Overnight Emmer Bread

A loaf of bread with four slices cut, two laying down to show interior texture.

This easy overnight emmer bread is made with 75% whole grain emmer flour and 25% spelt flour. It makes a delicious, complex sandwich loaf that's a bit on the smaller side.

Course Bread

Cuisine European, German

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 10 30

Total Time 11 30

Servings

Calories 185kcal

Author Alexandra Daum

Ingredients

300 ml water room temperature
¼ teaspoon traditional dry yeast or a pea-sized piece of fresh yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
300 grams emmer flour
100 grams light spelt flour
6 grams fine sea salt

Instructions

Add the water to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. If using fresh yeast, whisk to dissolve. Set aside for ten minutes.
300 ml water, ¼ teaspoon traditional dry yeast
Whisk in the olive oil, then add the emmer flour, spelt flour, and salt. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. If you prefer to skip the stretches and folds, skip the following step and go right to letting the dough rise overnight.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 300 grams emmer flour, 100 grams light spelt flour, 6 grams fine sea salt
To do the stretches and folds, let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Then over the next couple of hours, do a round of stretches and folds every 30 minutes, for a total of four rounds.
Cover the bowl well with a tea towel and large plate or board. Set aside to rise at room temperature overnight, or for about eight hours. I usually keep mine in the oven (light off) to provide a little extra protection.
In the morning, line a bread tin with baking paper. Transfer the risen dough to the lined tin (no need to shape) and smooth out the top if necessary.
Let the loaf rise, covered, at room temperature for another two hours. It should rise a bit more during this time.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the bread cool for about ten minutes in the tin before removing to cool fully on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing, preferably for a few hours to avoid a gummy texture. Store in a sealed container for a few days or freeze for up to three months.

Notes

This amount of yeast is normal for an overnight bread recipe, as it has such a long rising time.

Skip the stretches if you'd like: you can follow the same method as for this dark rye bread and skip the stretches and folds. The resulting loaf will be a little denser and have less gluten action but it's still very good.

Nutrition