice first, then freeze in an airtight bag up to 3 months; toast slices straight from frozen.

Nutrition

Per slice, based on 12 slices per loaf. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.