Monastic Honey Bread

About This Recipe

Many European monasteries maintain their own beehives and mills, and their breads reflect this self-sufficiency. This honey-sweetened spelt loaf is dense, nutty, and naturally sweet — eaten plain or with a scrape of unsalted butter after morning prayer.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 400 gspelt flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 2 tbsphoney
• 250 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspolive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate yeast

   Dissolve honey in warm water, sprinkle yeast over and rest 10 minutes until frothy.

2. 2

   Make dough

   Combine flour and salt, add yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth.

3. 3

   Rise

   Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.

4. 4

   Bake

   Shape into a loaf, place in a greased tin, and bake at 200°C for 35–40 minutes until hollow-sounding when tapped.

Variations

• •

  Add walnuts or raisins to the dough.

• •

  Use rye flour for half the spelt flour.

Storage

Keeps at room temperature for 3 days, freezes well.

Frequently Asked Questions