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Bread

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread

September 17, 2018 by Alexandra Daum
This simple overnight spelt rye bread is made with just 5 ingredients, including water and salt. It's a basic bread with an excellent flavour thanks to a long fermentation time and no need for a sourdough starter.
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Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Overnight bread is a staple in my house and has been for years now. This version is a simplified recipe based off one of my most popular recipes, an overnight dark rye bread that’s common here in northern Europe.

Instead of including oats and cocoa powder to make it darker and denser, I’ve kept the ingredients list very short – just whole spelt flour, rye flour, water, salt, and yeast. Equal parts of spelt and rye give a great flavour without being overwhelming.

I killed my sourdough starter early on in the summer by leaving it in the sun and haven’t started a new one yet. We’re currently house hunting in the Netherlands and I don’t want to move it around too much, so for now, overnight bread is the best option. And it’s a good one, too.

Baking the bread in a heavy pot creates steam and results in a crusty loaf reminiscent of what you’ll see in just about every bakery here, especially when you use hearty flours like spelt and rye.

Most long ferment bread recipes will tell you that you need a Dutch oven or another heavy covered pot to make the breads, and you do if you want a crusty, bakery style bread like this one. But in general, you don’t. 

In fact, this overnight spelt rye bread is great for sandwiches (see this post for instructions on how to do an overnight bread in a loaf pan). I’ve been making it in a normal bread pan since moving to Germany because I don’t have a heavy enamel pot here and it’s great. You don’t get the same crust necessarily but it still has a great flavour and it’s even easier.

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Using parchment paper in the pot makes the process easier in a few ways. You don’t need to worry about catching a hand on the very hot inner edge as you drop the bread in, or sticking if your pot is old, not enamelled, or you’re just a little worried about it.

You also don’t need to flour a kitchen towel, which invariably sticks to the dough and refuses to wash out. If you have a banneton it’s great to let the dough rise in there, then place it on the paper before dropping that into the pot. Otherwise I usually put the paper in a bowl, then scoop the dough out onto that, then drop it into the hot Dutch oven.

I also have a no knead honey & oat sourdough recipe if you’re looking to branch out a bit. If you’re looking for a whole grain, healthier option to a standard no-knead bread, this easy overnight spelt rye bread is it. I’ve shared several bread recipes over the years and you guys always seem to like them (are there not so many alternative bread recipes out there?) so I hope you like this one just as much!

And wish us luck – we’re meeting with a realtor in Groningen tomorrow! Fingers crossed we find a house very soon.

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Let’s connect! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via facebook, pinterest, and bloglovin.

Yield: 12

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
Resting Time 12 hours hours
Total Time 12 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
4.48 from 151 votes

Ingredients

Metric - American
  • 300 grams spelt flour*
  • 270 grams whole grain rye flour
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dry yeast
  • 500 ml room temperature water

Instructions

  • Combine the flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the water until a shaggy looking dough forms. Cover with a plate or beeswax wrap and set on the counter to rest overnight, or for about 12 hours.
    300 grams spelt flour*, 270 grams whole grain rye flour, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast, 500 ml room temperature water
  • Once the dough has rested, it should have risen significantly and be quite bubbly. It will be soft. Use a spatula or your hands to stretch and fold it a few times in the bowl before placing onto a large square of parchment paper or in a well floured, lined banneton. Sprinkle flour over it and cover with a towel.
  • Let the dough rise for another 30-60 minutes. Place a Dutch oven or other high-heat safe covered dish (e.g. pyrex) into the oven and heat to 230°C (450°F). Once the oven is hot, remove the dish and place the dough carefully into the hot pot.
  • Bake the bread, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and reduce the heat to 200°C (400°F) and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. A darker crust will have a deeper flavour, so go by your personal preference. 
  • Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Slicing it while it's still hot will result in an unpleasant gummy texture. Store in a sealed container or tea towel for 3-5 days at room temperature.

Notes

• Storing the bread wrapped in a tea towel will keep the crust from softening after a day. This bread does keep longer than normal yeasted bread before becoming stale but will quickly go bad if left in a warm, humid environment.
* You can use either light or whole grain spelt flour, both work well.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says 'American'.


Nutrition

Serving: 1slice Calories: 179kcal Carbohydrates: 35g Protein: 6g Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 0.04g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g Sodium: 397mg Potassium: 87mg Fiber: 6g Sugar: 0.2g Vitamin C: 0.001mg Calcium: 7mg Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

© Alexandra Daum
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
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Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

Easy Overnight Spelt Rye Bread | occasionallyeggs.com

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Comments

  1. Leah says

    September 24, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    Do you think sprouted spelt flour would work in place of the spelt flour? Appreciate this recipe, thank you!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      September 25, 2023 at 9:16 am

      Definitely! I first made it with sprouted spelt when I lived in Canada and it worked well.

      Reply
  2. Charlene says

    May 17, 2023 at 8:24 am

    Hi trying this for the first time..is it ok to let the dough sit in the fridge overnight? I live in the tropics and temperature can be at 35 deg C. Pls advice on method adjustments. Can’t wait to see and taste the outcome! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      May 17, 2023 at 8:23 pm

      Hi Charlene, when I’ve made this recipe in the summer (30+ degrees) I leave it out at room temp for an hour or two before refrigerating, and this has worked well for me in the past so I imagine it would work there even with the higher humidity. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. Jackie Williams says

    April 17, 2023 at 8:24 am

    5 stars
    Second time making this recipe! Love it!

    Reply
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