Super Soft Spelt Flour Bread Buns
Servings: 6 huge buns
Ingredients
Dough (see note 1)
- 250ml (1 cup) milk
- 50g (3½ tbsp) butter
- 1 egg (medium)
- 360g-480g (3-4 cups) spelt flour (see note 1)
- 7g (2¼ tsp) dried yeast (see note 2)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbs sugar
Instructions
- Gently heat the milk in the microwave until just lukewarm (around 37–40°C / 100–105°F). Stir in the butter (it will soften nicely).
- Add the milk and butter mixture to your stand mixer bowl along with the egg. Work together until everything is well mixed.
- Then add 360g (3 cups) of flour along with the remaining ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Gradually add extra flour as needed one tablespoon at a time, allowing it to incorporate fully before adding more. You may not need the full amount stated, or you could need more. Be careful not to add too much, as this will make the bread dense.
- After a few minutes, the dough will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may notice your machine working a little harder (mine starts to make a clumping sound). The dough will still be sticky and will slip easily from the paddle.
- Using a spatula, scrape the dough from the paddle. Add a little more flour and continue kneading until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and most of the bottom. It will no longer drip from the paddle but should come away easily when pulled. The dough should feel tacky, but not stick to your fingers.
- Cover the dough and leave it to proof in a warm place until it has doubled in size, usually 60–90 minutes.
- Knock back the dough on a lightly floured surface and form it into a rough ball.
- Grease a baking dish or line a tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into six roughly equal portions and roll each into a ball.
- Place them in the dish or on the tray with a little space between them: you want them to join slightly when baking, which helps make them soft.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for around 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Bake the buns in the lower part of the oven for around 20 minutes, until nice and golden on top. They’re ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving, or enjoy cold with your favourite filling.
Notes
Please note: As my understanding of working with spelt flour has grown, I’ve updated some of my earlier recipes. The ingredients remain unchanged, but I’ve refined parts of the method to reflect how I now prepare the dough. I’ve also removed the bread machine instructions, as I no longer use one.
- You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount). You may need a little more flour if using all-purpose (plain) flour.
- In Sweden we have something called dried yeast. It is used both in warm liquid to proof and also added directly to flour. I am aware that the US has two options for dried yeast, and I believe instant yeast is the most similar to our dried yeast.
