Step 1

Soak the seeds in 1 cup of water. This step is necessary so that they don’t burn while baking the bread.

Step 2

Mix the whole wheat flour and the spelt flour in a large bowl. Add the spices and salt and incorporate them well.

Step 3

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. If it's too hot then it can kill the yeast, so it's best to stick to lukewarm water (around 110ºF/43ºC). This usually takes a few minutes.

Step 4

Add the yeast mixture into the flour bowl and mix until you obtain a sticky dough. (If you want to add some natural sweetener then add that at this point).

Step 5

Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until it becomes uniform, soft and elastic. This can also be done in a stand mixer for between 8-10 minutes.

Step 6

Roll the dough into a ball, wet it with some olive oil, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set aside for 1 hour so the dough can rise to around double its size.

Step 7

Remove the dough from the bowl, knocking out some air while you shape the dough into a 'loaf' shape that is slightly thinner than the width of your loaf tin (see video). The same goes for individual loaves - simply divide your dough evenly and shape accordingly.Note* If you want to add any seeds/additives into your bread, then you'd add them at this point, just after the first proving.

Step 8

Prepare your bread loaf tin and grease it or line it with baking paper or a bread tin liner. I use a paper liner, which I lightly flour.

Step 9

Place the shaped dough inside the tin. Then drain the presoaked seeds from any excess water and place them on top of the dough.

Step 10

Let the bread proof for another 45 minutes, covered with a damp tea towel. It should double in size, but make sure to not overprove as this can lead to deflated bread with a coarse texture.

Step 11

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 480ºF/250ºC. First place 2 baking trays as follows:-One tray in the middle of the oven – this is where the bread loaf tin goes-One tray in the bottom of the oven – this is where a bit of hot water goes just before baking the bread. The water helps keep the environment moist and will create a nice crispy crust for the loaf.

Step 12

When you are ready to bake, carefully pour a cup of water into the bottom tray (it will be hot so can steam immediately). Then place the bread on the middle shelf.

Step 13

Bake time will be between 15-20 minutes. If you want to be double sure that it has baked all the way through then you can use a thermometer and check for a temperature between 190-200ºF/~90ºC (although, I've never found this necessary)

Step 14

Once baked, set aside to cool down before you cut the bread. Storage:If the bread is not sliced yet, you can keep it unwrapped at room temperature. This way it will retain its freshness. Once sliced, keep well wrapped with a tea towel or foil at room temperature for 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can keep it in a bread box as those are meant to trap the moisture inside, so the bread doesn't dry out. To keep longer, freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the bread cut into slices, that way it's easy to take out and unfreeze as many as need. Remember, even if your bread has gone a bit stale then you can still use it for various things including croutons and bread pudding.