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History 409 Spelt Rye Bread
(Adapted from basic Arrowhead Mills spelt bread recipe.)

This is one of the more successful breads that CAS Professor Thomas Glick prepared for his Medieval Science and Technology class. "The half-rye, half-spelt mixture has a bit more body than spelt alone," he says, "and the rye imparts a sweetness, distinct from that of the honey." He notes that this bread is nothing like the hard, flattened sourdough loaves medieval peasants ate, which often contained particles of dirt and weeds that got milled along with the grain.

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 3/4 cups rye flour
1 package yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water

In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water with the vegetable oil and honey. Add the salt and spelt flour. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes. Add the rye flour and knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth and does not stick to your hands. Add flour if necessary. Place in an oiled loaf pan, cover with damp cloth and let rise another half-hour or until double in size.

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. The same bread can be made in a bread machine, following the manufacturer's instructions. Bake on the shortest bread cycle available, but NOT the quick bread cycle.

5 April 2002
Boston University
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