Makes: 1 loaf
Time: About 16 hours, largely unattended
A delicious vegan and gluten-free alternative to your traditional sandwich loaf. Slice it up, toast it, and enjoy with your favorite nut butter or jam.
1. Rinse the spelt berries and cover them with tepid water. Let them soak for 12 to 16 hours at room temperature. The grains should be soft with the sprout barely peeking out.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. Place the sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until they form a grainy consistency, a minute or two.
3. Combine the spelt berries with the yeast/water mixture. Add to the food processor and pulse to combine, about 1 minute. Add the honey and salt, and process until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute.
4. Turn the dough out onto the counter, add the nut/seed mixture, and knead it a few times. Form the dough into a ball. Grease a medium bowl with a little oil, transfer the dough to the bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1½ hours.
5. Heavily grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Shape the dough into a sandwich loaf (see page 401) and transfer it to the pan. Let rise about 30 minutes, uncovered, in a warm place.
6. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake the loaf until golden brown, about an hour. Remove the loaf from the pan as soon as it is cool enough to handle and let it cool on a rack. Serve warm or toasted.