If you are looking for a sandwich bread with character, and are ready to think outside the sandwich box, you might enjoy this Spelt and Honey Sesame Sandwich Loaf. It’s filled with sesame seeds and sprinkled with just enough dried cranberries to add some color and a hint of sweetness.
I began experimenting with this bread a few weeks ago when I decided to test the Emile Henry Ceramic Loaf Baker. I took one of their recipes, which was created to fit the baker, and adapted it to suit my needs. What I ended up with surprised and delighted me.
The reason it surprised me is that I had certain expectations when I began the test and the result was a little different, in a good way. You know those expectations (good or bad) can trip you up every time.
I love making bread. That’s pretty obvious, otherwise I wouldn’t have created this site.
What you probably don’t know is that I’m not big into sandwiches.
I was a very picky eater growing up. When the rest of the family (of six) was having BLTs, my mom would fix me something else. When you don’t like tomatoes, bacon, or mayonnaise, a lettuce sandwich just doesn’t quite do it. I do eat tomatoes and bacon now, but I still don’t eat BLTs or mayonnaise, unless it’s mixed in with salad ingredients.
Over the years, I’ve developed a taste for rye bread, but I still don’t care for Reuben or Roast Beef sandwiches. However, I do enjoy tuna salad, egg salad, grilled cheese, ham and cheese, and my favorite PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) as well as a few others here and there.
When I was making this bread, my intended purpose was to enjoy it for breakfast as toast. The Emile Henry Loaf Baker has a lid so I suspected it would perform like a Pullman pan.
Pullman pans make great toast bread so that is where I was heading with this bread. The loaf I ended up with made me think outside of my sandwich box. As a result, I decided to call this my grown-up sandwich bread. Or, perhaps, I’ve just finally grown up enough to enjoy it.
Not only does this loaf make great toast, but I enjoyed it non-toasted and spread with peanut butter and jelly and as a grilled cheese sandwich. The sesame seeds provided extra crunchiness and a nutty flavor and the dried cranberries gave it a little bit of sweetness which paired well with the cheese sandwich and the PB&J. I also found a new sandwich to enjoy with this bread: fried egg and toasted cheese.
The photo above is just a suggestion. Feel free to enjoy your sandwich with the fillings and beverage of your choice.
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Spelt and Honey Sandwich Loaf with Cranberries
Description
Think outside the bread box with this grown up Spelt and Honey Sandwich Loaf with sesame seeds and cranberries.
Ingredients
- 300 grams / 10 1/2 oz / 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Spelt Flour
- 120 grams / 1 1/4 oz / 1 cup Whole Grain Spelt Flour
- ~ 85 grams / 3 tablespoons Honey
- 50 grams / 4 tablespoons Sesame Seeds (divided in half)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Instant yeast
- 1 cup Warm Water (100 degrees F.)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 90 grams / 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
Instructions
- Whisk together the flours, salt, yeast and half of the sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl. Stir the honey into the warm water and pour the honey mixture over the flour mixture. Mix using a Danish Dough Whisk or a large wooden spoon. When the dough becomes to stiff for the whisk or spoon, fold and turn the dough in the bowl, using wet hands, until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Knead in the dried cranberries. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour, at room temperature.
- During the bulk proof, fold the dough twice, at 15 minute intervals. To fold the dough, remove it from the bowl to a lightly floured work surface. Flatten it gently into a rough rectangle, then stretch the dough from the left and fold it over itself. Repeat the fold from the right and the top and bottom. This constitutes one fold. Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl.
- Let it rise for another 30 – 45 minutes. Be careful not to let the dough overproof.
- Grease the base of the loaf baker thoroughly and sprinkle with cornmeal. Alternately, place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the baker to keep the loaf from sticking. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it gently, then shape it to fit in the baker. Place the loaf in the baker and cover it with the lid.
- Let it rise for 40 minutes, at room temperature, being careful not to let it overproof.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. You may need to adjust the temperature lower (or higher) depending on your oven. I started with 450 degrees F. as the original recipe suggested but found this was too high for my oven because it runs hot. I turned it down during the bake cycle to compensate.
- Brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle it with the remaining sesame seeds.
- Place the baker (with the lid on) in the preheated oven and bake for a total of 45 minutes. After 20 – 30 minutes, remove the lid and check the loaf. Continue baking with the lid on or off depending on how dark you want the crust.
- Remove the baker from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Adapted from Emile Henry’s Whole Wheat Honey and Sesame Loaf
- Category: Sandwich Bread
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Bobbi says
How would you rate the Emile Henry Bread Pan ?
Cathy says
Hi Bobbi, I don’t have a rating, but I like it for certain breads. It works well for crusty loaves that don’t require a lot of rise, especially whole grains. It works similar to a Pullman pan and makes great toast and sandwich bread.